Hello Everyone!

Georgia:

When practicing The Rainbow this week Georgia is to play hands separate while counting out loud. She should focus on the last line specifically and ensure she observes the rests written in both lines. Georgia should count through the rests to help her understand when her left hand takes over for the right, as the right hand starts before the left in this phrase. In the first two bars of the phrase Georgia’s left hand is to play on beat 3, and in the third bar of the phrase the left hand comes in on beat 2. Georgia should count out lout when reviewing the previous three phrases as well as this will help her understand how the right and left hands fit together when she is ready to try playing hands together. When she has reviewed all phrases hands separately, Georgia can try playing hands together while still counting out loud very, very slowly. Please encourage Georgia to count out loud as she plays as the audiation of beat will provide her structure, especially when trying to play hands together.

Noreet:

Welcome back! Today we reviewed Moonlight Melody! For this week Noreet should practice this song hands separate so that she can focus on the rhythms of the song. She can use a metronome to help her hear the beat,  but please encourage her to count out loud, and please make sure she is counting in 3/4 time not 4/4 time. For the sequence in the second phrase, please remind Noreet that the last interval of the pattern is a 3rd! Noreet should also use the pointer finger of the hand that is not playing to trace the line as she plays to help her watch the sheet music as she reads and to help keep her on track. Once she has reviewed the whole song hands separately she can try playing the song hands together slowly if she feels comfortable doing so. She should continue to count out loud as she attempts hands together.

Benji:

When practicing Young Hunter this week, encourage Benji to practice the song in small chunks. Specifically, have him review bars 5-8 hands separately, counting out loud, before he tries to play the 4 bars together. When practicing this phrase, encourage him to use his 5th and 3rd fingers on both hands to help him as the phrase alternates between the same a G and an E in the right hand and an C and an A in the left hand. He will be using the same fingers to play different notes. Please encourage him to count out loud when trying to do this hands together so he can see how the two lines move together. Benji can then go back and review the first and last phrases of the song (they’re the same notes). Please remind him that the left hand of these phrases descend from C to A to G as he sometimes likes to play these ascending from the C.

Clara:

When practicing the Pink Panther theme this week, Clara should focus on mimicking that “swing” feel heard in the song. Use a recording of the song as reference so that she can hear the loose and smooth quality of the eighth notes specifically. Clara should also continue to practice the B section of the Musette. Challenge her by asking her to play the right hand with her eyes closed. If she can navigate the right hand without needing to look, she can then focus on lining up her octave jumps. She can also practice the timing of the B section by eliminating the octave jump entirely and simply play the eighth notes all on the upper or lower E. This exercise is purely to be used to practice the rhythm of the two hands, we will add the octave jump back in when she is more confident in the right hand. Finally, we have started Marry Had a Little Lamb in the RCM Level 1 book! Clara can play the whole song hands separate to practice the map of the song, but when playing hands together she needs to take it one bar at a time as the song is in canon between the two hands. She should practice hands together very slowly while counting out loud to help her navigate the dotted syncopated rhythms.

Thank you everyone!

Looking forward to more great lessons this March!