Breathe easy everyone! Keep up the awesome work :)

Liam

Stars and Stripes Forever – really good job! Make note of how when the original melody comes back in, the second phrase is slightly different and the LH goes to B7.

Imperial March – killer job on the bridge! Keep your fingering consistent and try not to put thumbs on black keys whenever possible, (it’s the kind of thing that works at certain tempos but gets heavy or uneven when trying to go faster).

Storm at Midnight – use the written fingering because it is consistent with the chromatic scale. Dynamics are the most important thing here, playing with the swells and the echos. This piece uses D minor and G minor key centres.

Great job with the scale articulations and the swung rhythms!! This will really level up up your playing.

Marita

Swiss Cuckoo – Nice!! Isolate the two parts where the hands overlap each other and practice them slowly and accurately.

*New* Mystery Ride – today in lesson we worked through the parts of the first page that Were Not the repetitive LH C power chord. Use the fingering written. Now for the LH C chord groove, practice drumming the pattern on your lap. Together R L R repeat. Once this is comfy, put it on the piano. This is the quickest method to get the groove down, another way would be simply to go very slowly and count each 8th note and place the notes appropriately. Both work.

Sara

Today you delivered some excellent performances of your repertoire!! I hyped you up with intentions of the mood created in each piece prior to you playing, and it paid off! Now it’s your job to recite those intentions Inside Your Head in the moments before you begin playing. The maturity of your dynamics and phrasing both in your pieces and technical exercises is what to put all of our focus in now as your foundation is strong and this is what’ll push you into the higher mark range.

Today we did not get to practice tapping the pulse while tapping rhythms, so please work this into your practicing this week. If you can’t find suitable repertoire around the house, you can use Sightreadingfactory.com and use the rhythms only option :)
Also begin to repeat the top note of a broken triad if you are not already to maintain the triplet on each downbeat feeling, as seen here.

Continue to work on interval practice with your Dad, sounds like it’s really helping! I provided you with a small paper reminding to sign onto your RCM account sometime before your exam and print our the Program Form to fill out. I also advise you to select the shoes you are going to take the exam in and to begin practicing playing the pieces that include damper pedal in those shoes to get used to the feel.