HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

If you are going away – make sure to review your music pieces and exercises when you’re back, we want to avoid spending extra time and lessons on “relearning” your pieces!

 

Eliana

Eliana should practice 4-5 times per week for 30-45 mins per session.

Scamp

  • Whole piece hands together – focus on rhythm accuracy and both hands correctly synchronized.

Sonatina

  • First movement – steady tempo without rushing/dragging (use the metronome), phrasing with dynamic
  • Second movement – very smooth and gentle playing, like a sweet lullaby

Marches Militaires & Hungarian Dance

  • Try out both Primo and Secondo parts!

 

Anastasia

Anastasia should practice 4-5 times per week for 15-20 mins per session.

Beyer

  • Do exercise No. 1-7 -> keep your eyes on the music as you play (looking at the direction of the notes, steps, skips, jumps), and count the rhythm.

Russian Sailor Dance

  • Be aware of the changes in bar 7-8 and 15-16!

Theory Book

  • Make sure we bring this book to every lesson!

 

Vivienne

Vivienne should practice 4-5 times per week for 15-20 mins per session.

Maple Leaf Rag

  • Now that we are playing the whole piece hands together, focus on the 2nd page a little more (try not to always start playing from the beginning, work in small sections – 2-4 bars at a time)
  • This is a loud and bright piece, but try not to push down the keys too much with your arms and flat fingers. Keep your wrist straight with your arm, knuckles up, and play on your finger tips

 

Chantal

Chantal should practice 4-5 times per week at 15 – 20 mins per session

A Dozen A day

  • Review and perfect our old and new exercises from A Dozen A Day.

Russian Sailor Dance

  • Play with lots of energy, and a little bit faster!

Christmas Songs

  • Make sure you are looking at your music and reading the notes, we want to avoid from guessing the notes by ear!

 

Alyssa

Alyssa should practice 4-5 times per week at 30 mins – 1 hr per session.

Technique

  • Work on the keys we struggle with (often with most sharps/flats), with correct fingering, and use the metronome

Sonatina in F

  • Emphasis on the first note of the slurred phrases, but not too loud nor accented
  • Keep L.H. running accompaniment SMOOTHLY connected!

Minuet in E

  • Play all quarter notes detached, and make sure to lift both hands off at the same time when both hands are playing in quarter notes, especially at the end of a phrase

When Rivers Flowed on Mars

  • Voicing and phrasing – Always “sing” your R.H. top note melody!

Etudes

  • Polish up on the dynamic changes and arpeggio phrases

 

Maria

Maria should practice 4-5 times per week at 15-20 mins per session.

O Susanna

  • Keep working on this piece playing hands together during the holidays, especially the second half, fluently (start practicing from the second half, not from the beginning)!

 

Claire

Claire should practice 4-5 times per week at 15 – 30 mins per session.

Liebstraum

  • Think about passionate love – play with passion, musicality (phrasing, dynamic changes, and other marked articulation)

Theory

  • Look at the pages where we left off with music terms and symbols, and try to memorize all the meanings!

 

Anna

Anna should practice 4-5 times per week at 20 – 40 mins per session.

Minuet

  • Polish up the little mistakes, and remember to play with dynamic changes!

Rivers Flow in You

  • Play with lots of expressiveness in the introduction – listen to the performance by the composer himself and some others
  • Focus on fluency at running 16th parts

Harry Potter

  • Start putting hands together!