October 29, 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.

Official tracking started Monday, October 19.

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.

🟩 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]

Technique

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

  • On hold. Don't practice this one.

Theory

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

THIS WEEK: Same assignment, Unit 4.

  • We did not get to it.

Musicianship

3. 🟩 Listening: the Kapustin preludes

THIS WEEK: Listen to the playlist and pick your five favorites.

  • The Spotify playlist I texted you and your mom.

  • Send me your five with the video tool. Record, then press Send to Dustin.

  • The video tool is in the practice guide, not in Squarespace.

Repertoire

4. 🟩 Prelude No. 1 in B-flat major, from Three Preludes (Gershwin), m. 61

THIS WEEK: Accent practice on the run, and rotate the accent.

  • Start with every other note.

  • Then every three, and rotate which note takes the accent.

  • Then every four and rotate, every five and rotate, every six and rotate.

  • It gets faster as you go. The target is total command of the run.

5. 🟩 Prelude No. 1 in B-flat major, from Three Preludes (Gershwin), m. 29

THIS WEEK: Spot measure 29. Three times in a row correctly, every practice day.

Practice type: Spotting.

  • One measure, every day.

6. 🟩 Prelude No. 1 in B-flat major, from Three Preludes (Gershwin), mm. 30-41

THIS WEEK: Measures 30 to 41, hands alone and then hands together.

Practice type: Polishing.

NFPER focus: expression, rhythm.

  • Hands alone first, then together.

  • Get it polished, not just learned.

7. 🟩 Prelude No. 1 in B-flat major, from Three Preludes (Gershwin), mm. 42-45

THIS WEEK: Fix the pedaling in measures 42 to 45.

  • The pedaling is the whole job here.

8. 🟩 Prelude No. 1 in B-flat major, from Three Preludes (Gershwin), mm. 45-49

THIS WEEK: Same assignment.

  • Keep the hand close to the keys.

9. 🟩 Prelude No. 1 in B-flat major, from Three Preludes (Gershwin), mm. 52-53

THIS WEEK: Same assignment.

  • Keep the hand close to the keys.

10. 🟩 Prelude No. 1 in B-flat major, from Three Preludes (Gershwin), mm. 54-56

THIS WEEK: Same assignment.

  • Keep the hand close to the keys.

11. 🟩 Prelude No. 2 in C-sharp minor, from Three Preludes (Gershwin), mm. 9-12, polish

THIS WEEK: Polish measures 9 to 12.

Practice type: Polishing.

  • Measures 1 to 12 are combined now, so this is the part that still needs work.

12. 🟩 Prelude No. 2 in C-sharp minor, from Three Preludes (Gershwin), mm. 13-14

THIS WEEK: Learn measures 13 and 14.

Practice type: Learning.

Brick practice: combine the chunks after one round each.

  • Two measures at a time, the same as measures 1 to 12.

  • The chunks join up as you finish rounds, the way they did last time.

13. 🟩 Prelude No. 2 in C-sharp minor, from Three Preludes (Gershwin), mm. 15-16

THIS WEEK: Learn measures 15 and 16.

Practice type: Learning.

14. 🟩 Prelude No. 2 in C-sharp minor, from Three Preludes (Gershwin), mm. 17-18

THIS WEEK: Learn measures 17 and 18.

Practice type: Learning.

15. 🟩 Prelude No. 2 in C-sharp minor, from Three Preludes (Gershwin), mm. 19-20

THIS WEEK: Learn measures 19 and 20.

Practice type: Learning.

16. 🟩 Prelude No. 2 in C-sharp minor, from Three Preludes (Gershwin), mm. 21-22

THIS WEEK: Learn measures 21 and 22.

Practice type: Learning.

17. 🟩 Prelude No. 2 in C-sharp minor, from Three Preludes (Gershwin), mm. 23-24

THIS WEEK: Learn measures 23 and 24.

Practice type: Learning.

18. 🟩 Prelude No. 2 in C-sharp minor, from Three Preludes (Gershwin), mm. 25-26

THIS WEEK: Learn measures 25 and 26.

Practice type: Learning.

19. 🟩 Prelude No. 2 in C-sharp minor, from Three Preludes (Gershwin), mm. 27-28

THIS WEEK: Learn measures 27 and 28.

Practice type: Learning.

20. 🟩 Prelude No. 2 in C-sharp minor, from Three Preludes (Gershwin), mm. 29-30

THIS WEEK: Learn measures 29 and 30.

Practice type: Learning.

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)