October 28, 2026 (6 of 8)

October 29, 2026 Dustin Gledhill

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.

Something wrong with the guide? Open the video tool, record yourself explaining it, and press Send to Dustin. It emails me a link straight away.

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.

🟩 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]

Repertoire

1. 🟩 Étude in D major, Op. 37 No. 17 (Lemoine), mm. 1-8

THIS WEEK: Speed build measures 1 to 8, hands together, from 76 up to 92.

RCM Level 3, Etude 2.

Practice type: Speed-building.

Speed building: 76 to 92.

🎥 Op. 37 No. 17, mm. 1-8 https://youtube.com/shorts/PpoTRaF_AjY

Open the Speed-building tool inside this assignment. It is set from 76 to 92.
Five speeds: 76, 80, 84, 88, 92.
The clicks are eighth notes, not quarter notes.
Hands together.

2. 🟩 Étude in D major, Op. 37 No. 17 (Lemoine), mm. 9-16

THIS WEEK: Measures 9 to 16, hands together, very slowly.

NFPER focus: expression, position.

Hands together.
Do not worry about keeping a steady beat.
Expression and position are the whole job here.

3. 🟩 Étude in D major, Op. 37 No. 17 (Lemoine), mm. 17-24

THIS WEEK: Measures 17 to 24, hands together, very slowly.

NFPER focus: expression, position.

Same instructions as measures 9 to 16.
Do not go fast at all.

Technique

4. 🟩 The Virtuoso Pianist in Sixty Exercises, No. 4 (Hanon)

THIS WEEK: Learn it hands alone first, then put it together.

🎥 No. 4, wrist movement https://youtube.com/shorts/pNd5NetbUuc

First practice session hands alone. Next session hands together.
Notes, fingering, position and the transitions. No steady beat yet.
Follow the shape of the notes with your wrist: low, then up and around in a small circle, then down.
Five, four, five in the right hand at the top. Five, four, five in the left hand on the way up.
The metronome starts next week.

5. 🟩 Technical Requirements for Piano, Level 3 (RCM), pages 10 to 12

THIS WEEK: The tonic triads on pages 10 to 12, with a lower wrist.

Pages 7, 8 and 9 are passed off.
The chord section. Pages 10, 11 and 12, the page numbers printed on the music.
Keep the wrist low and rock right to left on the way down. Not up and over.
Hold the elbow still and rotate the forearm from the elbow.
Hanon is the opposite motion. There the wrist goes up and around.
Everything has to be memorized for the exam.

Theory

6. 🟪 Celebrate Theory, Level 4, Unit 3 (RCM)

THIS WEEK: Same assignment, Unit 3. First find Unit 2 and check whether it is done.

If Unit 2 is not done, do Unit 2.
It is in Newzik if you need the printout again.
Press Done for the Week when the unit is finished.

Musicianship

7. 🟩 RCM Online Ear Training

THIS WEEK: Same assignment. Level 4 clap-backs.

⏱ Max 5 minutes per practice session.

Listen all the way to the end before you start clapping.
A playback at this level starts on the tonic, the mediant or the dominant. Today you started on the fourth degree.
A major has three sharps: F sharp, C sharp, G sharp.
Look ahead while you clap, the same as reading.

8. 🟩 Four Star Sight Reading and Ear Tests, Level 3 (Berlin and Markow)

THIS WEEK: Same assignment. Clap-backs with Mama, out of the test PDF.

The clap-backs in the tests, not the daily sets.
Think the tune back before you clap it.

9. 🟩 Piano Adventures Sightreading Book, Level 3A (Faber), pages 18 to 23

THIS WEEK: Pages 18 to 23. One page per practice session.

Pages 14 to 17 are done.

Repertoire

10. 🟩 Left Alone, No. 1 for left hand alone (Grill)

THIS WEEK: Three random starts every practice session, and clean up the pedal.

RCM Level 3, Etude 1.

