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 Guide below. It writes your practice down for you, no comments needed.

Tap the first assignment on your list.

The timer starts by itself. Read it and practice.

When you are finished, press Done. It saves your time and opens the next one.

Need to stop for a minute? Press Pause.

If you pause and walk away, press Done when you come back, even if you forgot to press Resume. A run that is paused and never finished logs nothing at all.

Lost? Press My Assignment List at the top to go back.

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

Spread it across the week. Five days of short sessions beats two long ones. Repetition is what makes the difference, not total minutes.

Some assignments finish. Those carry a Done for the Week button. Press it when the job is done and the assignment comes off your list.

Need the metronome, a recorder or the Section-Work colors? They are in Practice Tools. Tap one and it opens inside your assignment. Tap Close to put it away.

Official tracking started Monday, October 19.

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

[PRACTICE TOOLS]

Technique

1. 🟩 Technical Requirements for Piano, Level 4 (RCM), tonic triads, D major

THIS WEEK: D major tonic triad, broken and then solid blocked.

New this week. Hands apart first, then hands together.
Keep the bubble in the hand and stay up in the center.

2. 🟩 Technical Requirements for Piano, Level 4 (RCM), tonic triads, B minor

THIS WEEK: B minor tonic triad, solid blocked and broken.

New this week.

3. 🟩 Technical Requirements for Piano, Level 4 (RCM), tonic triads, A major

THIS WEEK: A major tonic triad, broken and solid blocked.

New this week. Hands alone, then hands together.

Theory

4. ⬛️ Celebrate Theory, Level 4 (RCM)

On hold.

Musicianship

5. 🟩 Celebration Series, Preparatory B, Repertoire

THIS WEEK: At least 8 measures of sight reading per practice session.

Keep sight reading straight through the book. You do not have to finish it.
Pick your eight measures before you start. Here to here. More if you have time.
Plan it first: key signature, rhythms, anything awkward.
Pick a speed you can hold. Play it once without stopping, then find your own errors.
It is mine, so no markings.

6. 🟩 Four Star Sight Reading and Ear Tests, Level 4 (Berlin and Markow), Set 5

THIS WEEK: Finish Set 5. One day per practice session.

7. 🟩 Four Star Sight Reading and Ear Tests, Level 4 (Berlin and Markow), Set 6

THIS WEEK: Start Set 6 once Set 5 is done. One day per practice session.

New this week.
On the playbacks, name the key and count the sharps or flats before you play.

Repertoire

8. 🟩 Gavotte in F major (Graupner), m. 17

THIS WEEK: Measure 17. Right hand, left hand, then together.

Brick practice: combine the chunks after one round each.

Three in a row correctly, or five times correctly.
Always carry on to the downbeat of the next measure.
Go slow with both hands. Playing one hand fast and then hands together slow is the mistake to avoid.

9. 🟩 Gavotte in F major (Graupner), m. 18

THIS WEEK: Measure 18. Right hand, left hand, then together.

Three in a row correctly, or five times correctly.

10. 🟩 Gavotte in F major (Graupner), m. 19

THIS WEEK: Measure 19. Right hand, left hand, then together.

Three in a row correctly, or five times correctly.

11. 🟩 Gavotte in F major (Graupner), m. 20

THIS WEEK: Measure 20. Right hand, left hand, then together.

Three in a row correctly, or five times correctly.

12. 🟩 Gavotte in F major (Graupner), mm. 1-8, hands alone and hands together

THIS WEEK: Measures 1 to 8, hands alone and hands together, with a focus on expression.

Think of the dance. The kick lands on the first beat, so it is bump, bump, not banging the keys.
An accent on that first one, and keep the pair short.
Control the tempo. Do not go too fast.

13. 🟩 Gavotte in F major (Graupner), mm. 9-16, hands alone

THIS WEEK: Measures 9 to 16, hands alone.

Find your anchor note first, then the other G notes come off it.
Where two notes are slurred, think long short. Getting the rest in makes it much easier to play.

14. 🟩 Sonatina in F major, Op. 168 No. 1, I. Moderato cantabile (Diabelli), mm. 1-12

THIS WEEK: Measures 1 to 12. Record yourself once every practice session, listen back, and fix what you hear.

NFPER focus: rhythm, expression.

Use the audio tool. Record the section, then listen back with a pencil and mark where the beat is unsteady.
Go straight to that spot, work it, then record again.
Keep the expression while you do it. You can hold both at once.
Reserve some of the volume for the fortissimo. Do not give it your maximum.

15. 🟪 Solitude, No. 9 for right hand alone (Grill)

THIS WEEK: Start from five random measures per session, and work on memorization.

Pedaling is fixed. Keep the heel on the floor.
Aim to play it from memory at the next lesson.

16. 🟩 Cool Cat Waltz (Pine)

THIS WEEK: Learn measures 1 to 20, hands apart.

Learn it without the swing first, then apply the swing.
Swung eighths are a triplet with the first two parts joined. Long, short, long, short.
It is in E minor. Minor does not have to sound sad.
If you have a question about the swing, record it in the audio or video tool and press Send to Dustin.

17. ⬛️ Sonatina in B-flat major, Op. 29, I. Andante (Schmitt)

Not started. On deck.

18. ⬛️ The Avalanche, Op. 45 No. 2 (Heller)

Not started. On deck.

RCM Level 4, where the program stands

Started

Sonatina in F major, Op. 168 No. 1, I. Moderato cantabile (Diabelli)

Solitude, No. 9 for right hand alone (Grill)

Gavotte in F major (Graupner)

Cool Cat Waltz (Pine)

Not started yet

Sonatina in B-flat major, Op. 29, I. Andante (Schmitt)

The Avalanche, Op. 45 No. 2 (Heller)

Celebrate Theory, Level 4 (RCM)

About Sight Reading

The Piano Adventures level numbers do not match the RCM levels. Level 2B is about an RCM Level 3 sight reading, and 3A and 3B are closer to Level 4.

We are going to move faster through these than one book per level.

If something is not a little bit difficult, it is not building anything. A little resistance is the point.