September 5, 2026 (60 Min)
September 5, 2026
Lesson Assignments
Practice:
Cold run through; make notes
Spot all technical issues
LH/RH alone practice on two to three pieces each day. Do this in sections at a medium tempo and then speed build (focus on the ones that are least secure in your fingers)
💚Chopin, Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58. I. Allegro maestoso
Order of work — assignment
Exposition, then recapitulation, then development. The development comes last. You have reached the end of the exposition, so the recapitulation is the next territory. The development is normally the last thing learned in a movement like this, whatever you may hear elsewhere.
The seven-step method — assignment
Apply this to a defined section. Do every step both with the music and from memory.
Bass octaves plus the upper stem only
Chords alone — left hand, beats 2 and 4
Bass and chords together with the melody
Right hand alone, complete
Right hand complete plus bass octaves
Left-hand chords (beats 2 and 4) plus the complete right hand
Everything
Sections to apply it to this week: mm. 66–72 (exposition) and mm. 176–182 (the same material in the recapitulation, in a different key).
Why step 6 exists — your own answer, and it is the right one: playing the chords alone shows you the shape of the chords and how they sit inside the overall structure, and it lets you see horizontally how they connect. It is harder in isolation, and that difficulty is exactly what makes the assembled version easier.
Practice the exposition and the recapitulation in tandem — assignment
The recapitulation begins around m. 139. Memory in this movement is treacherous unless corresponding material is practiced back to back. Bracket and highlight the corresponding sections across the exposition and the recapitulation.
RecapitulationExpositionmm. 139, 140, 141mm. 19, 20, 21m. 142m. 32 (continuing from 33)mm. 176–182mm. 66–72
Your refinement, which I agree with: at this point it is easier to label what is different than what is the same. Keep doing what you are already doing — bracketing and writing the corresponding measure numbers in.
Reach and redistribution
m. 10 — leave out the bottom E of the major ninth. You hit the top note only about half the time, it passes quickly in context, and the roll is awkward.
m. 177 — take the third sixteenth note of the right hand with the left hand. Better hand contour than the parallel spot in the exposition.
For the remaining stretch you can barely reach: either roll it or take it in the left hand. Rolling is preferred. It is slightly trickier for memory, but that is not a problem if you learn it that way from the start.
Maintenance practice — the exposition
Slow motion. Hands apart, then in chunks, then hands together, with repetition. Gradually enlarge the chunk over several days, then join two large chunks together. My name for it is Lego practice; yours is dovetailing.
Voices-apart practice (VAP)
Your own method, and it works — each voice alone, then every possible pair of voices. Use it on the leggiero section. The improvement when you applied it in the lesson was immediate. Keep it in the toolkit for any texture with separable voices.
The development
From m. 92 onward (around pp. 78–79 in your score), roughly comparable in difficulty to the hardest material in the exposition. Do it after the exposition and recapitulation are secure. Method: slow-motion practice. The specific risk here is holding onto notes and getting tense — watch for it.
Form — the closing section
Not a coda. A coda recombines and truncates material from across the movement; this is the opening theme repeated over a pedal. We landed on "extended cadence" — your term, after thinking about Beethoven 5 — with the pedal point noted.
Harmony, mm. 66–72
The left hand descends through the circle of fifths. At m. 68 it resolves to G, functioning as E minor; m. 69 does the same. By m. 72 the right hand continues the circle while the left hand moves in sevenths, ascending stepwise. Knowing this is what makes the passage memorizable.
Edition — assignment
I copied the Paderewski edition into your project. You now have that plus the Jan Ekier edition. The IMSLP score you started from has unreliable fingerings, which is why so many of them fight your muscle memory. For passages like m. 20 and elsewhere, compare the fingerings between the two editions and use whichever you judge best. Reach out with questions.
Measure notes
Keep an eye out for rests and treat them clearly. You noticed this is a common theme across several of your pieces — take that seriously.
m. 1 — assignment. The first G is an appoggiatura over the B minor chord. It's on the beat and it delays the resolution — it leans into the sound. Slightly lengthen the G, but don't make it too apparent. Mark it in your music.
m. 1 — remember the maestoso. Decide the character of that first descending gesture. Someone opening the door and demanding attention? A villain entering the room? A clear character will also steady your rhythm. Not every chord is a big statement — the opening gesture is the arrival, the chords after it are motion toward the F-sharp major.
m. 2 — don't connect the first two chords; there's no slur. No pedal on the eighth-note chords. Define the rhythmic hierarchy — you heard the last chords (E minor) as stronger, which works.
m. 3 — rolled chord: leave out the bottom B. It isn't reachable cleanly and it isn't connected anyway. Finish the roll together with the last quarter of the left hand so they end at the same time. Less force. Relax, focus the melody within the chords, clean the pedal.
