September 17, 2026 (60 min - in-person)

2026-2027 Events

  • October 17-18, 2026 — Group Classes

  • December 5-6, 2026 — Group Classes

  • January 24, 2027 — Performance Class & Guest Artist Workshop

  • February 27-28, 2027 — Group Classes

  • April 10-11, 2027 — Group Classes

  • May 22, 2027 — Student Final Recital

How to Practice

Use the Practice Tools panel below. It logs your practice for you — no comments needed.

  1. Press Start here. It picks up where you stopped last time.

  2. Read the assignment, press Start, practice.

  3. Tap the kind of practice — learning, spotting, memorizing, polishing, run-through or review — then press Done.

  4. Press Next practice item and go again.

Capped items count down and chime. Keep going if it's going well.

Got something to say about an assignment? Paste the line it gives you into the comments and add your note.

Also in the panel: a metronome, a spotting counter, and recording.

Log only what you actually did, on the day you did it. Five minutes is a real entry. Logging starts October 1.

🟩 on track · 🟨 needs extra attention · 🟪 didn't get to it at the lesson · 🟥 priority · ⬛️ don't practice this one

[PRACTICE TOOLS]

The plan for RCM: we're not doing the Level 4 exam this fall. We'll aim for it in the spring, which gives us time to build the four pieces properly instead of rushing two of them back.

Technique

1. ⬛️ RCM Technical Requirements, Level 4

Nothing to do yet — I'm bringing you the Level 4 book. This starts next week.

Theory

2. ⬛️ Theory, Level 4

Not this week.

Musicianship

3. 🟩 Sight-Reading 2B

⏱ One page per practice session. Start the stopwatch.

  • Pages 66-70.

  • One page each session. If you do more than one, that's up to you — just log what you actually did.

💬 Log it: Sight-Reading — type of practice — minutes.

4. 🟩 Four Star, Level 4 — Unit 1

⏱ One day per practice session. Start the stopwatch.

  • Work through Unit 1, one day at a time.

💬 Log it: Four Star — type of practice — minutes.

Repertoire

5. 🟨 Sonatina in F Major, Op. 168, No. 1, by Anton Diabelli (1781-1858) — L. 4, List B

⏱ No cap, but expect 11-15 minutes to do two measures properly.

You hadn't touched this in about two months and you remembered more than you thought. What we're rebuilding now isn't the notes, it's the habits. So we're going in small sections and making each one performance-ready before moving on.

This week: measures 1-8, two measures at a time

Work each two-measure section in three passes. Three correct repetitions of each hand, then three hands together, before you move on.

  1. Notes, fingering, position. Right hand 3×, left hand 3×, hands together 3×. About 2-3 minutes.

  2. Add expression. Right hand 3×, left hand 3×, hands together 3×. About 2-3 minutes.

  3. Add rhythm, with the metronome at 60 per quarter note. Right hand 3×, left hand 3×, hands together 3×. The goal is to be with the metronome. If 60 is too fast, slow it down — that's fine, just make a note of the tempo you used.

That's roughly 11 to 15 minutes for two measures. In a perfect world you get through all eight measures in one session, but don't rush it to get there.

The next day

  • Review the two measures you already did: right hand once, left hand once, hands together once, with the metronome.

  • That tells you whether to work them again the same way, or move on to the next two.

  • If you have extra time, do more. If two measures start feeling easy on every try, make the section three measures instead.

Keep in mind

  • Make a note for your music stand that says IN-THE-BLACK. If your thumb is playing a black key, your fingers have to be up in the black keys.

  • Always go to the downbeat. There's a pickup at the start, so measures 1-2 means through that downbeat.

  • 🟥 Listen and practice with the two videos below, one for right hand and one for left. Copy the wrist movements exactly.

  • About 70% of your practice should be slow or medium. That's true for me too — the solo recital I just played in Louisiana was 70 minutes of music, and most of the practice behind it was slow.

🎥 Right hand — wrist movement https://youtu.be/dVh8xWb6cXw

🎥 Left hand — wrist movement https://youtu.be/lqQJDhs-5bQ

💬 Log it: Diabelli Sonatina — type of practice — minutes.

6. 🟩 Solitude, by Joyce Grill (b. 1936) — L. 4, Etude

⏱ No more than 10 minutes per practice session, if it's a solid 10 minutes. Start the stopwatch.

This week: measures 1-8, two measures at a time

  • Both voices together, three times correctly, with the right kind of sound. Then the next two measures.

  • Play slow enough that your hand stays relaxed. That's the whole test.

  • We're looking for relaxation, control, and good sound — not speed.

Expression: it's two voices, and the top one wins

  • Put your energy into the upper-stem notes. Let the lower ones relax.

