Boston

5 Sep

22 Aug

Hedwig’s Theme

some bits have gotten better, but there’s heaps of bits that just have massive chunks of notes missing! like bar 21-23. need to see where you are going when you are practicing and try to add these notes back in

Easy Does It

we read all of RH, good reading!
LH was a bit funny, make sure you’re using the note chart

Deadline sounds great this week!

15 Aug

Deadline

add staccatos
there should be no gaps in between notes
try to keep the same speed the entire way
it would be great if you added dynamics this week

Easy Does It: new song, try a bit of right hand if you can this week

Scales

D major, still has same 4th finger rule errors
try B natural minor this week

8 Aug

Scales

D major, make sure you follow fourth finger rule

Hedwig’s Theme

this still has the same wrong notes as last week, we’ll try again following week but if it doesn’t get fixed it could cause problems if you want to present this for an exam

Deadline

we have to check which clef we are in
other times it just seems like we’re not really reading at all!
sounded way better when we read the notes!

1 Aug

Hedwig’s Theme

good effort on notes, they’re mostly correct
sometimes we’re in the wrong spot. we need to check where middle C is when we don’t know where to play. are we above or below middle C?

Deadline

good effort with right hand. sometimes there are a few wrong notes because we haven’t read the note. make sure to read!
start left hand this week

25 Jul

Hedwig’s Theme

left hand 33-end learned today
when checking where notes are, always check where middle C is first
try to get to the end today

New song: Deadline, but you don’t have to start this week

18 Jul

Hedwig’s Theme

mostly well done in RH, a few errors, see circles in pen
all of RH completed in lesson, LH attempted up to around bar 16

13 Jun

more dynamics

more dynamics

this was not too bad

Scales

not bad

Prelude

30 May

General

revising practice methods
- looking out always for mistakes
- doing sectional perfect practice

23 May

LH still not secure, maybe last week was lucky. you need to make sure it’s correct every time at home

this was not super fluent today, were you ready before you started?

this was okay, but the gap is still there

Scales

we need to practice scales hands seperately
you need to prepare before you start

16 May

improved, add more dynamics esp in RH

make sure this is ready before you start

make sure there isn’t a gap halfway through the piece

Scales

focus on evenness!

Prelude

don’t start too fast
focus on evenness

9 May

finally correct now!

Scales

somehow gotten wrong here, make sure to double check all fourth fingers

General Knowledge

this needs work at home, see seperate message

Sight Reading

check key signature and clefs before starting

this needs to be practiced at home

2 May

the ending of left hand needs to be checked

try to get the rhythm dotted

pretty good today, still a small gap

Scales

pretty good today
prepare before you play the scale, you only get one chance

Mazurka

left hand bar 12 is incorrect
memory around 13-16 is not great
- slow practice
- start from bar 13 and 15. can you start fluently

Sight reading

remember to always check for key signature!
you need to play in the right spots. where is middle C?
always check which clef you are in

25 Apr

the ending of the left hand still needs to be checked

staccatos are attempted here, try to get the rhythm right as well

not bad, just make sure we have no gaps and dynamics better if possible

Scales

make sure scales have absolutely no stops

Aural

rhythm done quite well, singing unable to be pitched

Mozzie

bar 4 rest
bar 12 fingering
even if you don’t get these things right, at least have killer dynamics, this will save some marks

18 Apr

good dynamics!
just have to get a bit more accurate now
left hand last line has a few mistakes, be careful

watch LH staccatos
see whether you can get dynamics

needs more dynamics
make sure it is 100% even (same speed)

Scales

scales are pretty good

Prelude

this is pretty good!

Mazurka

bar 9-12 LH is still wrong!
more dynamics on bar 9-16 would be great

Mozzie

speed needs to be constant, we’re slowing down in a bunch of spots (esp bar 12)
listen to recording for this

28 Mar

Prelude

this can be faster if you are comfortable (as long as you keep the same speed)
pause for a long time at the end
make sure in bar 9
evenness is still most important

Mazurka

it would be better if left hand is softer so we can hear the RH better
left hand bar 9-16 is still wrong and has been wrong for too long! we know what to do, there are no more excuses here

Mozzie

still need to count rests (bar 1, bar 4, similar sections)
don’t speed up at the end, either that, or don’t start too slow!

sounding great!
did you do dynamics?

staccatos in LH need to be done

21 Mar

right hand was very well played today
lets add dynamics this week!

this week check where the staccatos are and lift off there. make sure you don’t bounce in places where there are no bounces
when adding staccatos make sure that the rhythm is still correct

dynamics here as well
make sure they are easily noticable

Scales

E harmonic minor fingering LH incorrect!
make sure you prepare before the scale
make sure you know the names of scales, so when the examiner asks them you know what to do

14 Mar

this is finally complete!
can we now play without restarting?
last step is dynamics

this is pretty good!

don’t go too fast here, keep steady
try dynamics here
this is better this week

Scales

are you practicing them hands seperately as well? they will be tested hands seperately
go a lot slower for your chromatic

Prelude

this is pretty good, are all of your semiquavers even?

Mazurka

try to make the small notes bar 4 clear and seperated, not played at the same time
we should be playing bottom notes from bar 9-16

Sight Reading

when reading, make sure we check if there’s any key signature
make sure you’re playing with the correct hand!

Mozzie

this should have good dynamics by now!
make sure you wait two counts at the end of bar 4 and 8

7 Mar

this is below the standard expected for this week
wait on the notes marked ‘wait’

wait on the notes marked ‘wait’

left hand below standard

Exercises still far below standard if considering doing exam

Scales

D natural minor, make sure to end on correct note!
chromatic is only one octave

Prelude

its a bit all loud, make sure your softs are softs
its a bit unstable! are you practicing this slow at home to improve our memory?

