October 10, 2026 (60 min · in-person)

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.

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.

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.

Log every practice session from today. Official tracking starts Monday, October 19, the Monday after our first group class. Logging now is how we get the kinks out.

🟢 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]

This year I want a bigger sound out of you. You have the weight, the muscles and the technique for it. Use the wrist and come from above the keyboard.

Technique

1. ⬛️ The Virtuoso Pianist in Sixty Exercises, No. 2 in A major (Hanon)

On hold. Leave it alone until I say otherwise.

Theory

2. 🟩 Celebrate Theory, Level 6, Unit 4 (RCM)

THIS WEEK: Complete pages 51 through 55.

  • Pages 51, 52, 53, 54 and 55.

  • Press Done for the Week when page 55 is finished.

Musicianship

Repertoire

3. 🟩 Gershwin Prelude No. 1, mm. 45-49

THIS WEEK: Speed build from 72 up to 104.

Speed building: 72 to 104.

  • Start at 72. Press Correct and it moves you to the next speed by itself.

  • Hands together.

  • The trouble is going into m. 46. Look ahead to it before you get there.

  • Count yourself in. One, two, then play.

4. 🟩 Gershwin Prelude No. 1, mm. 52-53

THIS WEEK: Three correct in a row on all five focuses.

NFPER focus: notes, fingering, position, expression, rhythm.

  • Hands alone first, then together.

  • Less distance from the keyboard in the right hand. It gives you easier leverage.

  • If you cannot wait for the long note, slow down.

5. 🟨 Gershwin Prelude No. 1, mm. 54-56

THIS WEEK: Speed build to m.m. 120 per eighth note.

NFPER focus: notes, fingering, position, expression, rhythm.

  • Legato on the upper notes, hold the lower quarter notes down.

  • Speed build up to m.m. 120 per eighth note.

6. 🟩 Gershwin Prelude No. 1, m. 61

THIS WEEK: Sprint practice. Rotate the landing point.

  • One long note, then five short ones. Then move the long note to the next position and go again.

  • Six rotations, one for each note in the group.

  • Name your next landing point before each rotation starts.

  • Slow until everything is there. If it is sloppy, slow down.

7. 🟩 Gershwin Prelude No. 2, mm. 1-2

THIS WEEK: Learn mm. 1-2. One clean round and it combines with the next chunk.

Brick practice: combine the chunks after one round each.

  • Left hand three times, right hand three times, hands together three times.

  • Change the pedal on every chord.

  • Read the music. Do not play it off your ear.

8. 🟩 Gershwin Prelude No. 2, mm. 3-4

THIS WEEK: Learn mm. 3-4.

  • Same routine as mm. 1-2.

9. 🟩 Gershwin Prelude No. 2, mm. 5-6

THIS WEEK: Learn mm. 5-6.

  • Same routine as mm. 1-2.

10. 🟩 Gershwin Prelude No. 2, mm. 7-8

THIS WEEK: Learn mm. 7-8.

  • Same routine as mm. 1-2.

11. 🟩 Gershwin Prelude No. 2, mm. 9-10

THIS WEEK: Learn mm. 9-10.

  • Same routine as mm. 1-2.

12. 🟩 Gershwin Prelude No. 2, mm. 11-12

THIS WEEK: Learn mm. 11-12.

  • Same routine as mm. 1-2.

Up Next

The slow-motion experiment on m. 61. We film you, then film me, and compare the two.

Review List

Rotate these each week.

Level 6

💙River City Blues (Mier) (Etude)

Level 5

💙💙💙Sunset in Rio (Springer, b. 1968) (List C)

Etude 1: Prelude in G minor, Op. 39 No. 19 (Kabalevsky) (Etude)

Etude 2: Harmony of the Angels, Op. 100 No. 21 (Burgmüller) (Etude)

Level 4

💙💙💜Air in B-flat major (Handel) (List A)

💙💙💙Sonatina in G major, Op. 36 No. 2, II (Clementi) (List B)

💙💙💙Sonatina in G major, Op. 36 No. 2, III (Clementi) (List B)

💙💙💙Dream Catcher (Crosby Gaudet) (List C)

💙💙💜Cool Cat Waltz (Pine) (List C)

💙💙💙Ballade in C minor, Op. 100 No. 15 (Burgmüller) (Etude)

💙💙💙Masquerade, from Fancy-Free (Niamath, b. 1939) (Etude)

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

💙💙💙The Somersault King (Etude)

Level 3

💙💙💙Musette in D major, BWV Anh. 126 (Anonymous) (List A)

💙💙💙Sonatina in C major, Op. 36 No. 1, all three movements (Clementi) (List B)

💙💙 💙Sonatina in C major, Op. 36 No. 1, III (Clementi) (List B)

💙💙💙Funny Puppy (Crosby Gaudet) (List C)

💙💙💙L’Arabesque, Op. 100 No. 2 (Burgmüller) (Etude)

💙💙💙Little Piece No. 7 (Tajčević) (Etude)

Ungraded

Linus & Lucy

Für Elise, WoO 59 (Beethoven)

💙Waltz in A minor, Op. posth., B. 150 (Chopin)

RCMCP Exams

Level 4: June 2, 2023, 11:26 am

  • Masquerade by Linda Niamath (b. 1939) (L. 4, Etude)

  • Solitude by Joyce Grill? (L. 4 Etude)

  • Air in B-flat Major by Handel (L. 4, A)

  • Sonatina Op. 36 No. 2, Movement 3 (L. 4, B)

  • Cool Cat Waltz by Katya Pine (L. 4, C)