Thalia

Student of the Week

Youtube Playlist

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxU_OGndc5q95iO0bM3H7dEo3XbrJIy6s

Google Drive

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lkvir8nLlb0hYXCl94lLbxWVzIf5bLS1?usp=sharing

Long Term Goal

  • Grade 3 Exam

22 Jan

Toccata

  • consistency
    • perfect runs
    • slow practice
      • good right now, but later it may be not great if you are not careful
  • metronome at 200 per quaver
    • keeps you honest!

Song of Twilight

  • keep dynamics consistent
  • balance
    • keep RH louder, LH soft
  • DON’T PLAY TOO SOFT OVERALL
    • RH mf so we can hear it clearly
    • LH all the way down
  • ending – get softer
  • hold last note long

15 Jan

Toccata

  • make sure all RH notes are down
  • make sure dynamics are exactly where you think
    • look up at the page!

Midnight Ride

  • slow practice
    • for evenness
    • for memory

Song of Twlight

  • pedal can be fully down, create an ‘atmosphere’
  • can be a bit faster
  • use soft pedal for pp

Scales

  • 4th finger rule

18 Dec

Scales

  • all similar motion, all contraries

Toccata

  • notes to watch
    • 31 LH
    • 48 RH
  • dynamics need to be
    • on time
    • big

Song of Twilight

  • can be faster, or at least the same speed throughout
  • 2nd page, una corda, soft pedal

Midnight Ride

  • slow practice for evenness

11 Dec

Scales

  • must pay more attention to 4th finger rule, or may have bad habits later

Toccata

  • watch fingering in bar 41
  • learn until the end. Congratulations for finishing!

4 Dec

Toccata

  • balance
    • always melody louder
  • pay attention closely to dynamics
  • practice
    • no limits

Song of Twilight

  • balance
    • LH ULTRA soft
  • watch pedalling
    • can be twice a bar
  • thinking about expressive

27 Nov

Toccata

  • check clefs
  • LH is meant to be legato in bar 17
  • goal: bar 34

Midnight Ride

  • check crotchets from bar 10 onwards

20 Nov

Toccata Ritmico

  • check ALL flats from key signature and in the piece
  • check ALL fingers
  • bar 16 hands together, can do more though

Midnight Ride

13 Nov

Midnight

  • dynamics need to increase both ways, soft and loud
  • curved fingers
    • for greater dynamic control and evenness
    • especially bar 10 LH

–

6 Nov

Midnight Ride

  • watch fingering
  • observe patterns
  • watch coordination

30 Oct

Scales: Bb major

  • use 4th finger rule

Midnight Ride

  • check bass/treble

16 Oct

Easy Does It

  • it’s nice
    • consistent
  • dynamics
    • could be more obvious
  • but pretty good for a year 1 student 🙂

Deadline

  • good staccato
    • at least the best that I’ve heard before, decent for GRade 2
  • dynamics not super obvious though

Kinabalu

  • mistakes
    • but if they don’t happen too much, that’s okay
  • dynamics mostly good, except difference between p and f on second page
  • last note needs to be long. DONT SAY BYE too early

Song of Twilight

  • wait long on the last note
    • DONT SAY BYE TOO EARLY AGAIN!!!!!!!
  • bar 9 can have more phrasing, maybe even a bit louder

START RECORDING NOW!

9 Oct

Kinabalu

  • expressively, this is good for Grade 2. Well done!

Easy Does It

  • bar 5 should be p
    • in general needs HEAPS more dynamics
  • also small issues with articulation, but can be overlooked for Grade 2
  • sometimes inconsistent
    • do 3 times perfect practice, per page, to increase pressure on perfection

Deadline

  • all notes need to be staccato (use finger flick technique)
  • no gaps between bars (particularly on 2nd page)

Song of Twilight

  • hold last note longer
  • bar 9 try phrasing a lot

29 Sep

Song of Twilight

  • same notes as last week, but ACTUALLY DO THEM THIS TIME

Kinabalu Sunrise

  • good flow mostly!
  • good dynamics mostly!
  • but needs softer LH
  • getting slower (ritard.!)

Easy Does It

  • mostly flowing
  • no gap here

Deadline

  • focus much more on dynamics
  • is each note staccato?
  • DON’T GO FAST

23 Sep

Song of Twilight

  • semiquavers need to be quicker (listen to recording)
  • LH soft all the time
  • pedal all the time

homework: learn entire piece before next lesson

Kinabalu sunrise

  • weird rhythm stops (a bit everywhere)
    • make sure LH is a steady beat
  • LH too loud
  • top of 2nd page, lots of gaps
  • bar 37, slow down, 41, 42

11 Sep

homework: one more recording

Song of Twilight

  • must be combined hands together as soon as possible
  • use usual techniques of hands sep + slow
  • bar 8 hands together
  • whole piece LH learned

