Hello everyone! Good to see you all this week :)
Fiona
You’re working on all of Mozart’s Five Names. Have confidence in yourself, you did every note of our flash cards perfect so you can DEFINITELY handle the pieces in your book. I believe in you!
You’re also working on 2-note slurs. If your wrist isn’t moving like there’s a string attached to it and all the balloons that were on the house from Up are pulling it upwards after each note – you’re not doing it right ;) Our fingers go into zero gravity mode when doing floaty 2-note slurs, float off!
Recommended practice time: 15-20 minutes
How parents can support: Encourage her to play through the Mozart piece just once before school, and maybe once more when she gets home from school. Practice doesn’t have to only be done in huge chunks, any time at the piano is good time if we use our time efficiently !
Marita
I’m sorry about our technical issues today so I will attach a video of Celebration you can look to for inspiration. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg-2En43gvo&ab_channel=PianowithBeth
You’re working on Celebration this week. Each time you sit down to practice, play measures 7-11 first since they’re the trickiest. You can repeat this multiple times before going to the beginning of the piece.
Your note naming skills in class ROCKED! I was very impressed.
If you remember from our last lesson how to play the B Major Scale, please practice that this week so we can look at it next week. Notes are B C# D# E F# G# A# B. RH fingering is 123 1234 5. LH is 4321 4321. Our thumbs go on the only 2 white notes. Practice hands seperate only.
Recommended practice time: 20-25 minutes
Sara
You’re working on Arctic Voices. Things to fix are the timing of the opening line, (beats 3 and 4). Also check the chord I circled to ensure you’re nailing it. Go slow and count aloud to ensure you’re not missing any beats. Add the last line in too this week.
You’re also polishing Arabesque. Ghost the LH (just lightly tapping the keys, but not actually playing) so that they get used to the fact they’re not the star of the show in this A section. Practice the 2nd ending bar, going into the B section a bunch so you’re more confident in it! Where it says “dolce” also needs to be softer as it’s marked piano. Great work today and I love how you weren’t afraid to film this piece!
You’re also working on your G Harmonic Minor Scales this week. They use Bb major’s key signature, and the 7th is raised. Standard fingering (like G Major) applies.
Recommended practice time: 25-30 minutes
Julien
You’re working on Braham’s Famous Lullaby. This piece is in F so we have Bb often used. Remember when a flat/sharp is written, it is the boss of that note for the whole bar – so if there’s many Bs in a measure and one has a flat sign, all the ones after in that bar do too! This melody is shared across the LH and RH so make the phrases (notes that have lines connecting them) all smooth together like someone is singing them – they wouldn’t breathe randomly in the middle just because you’re switching hands! Awesome job today!
You’re also working on G Major and minor pentascales. Play these legato and staccato, but most importantly, don’t let your wrist collapse!
Recommended practice time: 15-20 minutes
How parents can support: Whenever you pass by him playing the piano, make sure his wrist is collapsed and hanging off the keyboard. We imagine there’s a cute fluffy hamster living under our palm and if our fingers or wrist collapse, we squish the hamster! So sad! (We’ll do Happy Birthday next week)
Sina
You’re polishing The Magic Man. Start “piano” (quiet) and when the RH joins in it can be “mezzo-forte” (medium loud). On the words “marvelous, magical, mystical” we play the same pattern going up, patterns are boring unless we do something different each time so here we get louder and louder to keep interest! “Forte” means loud so when you see the F this should be the loudest you’re playing in the whole piece. The very last line is marked “piano” so it is as quiet as the beginning was. The last note is loud to wake up sleeping parents ;)
You’re working on the first page of The Greatest Show on Earth. The LH has the melody in this piece, and the RH is the marching band accompanying. This is the kind of piece a band might play in a parade. The LH is the star so it should be louder than the RH is. Use the written fingering for the RH 3rds. Great work today!
If you wish to drill your Cs, Fs, and Gs more, this link will work on a computer OR phone. I love practicing ear training out and about like on the bus! I recommend this.
Recommended practice time: 20-25 minutes
How parents can support: When you hear him playing Magic Man, ask “are you playing with the dynamics?” to remind him to add in all the details since he already has all the notes and rhythms secured. The details are how loud or soft he is playing like I’ve outlined above.