Look at the music, pick a measure, close the music, then play at least four measures from there.
Three random starts per practice session.
The pedal is late. Change it as the next note sounds.
Your changes are very fast. Slow them a little so the dampers clear the strings instead of knocking.

11. 🟩 Minuet in G minor, BWV Anh. 115 (Petzold)

THIS WEEK: With the metronome, and check your shoulders before every ornament.

RCM Level 3, List A.

m.m. 104 per quarter note.

Your tempo gets faster as you go. The metronome is what fixes that.
Check in with your shoulders before each ornament. The right one goes up.
Drop into the first note of the trill with more weight. You have more time on it than you think.

12. 🟪 Sonatina in A minor, Op. 94 No. 4, I. Allegro moderato (Biehl)

THIS WEEK: One focus: exaggerate every dynamic, especially the crescendos.

RCM Level 3, List B.

The crescendo markings in mm. 2, 4, 8 and 10, and the others like them.
Right now every forte sounds like it has a pillow over it and every piano is not quiet enough, so the whole piece sits in the middle of the range.
Tell the story with your fingers. Someone does not get their way, has a fit, stomps off, then turns around and pleads again.

13. 🟪 The Stormy Sea (Gaudet)

THIS WEEK: Left hand softer in measures 17 to 23.

RCM Level 3, List C.

Left hand softer from m. 17 to m. 23.
Hold the quarter notes for their full value.
No speed building on this one.

14. ⬛️ Solitude, No. 9 for right hand alone (Grill)

Still on deck. This is a Level 4 etude, so it waits until the Level 3 program is finished. Right hand only, same composer as Left Alone.

Setup

15. 🟧 Binder dividers

Dividers for your three ring binder, with a tab for technique and a tab for repertoire. I am bringing them.

RCM Level 3

Your program is complete and it is in the practice guide, under Royal Conservatory of Music. List A, List B, List C and both etudes are all assigned.

Practice Performances

When you play something all the way through for me: no stopping, no fixing, no changing the tempo. Spotting is different — stopping is fine there.

Focus Tracker

💚💚💛💛💚💛💜❤️💚💚💜❤️💚💜❤️🐐❤️❤️💚💚💚💚💚❤️💚💚🐐🧡💚💚💚💚🧡💚❤️🧡❤️💚💚💚💚💛💚❤️ (53 points)

❤️ = 4 POINTS (+ bonus = no reminders)

💚 = 3 POINTS

💛 = 2 POINTS

💜 = 1 POINT

🐐 = 0 POINTS

I Spy Practice Video

[INSERT I SPY PRACTICE VIDEO LINK]

Review List

Review these with your music, one time each week.

RCM Level 3

Musette in D Major, BWV Anh. 126, Anonymous, from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach (List A)

Sonatina in C Major, Op. 36, No. 1, I. Allegro, by Muzio Clementi (1752-1832) (List B)

Lemon Sherbet Rag by Barbara Arens (List C)

RCM Level 2

Écossaise in G Major, WoO 23, by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (List A)

I Spy by Melody Bober (b. 1955) (List B)

Farewell, Op. 98, No. 4, by Alexander Gretchaninoff (1864-1956) (List B)

Etude in D Minor, Op. 82, No. 65, by Cornelius Gurlitt (1820-1901) (Etude)

RCM Level 1

German Dance in D Major, Hob. IX:22, No. 2, by Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) (List A)

This Guy's Disguised by Bradley Sowash (List B)

Cranky Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (List C)

Far Away by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (Etude)

RCM Preparatory B

Looking-Glass River by Nancy & Randall Faber

New Shoes by Linda Niamath

Raptors by Kevin Olson

Leaping the Waves with Dolphins by Barbara Arens

RCM Preparatory A

Marching, Op. 39, No. 3, by Dmitri Kabalevsky (1904-1987)

Curious Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964)

The Lively Boy

October 21, 2026 (5 of 8)

October 22, 2026 Dustin Gledhill

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]

Repertoire

1. 🟩 Étude in D major, Op. 37 No. 17 (Lemoine), mm. 1-8

THIS WEEK: Measures 1 to 8, very slowly, with exaggerated wrist movements.

