Vivienne

Warm Up – “Hopping on the Left Foot” and “Standing on Head.”  Make sure Vivienne follows the fingering specified in the exercise “Standing on Head,” as it varies from measure to measure.

Ode to Joy – Vivienne brought in an arrangement of “Ode to Joy” that she had written by hand.  I will write it up on the computer and re-work the left hand for her level.  I have asked her to learn the right hand of this piece for this week.

To ensure she feels comfortable and confident playing her music at the lesson, please ensure Vivienne practices for fifteen minutes each day.  You can set a timer to help her focus on practicing. Repetition is key when it comes to learning, especially learning music, and this routine will greatly benefit her moving forward.

Chantal

Warm Up – Review “Deep Breathing,” “Hammering with Right Hand,” and “Hammering with Left Hand.”

In both the exercises “Hammering with Right Hand” and “Hammering with Left Hand,” Chantal needs to press down on the middle C key silently (without making it sound).  Then she must hold the note down for the duration of the exercise.

Repertoire Songs – Review “Petite Minuet” and “Rodeo.”

In order for Chantal to feel confident playing her music, I request that she practice ten minutes each day. You can set a timer to help her focus on the task at hand. She can rotate what she practices each day instead of trying to fit everything into one session.  For example, on Monday she could practice “Deep Breathing” and “Petite Minuet,” on Tuesday she could practice “Hammering with Right Hand” and “Rodeo,” and so on.

Some questions you can ask Chantal before she plays the exercise or piece:

  • What hand does this piece begin in?  The right or left?
  • What note does your right hand start on?  What note does your left hand start on?
  • Then, make sure she places her fingers on the right starting notes in preparation for playing the song.  Even if her left hand comes in halfway through the piece, for example, her finger should still be ready to play that note.

There is an Academy recital December 4th at 1pm. Though she has told me she would not like to play, I would like Chantal to come to experience the performance.

Tanishq

Try to practice right after school for forty five minutes.  It gives your brain a break from school, but it allows you to practice when you still feel fresh, instead of trying to practice later in the evening when you might be tired.

Warm-Ups: Double thirds, legato and staccato, ascending and descending.  Play the descending portion of this warm-up twice to reinforce it.  It’s slightly trickier than ascending!  Continue working on A melodic minor, formula pattern.  Go as slowly as you need to make sure you are playing all the right note.

The Avalanche: Don’t be afraid to play this piece slower than the tempo marked.  Practice it at 92 with the metronome to ensure all the transitions feel comfortable.

In bar 28-31, use the “dove tail” method of practicing that we discussed in the lesson.  To review: start by playing the bar before the tricky passage, then play the first note of the next measure.  Go back and play the bar before the passage, then play the first and second note of the next measure.  Continue in this way until you reach the end of the passage.

March in D – Practice this at quarter note = 80 with a metronome.  We can speed the piece up when all the notes are comfortable and easy to play.  Then, when we play with the faster tempo, the notes are more likely to be correct.  Precision at a slower speed is key.  While playing with a metronome might feel foreign at the moment, you will become more accustomed to it the more you use it.

Hakuna Matata – Focus on page three.  Practice it hands separately and count out loud (one and two and, etc).  Review page 2, playing hands separately as needed to solidify fingerings.  Try to play page 2 all the way through three times hands together.

Zoe

For the recital, Zoe has picked “Little Lost Kitty” and I will play the teacher accompaniment.  She has a great grasp of the notes, but has a tendency to speed up and slow down.  If possible, practice the teacher accompaniment part with her to help her feel the beat and get more accustomed to the teacher part.

Repertoire Songs: Pumpkin Party and Mozart’s Musical Patterns.

I request Zoe practice for ten minutes each day.  This will help her build confidence in playing through her pieces at the lesson.  Repetition is key at any age to learning pieces of music inside and out.  After she gets into the routine of practicing, we can extend her practice time bit by bit.

Some questions to ask Zoe before she plays her piece:

  • What hand does this piece begin in?  The right or left?
  • What note does your right hand start on?  What note does your left hand start on?
  • Then, make sure she places her fingers on the right starting notes in preparation for playing the song.  Even if her left hand comes in halfway through the piece, for example, her finger should still be ready to play that note.