What we fixed at the lesson

  • You don't have to stretch to hold those notes — the pedal is down, so you can let go. That was the thing making it feel impossible.

  • Last measure: take the very bottom note into your left hand. Fingering 1-2-3.

  • The key signature is four flats. Name them before you play.

  • Watch the wrist: don't slope it and don't hike it. Sit back a little, and check where your elbow is — scooped back, not forward.

  • If you want to add the pedal, change about twice a measure, on the downbeats.

💬 Log it: Solitude — type of practice — minutes.

7. ⬛️ Gavotte in F Major, by Christoph Graupner (1683-1760) — L. 4, List A

Not this week.

8. ⬛️ Sonatina in B-flat Major, Op. 29, I. Andante, by Jacob Schmitt (1803-1853) — L. 4, List B

Not this week.

9. ⬛️ Cool Cat Waltz, by Katya Pine (b. 1954) — L. 4, List C

Not this week.

10. ⬛️ The Avalanche, Op. 45, No. 2, by Stephen Heller (1813-1888) — L. 4, Etude

Not this week.

Review List

Review twice a week, with your music. You don't need to review all of them in one practice session, just one per week.

RCM Level 3

  • Musette in D Major, BWV Anh. 126, Anonymous, from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach (1725) (List A)

  • Minuet in G Minor, BWV Anh. 115, attr. Christian Petzold (1677-1733) (List A)

  • Sonatina in G Major, Anh. 5, No. 1, I. Moderato, attr. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (List B)

  • Album für die Jugend, Op. 68, No. 1, Melody, by Robert Schumann (1810-1856) (List C)

  • Prelude VII, by Barbara Arens (b. 1960) (Etude)

  • Mouse Dance, by Jakub Metelka (b. 1986) (Etude)

RCM Level 2

  • Minuet in G Major, from Suite in G Minor, BWV 822, by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) (List A)

  • Écossaise in G Major, WoO 23, by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (List A)

  • Crocodile Tears, by Christine Donkin (b. 1976) (List B)

  • Invention in C Major, by Renée Christopher (List C)

  • Etude in G Major, Op. 166, No. 6, by Henri Bertini (1798-1876) (Etude)

RCM Level 1

  • Bourrée in D Minor, by Christoph Graupner (1683-1760) (List A)

  • Early One Morning, Traditional, arr. Frederick Silvester (1901-1966) (List B)

  • Canon, No. 8, from 17 Canons, by Carleton Elliott (1928-2003) (List C)

  • Celebration, by Anne Crosby Gaudet (Etude)

RCM Preparatory B

  • To Fly Like an Eagle, by Anne Crosby Gaudet

RCM Preparatory A

  • What's That Noise?, by Martha Mier (b. 1936)

  • Sleigh Bells, by Christine Donkin (b. 1976)

  • Boots, from Little Dog Tales, by Yvonne Adair (1897-1989)

  • The Haunted Mouse, by Nancy and Randall Faber (b. 1955; 1954)

🎨 Color-Focus Practice (NFPER)

At the top of your music, write NFPER using the following color system:

  • N – Notes – correct pitches and accidentals (🟥 Red)

  • F – Fingering – consistent, effective finger choices (🟧 Orange)

  • P – Position – hand shape, posture, and keyboard geography (🟨 Yellow)

  • E – Expression – phrasing, dynamics, articulation, tone, etc. (🟩 Green)

  • R – Rhythm – steady pulse, accurate timing, and rests (🟦 Blue)

✅ If you're only recording audio, just use NER.

The Diabelli plan above is NFPER in order: notes and fingering and position first, then expression, then rhythm with the metronome.

Step-by-Step Practice Flow

  1. Identify a section to record.

  2. Record your section once — video is best, but audio is fine too.

  3. Listen back with one color/goal in mind.

  4. As you listen, mark your music using that color anywhere it needs improvement.

  5. Repeat for each remaining color, one at a time, until all five have been addressed.

  6. Choose a small "spot" section from your markings — just a few measures or a tricky passage.

"Spot" until it's solid — meaning:

  • ✅ 3 times in a row correctly, or

  • ✅ 5 total correct repetitions, then move on.

  • Focus on one or two colors at a time while practicing that spot.

  • Use the troubleshooting checklist below if you're stuck.

🔧 Troubleshooting Tips

🎯 If you've tried to fix something three times in a row and it's still not working, don't just repeat it — troubleshoot:

  • Do you need to slow down?

  • Should you practice hands alone?

  • Could you make the spot even smaller?

  • Would technical exercises help (staccato, accents, etc.)?

  • Do you need to think ahead more clearly?

  • Do you need blocking practice?