Anaya
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes a day
What to practice: Biking, Just a Second, and finishing number 1 & 2 on page 55
How to practice it most effectively: For Biking, let’s try adding in the tempo (how fast or slow to play) instructions this week now that notes are comfortable! In Just a Second, we talked about how moving in seconds, or steps, is always going line to space or space to line, right next door. There are many repeated notes here – the pattern is 3 Cs in bar 1, then 3 Ds in bar 2, then 3 Es in bar 3, etc. Please still remember LH’s important note F (line 4) and RH’s important note G (line 2). Every time there is a slur, we move up a 2nd (except for LH’s ending bar – this is the one bar where the pattern changes).
Saskia
Recommended minutes to practice: 10 minutes a day
What to practice: “nooh-ah-ooh” warmup, As the World Falls Down
How to practice it most effectively: For the “nooh-ah-ooh” warmup, it’s the same one we’ve been doing just with an added “n” at the front to help you channel a more nasal sound. Spend around a second just singing the note on the “n” before hopping into the slide. For As the World Falls Down, at the ends of all verses try to sing the upper harmony instead of the melody which goes too low. The lyrics for this are “within your eyes”, “within your heart”, and “between the stars”. Please remember you don’t have to sing everything exactly the way Bowie does it – especially parts that are very breathy or accented – you can let your voice be open and natural. Here is a good karaoke to try this week: (the upper harmony is actually in this one since it’s got the background vocals still in it).
Gianna
Recommended minutes to practice: 15 minutes a day
What to practice: Monster, writing the “Why” + Nature song
How to practice it most effectively: For Monster, please use F as a guide note in the first chorus so you sing the melody up an octave (it’s much too low where Shawn Mendes is singing). As always, try your best to enunciate your consonants clearly because there are a lot of lyrics in this song! For the new song you are writing, make sure you write your lyrics in a notebook so you don’t forget! Next week we will combine question ideas and solidify the melody more on the piano.
Ken
Recommended minutes to practice: 15 minutes a day
What to practice: Snake Charmer
How to practice it most effectively: This is our last song in this book! Now that you are playing on a real piano, please play using dynamics (especially the p ones!). This piece is in G minor position but includes a C# for RHas well as the Bb. Remember that accidentals last for the whole bar. LH, please use a bouncy wrist to make sure your quarter notes are really staccato. Also, double check what the bottom note is (sometimes it’s G and sometimes it’s A). For bars 19-22, press the pedal down and crescendo until the RH A-Bb-A – this is a big dramatic moment in the song!
Steve
Recommended minutes to practice: 15 minutes a day
What to practice: Peter Pan’s Flight, Aardvark Boogie
How to practice it most effectively: For Peter Pan’s Flight, please don’t go too fast right off the bat – you must remember that LH comes in together with RH on most beat ones. This week try including some dynamics as well as the ritardando at the end. or Aardvark Boogie we have some new rhythms! There is often an eighth note on the and of 2 tied to a beat 3 quarter note – make sure you hold through the tie. LH’s pattern includes both a C natural and a C#. As long as you’re counting with “ands”, you can play the whole piece hands together!
Gabe
Recommended minutes to practice: 15 minutes a day
What to practice: Prince of Denmark’s March, Porcupine Dance
How to practice it most effectively: For Prince of Denmark’s March, please make sure you’re counting out loud using “ands”; in bars 9 and 13 especially, count with all the “ands” in the bar (even on quarter notes, so you make sure you’re holding the correct amount). This week, add in the dynamics: page 1 is forte and page 2 is piano. Continue taking the D.S. al Coda as you’ve been doing! For Porcupine Dance, remember your bouncy wrists the whole way through – the pattern is really coming along well.
Isaac
Recommended minutes to practice: 20 minutes a day
What to practice: Pyranese Melody, Burlesque in G major (hands separately)
How to practice it most effectively: For Pyranese Melody, please take bars 2-4 then 6-8 and isolate them RH 2x, LH 2x, then hands together 3x in order to get super comfortable with those shapes. Bar 5-6 for RH is actually an A major triad just like LH, except that RH is in 2nd inversion, meaning there is a 4th on the bottom. For Burlesque in G Major, please play LH quarter notes detached. There are always a few notes that come up time and time again like the low D and bottom line G. In this piece we play with many 16th notes, meaning we do a “1e+a, 2e+a” counting. Please make sure eighth notes are holding for the “1e” part of the beat; quarter notes will feel quite long in this piece! RH, be aware there are lots of double hit/repeated notes.