m. 6 — assignment. No pedal connecting the two chords from beat 2 to beat 3. Don't connect them. It's all staccato.
mm. 7–8 — articulation: come off those chords more. Right now there's a break between 7 and 8 that's neither legato nor detached. Less pedal on the staccato chords.
m. 8 — less pedal, staccato chords, then the forzando right-hand octave. I understand what you're doing by extending it, but it's a little much for my taste. Keep it almost in time, and connect.
m. 9 — depends entirely on voicing. That was a lot of crescendo — pull it back.
m. 10 — leave out the bottom E of the major ninth (see Reach and redistribution above).
m. 11 — rolled chord: play the right hand together with the top note of the left-hand rolled chord.
mm. 12–16 — there's a tendency to accent the weak part of the beat, and the top note. Less weight on the unimportant notes; put the emphasis where the beat is. Your phrasing for it: "less weight on the unimportant notes."
mm. 14–16 — let the harmonic progression guide your pedal. Pedal on the harmonic changes, so beats 1 and 3 of each measure. You were overcomplicating this — at tempo it makes much more sense.
mm. 15–16 — good pattern work. The left-hand pattern rises by half step each time. The right hand does too, with one exception: the first of the four notes isn't consistent, but the last three are. Most patterns have small exceptions — there's still enough to anchor your memory to.
m. 17 — beat 4 was rushed. The left-hand F octave lands with the right-hand D. Hold the E. Try 5-4, or 5-5-4-4-5.
mm. 17–18 — grace notes: hold the lower two quarter notes of beat 4 in each measure, and line up the left-hand octave with the final note of the right hand.
m. 18 — do not rush the descending triplet in the left hand.
mm. 18–19 — reduce the pedal going into 19. Disconnect the pedal from beat 1 to beat 2. The first beat gets its full value; don't rush the second.
m. 19 — pedal down for beat 1, off for beats 2 and 3, back down for beat 4. Explore the fingering — try 1-2-1-2, much easier than what the other edition prints.
m. 20 — gradually come off the pedal halfway through the measure. Practice method: isolate each of the three voices on its own — top alone, middle alone, bottom alone (no need for the staccato, just the voice). Then add rhythms, and accent practice on every other note.
end of m. 20 — if it blurs, thin the pedal. This will resolve on its own as fluency improves.
m. 21 — assignment. Pedal, and observe the rests. You're gradually slowing down here and getting lighter. This should sound like moonlight.
mm. 23–28 — assignment. Treat the left hand with more pedal, but start each ascending chromatic line at ppp. Then in m. 28 you can really crescendo.
mm. 23–28 — the left hand is currently too loud, and the right-hand shaping isn't yet where you want it. That was your own diagnosis and it's accurate. This one needs time rather than a fix.
The ascending chromatic line isn't meant to be clear. It's a gesture — an old, distant cloud, a rumble. Very soft, and don't let too much bass through.
mm. 25 and 27 — right-hand rolled chords. Timing can be flexible, but the melody note lands on the beat. Whichever voice carries the melody, down-stem or up-stem, that note is the one on the beat — not the bottom of the roll. Then gradual quarter-pedal changes through it. (Flutter pedal doesn't mean literally flapping your foot; it means partial, frequent changes.)
mm. 31–34 — really soften the 16th notes. Think of it as two voices. There's a down-stem melody line here your old edition didn't show — find it.
mm. 33–34 — technical. Drop your hand into the octave so arm weight makes the sound, then immediately lighten on the 16th notes. Loosen right before the octave so you aren't tense going into it. Change the pedal there.
mm. 35–36 — careful not to accent the B-flat in the left hand. Two down-stem notes then enter — crescendo, and you have time available to take. It should fall into the next thing rather than arrive at it.
mm. 37–38 — still not loud enough. This needs considerably more.
mm. 41–56 — assignment. Memorize in this order:
Melody only, right hand — memorized.
Bass notes only — not the full left hand, just the bass notes — memorized.
Melody and bass notes together.
The middle texture of the left hand, on its own.
Left hand completely alone.
Then add the right hand.