RCM Level 3, Etude 2.

🎥 Op. 37 No. 17, mm. 1-8 https://youtube.com/shorts/PpoTRaF_AjY

Watch the video first, then play it.
Very, very slowly. The exaggerated wrist movement is the whole point.
This one is at the top of your list now, so you reach it while you still have practice time left.

2. 🟩 Étude in D major, Op. 37 No. 13 (Lemoine), mm. 17-24

THIS WEEK: Learn measures 17 to 24, hands alone.

New this week.
Hands alone while you learn the notes and the fingering.
Keep the fingering that is printed. Four, three, one sets your thumb up on the white key for the next move.
Never rest on the same finger twice if you can help it. Staying in motion is what keeps you relaxed.

3. 🟩 Étude in D major, Op. 37 No. 13 (Lemoine), mm. 9-16

THIS WEEK: Refine measures 9 to 16, hands alone. No stops.

Your notes are right. What is missing is that the passage is not easy for you yet.
Correct fingering and correct notes, all the way through, with no stops.
Hands alone.

Technique

4. 🟩 The Virtuoso Pianist in Sixty Exercises, No. 1 (Hanon)

THIS WEEK: Build up to 69 if you can, and watch your position.

⏱ Max 7 minutes per practice session.

Build up to m.m. 69 per quarter note.

Back straight, chest slightly forward, elbows right in front of your torso, not behind it. Scoot the bench back when your posture is good.
Your shoulders must not raise when your wrists raise. That is the big one this week.
Second finger in the left hand is still collapsing. Round and curved.
Three times through, all the way to the octaves, without stopping. Try it even if you cannot hold 69.
Send me a video of one run all the way through by Sunday. Use the video tool in the practice guide, then press Send to Dustin.

5. 🟪 Technical Requirements for Piano, Level 3 (RCM), pages 7 to 9

THIS WEEK: Same assignment. The scales on pages 7, 8 and 9, the page numbers printed on the music.

You said yourself you need more time on this one.
Crawl your hand across the keys. Don't lurch in and out.
If your thumb is going to land on a black key, be in position for it before you get there.
Establish the beat before you begin.
Relax your shoulder and elbow. Think chicken wings.
Everything has to be memorized for the exam.

Theory

6. 🟪 Celebrate Theory, Level 4, Unit 3 (RCM)

THIS WEEK: Same assignment, Unit 3. First find Unit 2 and check whether it is done.

If Unit 2 is not done, do Unit 2.
Find the printout after the lesson. It is in Newzik if you need it again.
A functional chord symbol is always a Roman numeral; a root-quality symbol is always a letter name plus major or minor.
The dominant triad is always major. In a minor key that is where the raised seventh of the harmonic minor scale comes from.
Even number intervals are line to space or space to line. Odd number intervals are line to line or space to space.
Press Done for the Week when the unit is finished.

Musicianship

7. 🟩 RCM Online Ear Training

THIS WEEK: Same assignment. Level 4 clap-backs.

⏱ Max 5 minutes per practice session.

Two clap-backs today: one had an extra clap on the end, one had an extra eighth note at the beginning. Listen all the way to the end before you start clapping.
Five minutes is a real entry, but five minutes is not much. Give it more.

8. 🟪 Four Star Sight Reading and Ear Tests, Level 3 (Berlin and Markow)

THIS WEEK: Same assignment. Clap-backs with Mama, out of the test PDF.

We did not get to it, and Mama was not available for it this week.
The clap-backs in the tests, not the daily sets.
You said yourself it works better with her than on the screen.

9. 🟪 Piano Adventures Sightreading Book, Level 3A (Faber)

THIS WEEK: Pages 14 to 19. One page per practice session.