Record: Kinabalu Sunrise

Easy Does It

  • slight increase in speed okay
  • LH should be detatched (not attached) when it is not slurred

21 Aug

Scales

  • most are on the right track!
  • chromatic needs work
  • broken chord needs work

Deadline

  • use ‘finger flick’ for staccato
  • decent dynamics, but softs can be softer
  • bar 11, sf, but then immediately soft
  • bar 17, start LH on a D
  • still have big gaps between different sections, will be fixed over time

Easy Does It

  • RHYTHM IS VERY OFF
  • SLOW PRACTICE REQUIRED

14 Aug

Scales

  • PRACTICE WEAK SCALES
    • B harmonic minor
    • E harmonic minor contrary
    • other scales you think are weak

YELLOW WARNING FOR SCALES

Deadline

  • combine all this week
  • focus on dynamics
  • good rhythm right now
  • fix notes bar 26 RH
  • speed is not important, dynamics is most important

7 Aug

Scales

  • 4th finger rule
  • NEED TO PRACTICE ALL SCALES

Kinabalu

  • Thalia: Examiners are looking for mistakes
  • Isaac: Examiners are looking for expression
  • expression in general needs to be much more precise
  • ritard. slowing down – functions as extra pause at the end
  • overall should be slower
  • see all dynamics carefully
    • all dynamics need to be accurate and exaggerated
  • molto ritard – slowing down a lot

31 July

Scales

  • practice contrary
  • practice scales by yourself!

Deadline

  • staccato
    • aim for finger flick
    • don’t lift finger too high
  • aim for a consistent beat
    • all notes are the same length
  • dynamics are specific and gradual, plan out dynamics

Easy Does It

  • slow practice

24 July

Deadline

  • prioritise no stops, 7/8 time
  • second priority dynamics (will talk about it next week)

Easy Does It

  • check last note
  • consistency needs to improve
    • 3x times in a row perfect per section
    • rhythm included

17 July

Scales

  • okay
  • broken chord: there’s only 3 different letters in the scale

Kinabalu

  • meno mosso: a bit less movement, slower. Big pause at the end
  • bar 23, lower F in RH
  • consistency: how strict are we with correct notes (example: bar 5-12)
    • 3 times perfect practice

June 26

Easy Does It

  • dynamics loud then soft bar 1
  • check position bar 4
  • swing needs to be consistent across all quavers
    • recommend to try slower
    • listen
  • LH detatched when there are no slurs

June 19

Gurenge

  • listen to LH for consistent beat
  • move early LH
  • make sure coordination is right

Kinabalu Sunrise

  • phrasing based dynamics (bar 5)
  • layer based dynamics (bar 21)
  • ritardando – slowing down gradually

Kinabalu Sunrise

  • make sure pedal is smooth
    • put pedal down sooner after lifting
    • put pedal fully down
  • check note 23 Bb. also in wrong octave
  • hairpin markings are because of ‘phrasing’
  • dynamic markings f and p are for ‘contrast’
    • creates echo effect
  • ritard: note comes later and the note longer
  • LH needs to be softer from bar 5

Gurenge

  • phrasing

5 June

Easy does it

  • we’ve worked on rhythm slowly, rhythm must be right, then get quicker
  • rhythm is right if LH doesn’t stop playing

Gurenge

  • check note directions carefully

29 May

Gurenge

  • still needs some separate hands practice
  • haven’t found LH pattern yet, but make sure you don’t read bass clef

Easy does it

  • coordination in bar 5
  • bar 7 as well
  • starting to look at LH stablility, start slow and work in small sections

22 May

Gurenge

  • all LH is the same, so use patterns

Scales

  • broken chords improve quality

Kinabalu

  • check fingering
  • get into habit of pressing down pedal fully
  • keep trying to get the balance towards RH, LH softer
  • check chord in bar 23 LH

15 May

Scales

  • focus on quality, evenness

Easy Does It

  • check coordination in bar 5
  • check the spot in bar 11, under middle C
  • check some RH fingerings
  • try ‘tim-ka’ swing feeli

8 May

Scales

  • chromatic needs to be in order, correct rule following

Easy does it

  • when combining
    • two bars at a time
    • master both hands seperately
    • must be good quality
    • then combine
  • LH not too short
  • entire thing hands together

Kinabalu

  • if rhythm is correct, LH will be constant and not stop
  • overall again needs to be softer
    • needs to be intentional

1 May

Kinabalu

  • all about balance/dynamics
    • bonus is phrasing

Easy does it

  • hands together first page

24 Apr

Scales

  • chromatic and broken chords

Kinabalu Sunrise

  • watch for fingering in RH
  • add pedal ASAP!
    • aim to get pedal instictive

Easy does it

  • sight read seperate hands

10 Apr

Scales

  • all contrary motions

Kinabalu

  • add pedal
    • think about how soft you need to play
    • pedal must come
  • check position here bar 23

