Anatasiya

Great work with “A Mixed Up Song” – just remember the parts where the hands play together. Focus on “Runaway Rabbit” for this week. You seem to know all the notes pretty well – you can keep practicing by saying the notes as you play them. Just a few things to remember; staccatos in measure 7, no rushing at the end, and also remember to keep your left hand on the piano in the beginning even though only the right hand is playing. The last thing to remember is the dynamic markings at the end. Remember, the softer part is the rabbit jumping quietly, and the louder part (forte) is the rabbit jumping more excitedly!

Melody

Excellent job with “Balloons” and “A Happy Song”. For “A Happy Song”, see if you can play the notes exactly in time without pausing for next week. Keep working on “Who’s on Third” – remember thirds are skips. When you’re practicing this piece and looking at your music, remember your two magic questions. 1) Is it going up or down, and 2) By step or skip? You always answer correctly when I ask, but now it’s your job to ask yourself these questions.

Also great work with the flashcards – we will keep working with them in the following weeks!

Juliette

Good C Major and G Major scales – work on A Minor for next week, both natural minor and harmonic minor. A Minor has no sharps or flats, but remember that in harmonic minor, you raise the 7th note (so you play G-Sharp instead of G Natural). Wonderful job with “Greatest Show on Earth” – practice it while counting out loud once in a while, just to make sure your tempo is consitent.

For next week, focus on “French Lullaby” and “Sonatina”. In “French Lullaby”, you are in G position, but your left hand switches to C Position in the third line. Don’t forget the F-Sharps because this piece is in G Major. In “Sonatina”, it is the right hand that switches positions in the middle of the piece. Also, remember that the middle section changes to G Major, so don’t forget to play F-Sharps in that section instead of F-Natural. Keep your left hand softer in this piece as your right hand has the melody.