General Knowledge sent home today

29 Feb

this is gradually getting better
homework!: the 2nd line usually has problems. can we play it 3x perfect each practice?
wait on long notes!

this is okay compared to the other ones

the rhythm needs to be constant, every note the same length/speed, like a clock
its much easier to do this if we are slow

Mozzie

bar 4, count rest for 2 beats
slurs need to need to be connected, staccatos need to be short. this is best practiced practice slow or seperate hands
dynamics still a bit limited, but you’re trying
fingering still wrong at bar 12

Sight Reading

mostly well executed today 🙂
check the clefs as well! sometimes its not always treble and bass clef.
see sample exercises

22 Feb

Exercise 1A

this has improved somewhat
right hand second line still has a few mistakes
left hand second line is still unknown
- try to point and read at the same time, since you’re using one hand
next step would be correct rhythm

compared to other exercises, this is not bad

right hand is hesitant, left hand is unknown

Prelude

make sure semiquavers in bar 1 are perfectly together
bar 7 check counting
make sure last note is held for four beats + a bit more
this is quite good, what do we need to practice more? exercises or this piece?

Mazurka

you can’t remove the bottom notes from bar 9-16 if you’ve played them in the first half, you’ll need to have a look at this again
- make sure you read using the note chart of course
second half needs more dynamics (but you’ll need to fix the notes first)
the speed was nicely controlled 🙂

Mozzie

go slow and staccatos in RH bar 5-7
make sure you rest for two beats at bar 4
if 9-12 is weaker, practice that by itself

15 Feb

Exercises are all of poor quality if you are trying to do an exam. You need to practice these a lot more if you want to do an exam. progress in this regard has been poor

Rainy Saturday

check all RH fingerings, should be smooth
generally all cresc. and dim are missing, we need those!

8 Feb

Scales

SCALES are awesome! 100% passed

better this week. On the right track. Go slow to read the notes

on the right track as well, just keep reading slow

this is inaccurately read today, we’ll keep working on it in future

Mazurka

bar 9 should include all left hand notes. 9-16 left hand needs to be revised
needs dynamics on line 3 and 4
if this is done, can be ticked

Mozzie

1 Feb

Exercises

restarting a bit after holidays, have a good read using note chart. as long as you’re trying to read, this is good
focus on the exercises this week

Mozzie

to pass
- make sure there are no stops
- louds and softs
- all correct articulation (mostly at least)
go line by line for fluency
watch out for staccatos in bar 5!
lots of dynamics, but especially 3rd line

Prelude

this was pretty good with dynamics and good speed. I’ve given this a tick!

23 Nov

Scales

getting there with 1A, double check fingering!
do left hand 1A this week

Mazurka

this pretty fluent but can we hear our dynamics?
maybe it would fixed if we went a bit slower
rhythm bar 11-12 incorrect
this is very close to passing standard
keep LH soft all the time

Mozzie

don’t start too fast or else the piece gets slower
dynamics in 2nd line
a lot of it is quite good minus the third line

Rainy Saturday

this is also quite good fluency wise, just a few issues at bottom of first page
key is to get LH soft
quite close to passing standard

16 Nov

Scales

revise 1A again

Rainy Saturday

good fluency
larger dynamics, mp needs to quite loud

Mozzie

9 Nov

Exercises 1A and 1B – continue this week

Mozzie

2nd line articulation better, but always get it right in the practice
rhythm in 3rd line, clap and play
bar 12 fingering is still wrong

Mazurka

bar 10 and 14 should have full left hand chord
left softer in this piece, keeps it light
dynamics in 3rd line, do them all in RH
keep a constant speed, don’t get faster and slower

2 Nov

Scales

good scales this week
aim to be even like a clock, and both hands playing notes at the same time

Start exercises 1A and 1B

for 1B, watch your fingering!

Mozzie

bar 5, watch RH staccato, while LH is correct as well
dynamics as well, includes hairpins
bar 12, RH fingering still wrong
if both are correct, we’re good!

Rainy Saturday

LH soft gives us the right mood
have a go at pedal as well

5 Oct

Scales: add D natural and harmonic minor

Mozzie

14 Sep

New piece: Mozzie

Scales

Do all similar

7 Sep

Scales

continue with F major
watch 4th finger

Prelude

are all the notes even like a clock
try some dynamics

Prelude

31 Aug

Scales

4th finger rule
try F major this week

17 Aug

Scales

20 Jul

Prelude

don’t forget B flats

22 Jun

Walzer

passed this week

Flower Girl

passed this week

Creepy Crawlies

check where

15 Jun

Let’s Sing a Duet

passed this week

Walzer

look out for triangles that are parts that you need to practice

Creepy Crawlies

8 Jun

Scales

try most scales today

Walzer

can we hear which parts are slower than the others?
the last part is slower than the others. practice that

Little Flower Girl

make sure there’s a difference between mf and p

New song: Creepy Crawlies, try to get two lines

1 Jun

Let’s sing a duet

all about louds and soft
dim, getting softer in steps

Walzer

all about heartbeat
start slow, get faster, line by line

Little Flower Girl of Paris

try to get the split between LH and RH dynamic
cresc means soft to loud

25 May

Scales

A harmonic minor this week

Walzer

main aim is consistency. listen to the left hand!
watch notes in bar 11
get rid of stops one by one