Only one day of it this week.
Keep the expression in it. That is the best part of your sight reading.

Repertoire

10. 🟩 Left Alone, No. 1 for left hand alone (Grill)

THIS WEEK: Same assignment. The singing melody in mm. 4, 7, 9, 10 and 11.

RCM Level 3, Etude 1.

Make the melody stronger than you think it needs to be, then come back down. That is what makes the decrescendo audible.
Be careful not to land on the note that is marked no accent.
It is fine to be strong there, but don't hammer it.
More variation keeps a listener's attention. Same point as your Sonatina: the dynamics are all in the middle of the range.

11. 🟩 Minuet in G minor, BWV Anh. 115 (Petzold)

THIS WEEK: The trill. Drop-pop with two notes, then play it as written.

RCM Level 3, List A.

The trill is in m. 15.
Drop into the first note, then pop. The first note is a hook: hang on to it a little longer.
Don't fly off the key.
Tell yourself you have more time on the first note of the trill. That is what lets the rest of it go fast.

12. 🟩 Sonatina in A minor, Op. 94 No. 4, I. Allegro moderato (Biehl)

THIS WEEK: One focus: exaggerate every dynamic, especially the crescendos.

RCM Level 3, List B.

The crescendo markings in mm. 2, 4, 8 and 10, and the others like them.
Right now every forte sounds like it has a pillow over it and every piano is not quiet enough, so the whole piece sits in the middle of the range.
Tell the story with your fingers. Someone does not get their way, has a fit, stomps off, then turns around and pleads again.
Your technique is already there. Expression is what is left.

13. 🟩 The Stormy Sea (Gaudet)

THIS WEEK: Hold the quarter notes for their full value, and keep the left hand softer in mm. 17 to 23.

RCM Level 3, List C.

Full value in mm. 5, 6 and 7, mm. 13, 14 and 15, mm. 29, 30 and 31, and mm. 37 and 38.
You are clipping those quarter notes short.
Left hand softer from m. 17 to m. 23.
You do not need more speed here.

14. ⬛️ Solitude, No. 9 for right hand alone (Grill)

Still on deck. This is a Level 4 etude, so it waits until the Level 3 program is finished. Right hand only, same composer as Left Alone.

Setup

15. 🟧 Binder dividers

Dividers for your three ring binder, with a tab for technique and a tab for repertoire. I am bringing them.

RCM Level 3

Your program is complete and it is in the practice guide, under Royal Conservatory of Music. List A, List B, List C and both etudes are all assigned.

Practice Performances

When you play something all the way through for me: no stopping, no fixing, no changing the tempo. Spotting is different — stopping is fine there.

Focus Tracker

❤️ = 4 POINTS (+ bonus = no reminders)
💚 = 3 POINTS
💛 = 2 POINTS
💜 = 1 POINT
🐐 = 0 POINTS

I Spy Practice Video

[INSERT I SPY PRACTICE VIDEO LINK]

Review List

Review these with your music, one time each week.

RCM Level 3

Musette in D Major, BWV Anh. 126, Anonymous, from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach (List A)
Sonatina in C Major, Op. 36, No. 1, I. Allegro, by Muzio Clementi (1752-1832) (List B)
Lemon Sherbet Rag by Barbara Arens (List C)

RCM Level 2

Écossaise in G Major, WoO 23, by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (List A)
I Spy by Melody Bober (b. 1955) (List B)
Farewell, Op. 98, No. 4, by Alexander Gretchaninoff (1864-1956) (List B)
Etude in D Minor, Op. 82, No. 65, by Cornelius Gurlitt (1820-1901) (Etude)

RCM Level 1

German Dance in D Major, Hob. IX:22, No. 2, by Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) (List A)
This Guy's Disguised by Bradley Sowash (List B)
Cranky Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (List C)
Far Away by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (Etude)

RCM Preparatory B

Looking-Glass River by Nancy & Randall Faber
New Shoes by Linda Niamath
Raptors by Kevin Olson
Leaping the Waves with Dolphins by Barbara Arens

RCM Preparatory A

Marching, Op. 39, No. 3, by Dmitri Kabalevsky (1904-1987)
Curious Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964)
The Lively Boy

October 14, 2026 (4 of 8)

October 15, 2026 Dustin Gledhill

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]

Technique

1. 🟩 The Virtuoso Pianist in Sixty Exercises, No. 1 (Hanon)

THIS WEEK: Three times through, all the way through, two octaves, without stopping.