You have this by ear but not in your fingers. This sequence fixes that. Bass and melody are the skeleton — anchor those and everything else hangs off them. Once the bass notes are solid, keep the bass grounded and the middle texture quieter than the rest.
sostenuto section — bring the melody out more.
m. 42 — an alternative worth trying: hold the note past the change. The left hand is the same chord. Don't be afraid of a gap in the melody. Experiment with the pedal here.
mm. 43–44 — on the ascent to the downbeat of 44, don't take too much time too soon. It's a long melodic line.
m. 51 — spread the quintuplet out in the right hand.
m. 52 — start the trill much softer at the end. Check the left-hand notes here; one of them was wrong.
mm. 57–60 — left hand: use your wrist. Don't hold onto any notes or you'll get stuck. It's marked legato, but the pedal is doing that work.
mm. 57–60 — right hand is a little ad libitum. Keep it free — an improvisatory, imagination-land moment before it opens into one of those beautiful passages.
mm. 63–64 — don't get stuck on the last 16th before the chords. Let go completely. Right hand: drop into the second octave, then let go, close the hand, come up. Down, up, release. Close the hand as much as you can through both measures.
m. 65 — the left-hand downbeat is a sharp. Wrong note, corrected in the lesson.
mm. 65–72 — a real minefield for memory. It was hard for me to secure, and I'd rather you learn it correctly the first time than repair it later. Learn it in parts, by voice — the right hand has up-stems and down-stems in the treble clef, so the voices separate easily. Keep the 16th notes very quiet and focus the up-stem melody notes. Practice the voices in different combinations.
mm. 66–72 — this is one of the two seven-step sections. See the harmony note above.
mm. 76–91 — identify where the up-stem melody notes are and isolate them. Remember it's dolce — different pianists bring out different things here, but don't try to bring out everything at once. Practice bass notes only through this section as well.
mm. 76–91 — careful of hidden ties. There are a lot of them and they're easy to miss. Example: end of m. 82, you play 1-2 and then your thumb takes over the A. That's a tie.
mm. 176–182 — the recapitulation of mm. 66–72. Second seven-step section. See m. 177 under Reach and redistribution.
🟪Chopin, Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23
Review for the piano program audition. The first theme sounded very beautiful.
🟪Rameau, Nouvelles suites de pièces de clavecin in G Major/Minor: Les Sauvages, L'Enharmonique, L'Égyptienne
Review for the piano program audition.
2026-2027 Repertoire
Rameau, Nouvelles suites de pièces de clavecin in G Major/Minor: Les Sauvages, L'Enharmonique, L'Égyptienne
Beethoven, Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57, "Appassionata." III. Allegro ma non troppo
Chopin, Nocturne in F-sharp Major, Op. 15, No. 2
Chopin, Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58. I. Allegro maestoso
Ravel, Miroirs, M. 43. III. Une barque sur l'océan
Kapustin, Eight Concert Studies for Piano, Op. 40. III. Toccatina
(Chopin, Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 52)
Approach for the Kapustin — a new musical language
Look for patterns first. Identify what scale or mode is operating: octatonic, chromatic, blues, pentatonic, a church mode, a twelve-tone row.
Sight-read through it before isolating hands.
Rhythm work: tap the hands on a table, one measure or half a measure at a time.
Use colored highlighting to find the threads.
Kapustin favors three-against-four polyrhythms, and groups of three and six inside a four. Expect them.
Our reading of the opening: E minor with a raised sixth, plus frequent C-naturals and a lot of accidental traffic.
Chamber music
The school chamber program meets roughly once every two weeks — a small enough commitment to take on.
Rachmaninoff, Trio élégiaque No. 1 in G Minor, for violin, cello and piano — the piece you have your eye on for it.
💚Review Pieces: 10 min per day. Get to a decent state. ROTATE the items below.
ENGAGED SLOW-MO PRACTICE.
Rachmaninoff, Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18. I. Moderato
Schumann, Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54
Debussy, Études, Book II, No. 11, Pour les arpèges composés
Chopin, Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 31
Liszt, 2 Études de concert, S. 145, No. 1: Waldesrauschen (4:30)
Bach, Prelude and Fugue in F Major, BWV 856, Book 1
Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 13 in E-flat Major, Op. 27, No. 1. I, II
Debussy, Images
🖤Beethoven Sonata movements III and IV
🖤Scriabin, 8 Études, Op. 42, No. 5 in C-sharp Minor
Young Artists Piano Competitions
Crescendo International Competition — https://crescendocompetition.org/international-competition/
