March 5, 2026

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.

RCM May ?

🟩“SIGHT-READING 2B

  1. Prepare pages 33-40

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

🟩Mouse Dance by Jakub Metelka b. 1986 (L. 3, Etude)

  1. Last System: RH & LH at least three different practice sessions.

    1. Spot each color alone

    2. Put two colors together (all combinations)

    3. Then three colors together (all comb)

    4. Then entire system.

  2. If you get the above completed, do the same thing but with hands together.

🟩Prelude VII by Barbara Arens (L. 3, Etude)

  1. Continue to practice memorization. Continue to practice the LH softly by playing it slowly with careful hand position!

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

  1. Measures 20-25, practice LH, RH, HT (three cycles) keep it very slow.

  2. Review entire piece with music, once daily.

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

  1. Practice at m.m. 50 with to help you play with a steady beat. This is per quarter note.

  2. Then move to m.m. 72.

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

  1. Find sections (medium to large) and practice with metronome. If you can’t do it, shorten the section. If you still can’t do it, turn off the metronome and do some spotting, then try again

🟪Schumann, Album for the Young, Op. 68 No. 1, Melody

  1. Start to learn as much as you can, hands alone, then together, in small chunks, using the NFPER method

🟩Theory Level 3

  1. Please complete Unit 7 Intervals

🟨“RCM Technical Requirements Level 03”

  1. Record yourself and listen back for tidy attacks and event tempo.

  2. 🟨B minor both forms of scales with focus on tidy attacks.

  3. 🟨F Major also hands together focus on fingering & notes.

🟩FOUR STAR Level 3

  1. Practice daily with the two audio examples in Newzik (tests). There are 8 for each playback and clapbacks. Spend at least 5 min on each one per day.

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?