27 Mar

Scales

  • E melodic

Kinabalu

  • go two bars at a time from 21
    • helps memory

20 Mar

Scales

  • B harmonic minor continue

Kinabalu

  • LH should be really soft compared to RH
  • you can nearly finish piece this week

13 Mar

Kinabalu

  • aural memory of this piece is critical

6 Mar

Kinabalu

  • rhythm, make sure you are waiting
  • 8va, keep for entire first line
  • bar 5 onwards, just try to combine RH and LH

27 Feb

Scales

  • G major, 4th finger rule
  • F major, don’t put 5th in them middle
  • chromatic, don’t have flipped fingers

1A

20 Feb

Summer Toccatina

  • pass

Mazurka

  • pass

Scales

  • must be ‘Thalia’ standard

1B

  • must follow ‘long short’ rhythm

Mozzie

  • slower careful speed needed, but don’t get softer
  • dynamics need to clea

Notes 13 Feb

Scales

  • F major
  • like clock

Summer Toccatina and all other pieces

  • need to practice slow

Notes 6 Feb

Scales to work on

  • F major
  • G major contrary

Execution must be good!

Summer Toccatina

  • consistency is average-poor for grading, requires another week of consistency work
  • evenness is average-poor for grading

Mazurka

  • consistency needs work
  • do slow practice
  • 3 times perfect

Mozzie

  • even

Notes 23 Jan

Scales

  • present all scales, all requirements

Excercises

  • add dynamics, all excrcises

Summer Toccatina

  • Quality of scales needs to be improved. Don’t rush! Think in speed in your head before you go.
  • This is a requirement for an Isaac pass

Mazurka

  • Improve on points from last week
  • split notes, make sure that the alignment is correct
  • bar 12, rhythm needs to be fixed

Notes 16 Jan

Scales

  • do all contrary motion
  • guess and check to memorise scales

Ex 1A

  • fingering must BE CORRECT

Mazurka

  • Try more moderate speed (try slower)
  • the small notes need to be SPLIT apart
  • phrasing, especially in second half
  • still some rhythm mistakes in second half, keep up ti ti speed. Listen to recording.

Notes 9 Jan

Scales:

  1. get it more consistent
  2. start memorising

Hanon

  • this week, lift up wrist

Summer Toccatina

  • beat needs to be fixed. don’t rush and listen to recording
  • curved fingers
  • two elements, dynamics and rhythm

Mazurka

  • Consistency is key. Start slow, then build up. High level of attention needed.
  • dynamics

Mozzie

  • practice bar 11 RH in isolation
  • in future, we need the rhythm

Notes 19 Dec

Ex 1A make sure that articulation (slurs) are correct

Continue carefully with scales

Mazurka

  • check LH in bar 2, don’t play extra note
  • check coordination in bar 12
  • check fingering MUST in bar 15-16

Notes 12 Dec

Scales: F major hands together

Excercise 1A left hand this week

Mozzie

  • still watch for legato and staccato
  • correct technique will lead to tighter rhythm
  • ff will tell you what technique you need to use
  • small notes, play them quick but not together

Hanon

  • key is to go slow but make sure technique is correct
  • Try downwards pattern

Mazurka

  • careful practice is required

Notes 28 Nov

Scales

  • E harmonic and natural, two octaves hands

Ex 1A

  • correct fingering and legato is NOT optional!

Summer Toccata

  • curve fingers
  • more dynamic
  • rests in RH bar 1-4

Hanon

  • focus on outer finger joint, must be curved outwards

Notes 21 Nov

Scales

  • E harmonic minor and natural minor
  • 1A left hand

Mozzie

  • keeping it simple, two things to work on:
  1. get legato correct
  2. curve fingers

Mazurka

  1. get LH softer
  2. no gaps
  3. curve fingers
  4. improve 2nd half of pieces
  5. dynamics

Notes 14 Nov

1B

  • difference between long and short notes

Start 1A this week

Scales

  • start hands together slowly, G major 2 octaves

Mazurka

  • watch fingering here bar 15
  • make sure LH is softer
  • Roll at the end of each slur

Mozzie

  • do small notes faster

Notes 7 Nov

Scales

  • fluent and CORRECT fingering

Mozzie

  • still need to work on slurs and staccatos simultaneously

Toccatina

Notes 31 Oct

1B

  • do longs and short notes, correct rhythm
  • bar 10, check LH fingering
  • bar 11 RH lift on slur gaps
  • bar 12, check RH fingering

Scales

  • F major, check fingering in RH
  • All scales fluent this week

Mozzie

  • the articulation is REALLY important, all slurs and dots
  • focus ESPECIALLY on slurs
  • bar 5 new challenge, RH staccato, LH slur
  • finish entire piece this week notes wise