Pacific Stars International Piano Competition, Virtual 2024 — Won first place. https://www.pacificstars.org/professionalwinners
Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey — video recording: Mendelssohn
Bravura 2023 Young Artists Concerto Competition — video recording: Mendelssohn
Hill Concerto Competition
Lyra (NYC, DiMenna Center)
Portugal
Music Teachers National Association (Senior), 2024
Nazareth University Competition, 2024
The Claudette Sorel Piano Competition & Piano Fellows Program, 2024
New York International Piano Competition (June 2026) — https://thenyipc.org/competition/
Interlochen Summer: June 17–23 (confirmed)
All five 2023 recital pieces
NOPI: July 15 — Mendelssohn
2023 Radda Rise International Piano Competition — participated
Bohemians Young Artists Piano Competition — Honorable Mention
2021 Radda Rise International Piano Competition — 2nd Place, Division 2, October 5, 2021
New Orleans Virtual International Competition — submitted; results announced
Concerti
Haydn, Piano Concerto in D Major, Hob. XVIII:11 — III. Rondo all'Ungarese: Allegro assai
Mendelssohn, Piano Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 40 — III
Repertoire Archive
Baroque
George Frideric Handel (1685–1759) — Chaconne in G Major, HWV 435
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Prelude and Fugue No. ? in C Minor
Prelude and Fugue No. 11 in F Major, BWV 856 (L. 10, A)
French Suite No. 4 in E-flat Major, BWV 815 (L. 7, A) — Allemande (L. 7, A), Gigue (L. 7, A)
Invention No. 4 in D Minor, BWV 775
Invention No. 8 in F Major, BWV 779
Invention No. 12 in A Major, BWV 783 (L. 8, A)
Invention No. 15 in B Minor, BWV 786 (L. 8, A)
Sinfonia No. 8 in F Major, BWV 794 (L. 9, A)
Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757)
Sonata in E Major, K. 531 (L. 8, A)
Sonata in G Major, L. 487 (L. 9, A)
Classical
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Sonata No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 10, No. 1 — complete
Sonata No. 6 in F Major, Op. 10, No. 2 (L. 10, B) — I. Allegro
Sonata in G Minor, Op. 49, No. 1 (L. 8, B)
Sonata in G Major, Op. 49, No. 2 (L. 8, B)
Muzio Clementi (1752–1832) — Six Sonatinas, Op. 36, complete
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732–1809)
Piano Sonata No. 53 in E Minor, Hob. XVI:34 (L. 9, B) — III. Presto
Piano Sonata No. 59 in E-flat Major, Hob. XVI:49 — I. Allegro
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) — Sonata in C Major, K. 545. I. Allegro (L. 8, B), one movement
Romantic
Johann Friedrich Franz Burgmüller (1806–1874) — L'orage (The Storm), Op. 109, No. 13 (L. 8, Etude)
Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849)
Étude in A-flat Major, Op. 10, No. 10
Valse in F Major, Op. 69, No. 1 (L. 8, C)
Waltz in B Minor, Op. 69, No. 2 (L. 8, C)
Waltz in F Major, Op. 34, No. 3
Nocturne in B-flat Minor, Op. 9, No. 1
Preludes, Op. 28, Nos. 8 and 10
Edvard Grieg (1843–1907)
Humoreske in C Major, Op. 6, No. 3 (L. 8, C)
Notturno, Op. 54, No. 4
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847) — Gondellied (Barcarole) in A Major (L. 8, C)
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943)
Études-Tableaux, Op. 33, No. 7 in G Minor
Prelude in D Major, Op. 23, No. 4
Prelude in G Minor, Op. 23, No. 5
Robert Schumann (1810–1856) — Album für die Jugend, Op. 68, No. 12: Knecht Ruprecht (L. 8, C)
Impressionistic / Post-Romantic
Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
Images, Livre I — Reflets dans l'eau
Children's Corner — Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum (L. 10, D), The Little Shepherd (L. 8, D)
Page d'album (L. 8, D)
Préludes, Book 2, L. 123 — Bruyères; "General Lavine" – eccentric
Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924)
Improvisation in C-sharp Minor, Op. 84, No. 5, from Huit pièces brèves (L. 9, Etude)
Barcarolle No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 26
Maurice Ravel (1875–1937) — Prelude in A Minor (L. 8, D)
Alexander Scriabin (1872–1915) — Twenty-Four Preludes, Op. 11, No. 22 (L. 8, D)
Sergei Prokofiev (1891–1953) — Music for Children, Op. 65: No. 6, Waltz (L. 7, C); No. 12
Modern / 21st Century
"Sightreading Pieces" in your Newzik. DAILY.
💚Great American Songbook: left off on page 32
Listen to each song you read on Spotify and become familiar with the tune so you can play it better for the solo piano version.
Ella Fitzgerald is a good reference for jazz standards.
🖤Beethoven Piano Sonatas (paused at Op. 27, No. 1)
🖤Brahms Piano Works (paused at p. 12)
Bach, 15 Inventions (completed 2023)
Shostakovich, Children's and Easy Pieces, Op. 69 (finished March 2023)
Tchaikovsky, Album for the Young, Op. 39 (finished November 3, 2022)
Grieg, Lyric Pieces in Newzik, Op. 54 (finished August 2022)
Recital Programs
2024 Final Recital
2023 Final Recital
1:00 pm — Gershwin; Debussy, Reflets dans l'eau; Handel (5:50)
3:00 pm — Haydn (6:00); Rachmaninoff (4:23)