Practice Guide
❤️= Priority above all else (repeated issues or reglect).
💛= Priority after red (on the right track but needs more work).
💜= Item we did not do at the last lesson. Lesson priority before green.
💚= on the right track! Practice these items as usual but prioritize other colors first.
🖤= don’t practice this item (on hold).
Lesson Assignment
💚Music History and Listening
LINK TO BACH VIDEO
💚The Piano Man
LINK TO THE PRACTICE VIDEO
💜Four_Star_01_02
Complete the set before Monday the 23rd!
Follow the practice video in Newzik. Do one “day” per practice session
Please don’t do the sight-playing examples faster than m.m. 60 per quarter note.
💜RCM Technical Requirements Level 1
Study and memorize the information (pattern of the major and minor scales) on page 2 of the PDF
Practice C Major and A Minor, hands alone on page 5 of the PDF.
Remember where you play finger 4 in each hand and it will help you remember the fingering of the scales.
💚Haydn German Dance in D Major
Everyday assignment.
Please play the A’s in the LH in measures 17 and 19
Practice with metronome 88 (no faster)
💜Angelfish by Anne Crosby Gaudet (L. 1, List B)
Review once a week with your music. Don’t spend much time on this.
💚The Snake by Renée Christopher (L. 1, List C)
Be mindful of all of the expression in this piece.
Practice starting from any measure.
💚Gavotte by Handel
Review
🎨 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 – dynamics, articulation (staccato, accents, slurs), 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
Record your section once — video is best, but audio is fine too.
Listen back with one color/goal in mind.
As you listen, mark your music using that color anywhere it needs improvement.
Repeat for each remaining color, one at a time, until all five have been addressed.
Choose a small “spot” section from your markings — just a few measures or a tricky passage.
“Spot” until it’s solid and you can erase the markings! — 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 the 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?
🖤”LET’S GO BACK”
See the new PDF in Newzik called “Let’s Go Back V1”
Practice what’s written and propose any changes to the melody or lyrics.
Start thinking about a melody and lyrics for the verses
🖤Sightreading_2A (MAX 5-8)
Go to Newzik and access the “Sightreading” PDF.
Complete at least page 4
Main reason for this assignment is to practice the technique you learned on the black keys
#4🖤Johnny Bill by Oliver Manice
Try to play the melody of the chorus on the piano for your next lesson.
#5🖤THEORY Level 1
Finish reviewing unit 2 with Dustin at the lesson
Review List!
Once a week, review the following piece with your music.
💚What’s That Noise? By Martha Mier (b. 1936)
💚Barefoot on the Beach by Anne Crosby Gaudet (b. 1968)