October 9, 2025

1 ❤️ = need lots of work, or, you didn’t practice this.

2 💛 = on the right track, but this needs more work.

3 💜 = we didn’t get to this. Please practice as usual.

4 💚 = on the right track! Good work. Practice as usual.

5 🖤 = don’t practice this. We’ll get to it when Dustin says.




🟪Next week, new piece! Level 3 C or Etudes

(every day)🟩Beethoven, Sonatina in G Major, Ahn. 5, I. Moderato (L. 3, B)

  1. Next week we’ll go over each of these below items at your lesson

    1. m. 2 and m. 4 - don’t make the downbeats staccato

    2. mm. 1-8 - All grace notes with the correct timing - make sure to play them before the LH comes in.

    3. mm. 5-6 - keep the Alberti Bass movement soft.

    4. mm. 9-16 - Keep the LH softer please.

    5. m. 24 - don’t play staccato at the end of m. 24 in the LH. Keep the LH notes detached but with a sticky nature.

Rotate the following assignments in order to get through them just one time before your next lesson:


🟩Musette in D Major BWV Anh. 126 by J. S. Bach (L 3, A)

  1. Continue to do Color-Focus Practice (NPFPER) for next lesson, but, try to combine more goals at the same time.

🟨“RCM Technical Requirements Level 03”

  1. Prepare F Major, D Minor harmonic and melodic Scales & Triads (broken and solid)

    1. No faster than mm. 50.

    2. Practice the difficult items at a SLOW tempo, and with good thought - where is finger four? Hands alone first. SLOWLY.

    3. Hey, also practice SLOWLY.

    4. Did you know that you can play SLOWLY?

    5. SLOW is cool.

🟩“SIGHT-READING 2A

  1. Prepare at least pages 87-90

  2. GO NO FASTER THAN M.M. 60 PER QUARTER NOTE

🟩FOUR STAR Level 3

  1. Prepare Set 3

  2. Practice with the video below!

🟪💜Theory Level 2

  1. Complete Unit 7, pages 71

  2. Complete Unit 8 (all of it).

🟨Minuet in G Minor BWV Anh. 115 by Christian Petzold (L 3, A)

  1. Color-Focus Practice (NPFPER). Use this method to learn the rest of the piece!

    1. Remember to choose a small chunk for practice and don’t go outside of it.

    2. Also remember to do hands alone first, and stay within the focus of your goal(s).

REVIEW

🟪Review twice a week with your music. You don’t need to review all of them in ONE practice session - just one PER WEEK.

  1. 💚Invention in C Major by Renée Christopher (b. 1955) L. 2, C)

  2. 💚Crocodile Tears by Christine Donkin (L. 2, B)

  3. 💚Minuet G Major by JS Bach (L. 2, A)

  4. 🟨Etude in G Major, op. 166, no. 6 by Henri Bertini (1798-1876) (L. 2, Etude)

  5. 💚Ecossaise in G Major by LV Beethoven (L. 2, A)

  6. 💚Bourrée in D Minor by Christoph Graupner (1683-1760) (L. 1, A)

  7. 💚Canon by Carlton Elliott

  8. 💚Early One Morning (Level 1, B)

  9. 💚Celebration by Anne Crosby-Gaudet (L. 1, Etude)

  10. 💚💚Sleigh Bells by Christine Donkin (b. 1976) (L. A)

  11. 💚💚What’s That Noise? B by Martha Mier (b. 1936) (L. A)

  12. 💚💚Boots, by Yvonne Adair (L. A)

  13. 💚💚To Fly Like and Eagle by Anne Crosby-Gaudet (L. B)

  14. 💚💚💚The Haunted Mouse by Nancy and Randall Faber (b. 1955; 1954)(L. A)







🎨 Color-Focus Practice (NFPER)

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

  • N – Notes – correct pitches and accidentals (🟦 Blue)

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

  • P – Position – hand shape, posture, and keyboard geography (🟪 Purple)

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

  • R – Rhythm – steady pulse, accurate timing, and rests (🟥 Red)

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

Step-by-Step Practice Flow

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

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

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

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

  5. 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.



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

  2. 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?