⏱ Max 7 minutes per practice session.

Metronome ♩ = 69, four notes per tick.
No sprints this week. No short-long rotations.
Don't worry about tidy attacks. Wrist movement and shoulders down are the job.
Wrists always moving down and up, down and up. That was good today.
Shoulders rising is the first sign of tension. Pause, reset, keep going.
It is going to feel a little fast and a little sloppy. That is the point. If it feels comfortable you are not getting faster.

2. 🟩 Technical Requirements for Piano, Level 3 (RCM), pages 7 to 9

THIS WEEK: The scales on pages 7, 8 and 9, the page numbers printed on the music.

Crawl your hand across the keys. Don't lurch in and out.
If your thumb is going to land on a black key, be in position for it before you get there.
Establish the beat before you begin.
Relax your shoulder and elbow. Think chicken wings.
Everything has to be memorized for the exam.

Theory

3. 🟩 Celebrate Theory, Level 4, Unit 3 (RCM)

THIS WEEK: Unit 3.

Units 1 and 2 are both done. Unit 1 we finished together at the lesson.
It is in Newzik. Print it out and put it in your binder.
If you cannot print it, ask Sophie or Genevieve. If it gets to Sunday and it is still not printed, ask.
Two things to carry with you from the lesson. A functional chord symbol is always a Roman numeral; a root-quality symbol is always a letter name plus major or minor.
The dominant triad is always major. In a minor key that is where the raised seventh of the harmonic minor scale comes from.
Even number intervals are line to space or space to line. Odd number intervals are line to line or space to space.
Press Done for the Week when the unit is finished.

Musicianship

4. 🟩 RCM Online Ear Training

THIS WEEK: Move up to Level 4. Clap-backs only.

⏱ Max 5 minutes per practice session.

Level 3 has got too easy for you. That is why we are moving up.
Clap-backs only. The melody playbacks are solid.
You get the beginning and the end right and add something in the middle. Listen for the whole shape first.
Try memorizing the melody so you could sing it back.

5. 🟩 Four Star Sight Reading and Ear Tests, Level 3 (Berlin and Markow)

THIS WEEK: Clap-backs with Mama, out of the test PDF.

The clap-backs in the tests, not the daily sets.
You said yourself it works better with her than on the screen. So do it that way.

6. 🟩 Piano Adventures Sightreading Book, Level 3A (Faber)

THIS WEEK: Pages 13 to 18.

One page per practice session.
Page 13 still needs finishing. Start there.
Keep the expression in it. That is the best part of your sight reading.

Repertoire

7. 🟩 Left Alone, No. 1 for left hand alone (Grill)

THIS WEEK: Keep fixing every pink marker, and now the black pen as well.

NFPER focus: expression.

RCM Level 3, Etude 1

Black pen is new pedaling and voicing.
Change the pedal on beat 3 of measure 12.
More poco ritardando in measure 16.
Every eighth note sings, not just the quarters and the dotted halves. The top note has to come out before you start descending.
A breath between sections is a break in the momentum, not a dry gap. The pedal can stay down.

8. 🟩 Minuet in G minor, BWV Anh. 115 (Petzold)

THIS WEEK: The position of your trill in measure 16, and three random measures each practice session.

RCM Level 3, List A

Drop the wrist into the first note of the trill, which is the note above. Then pop the wrist off.
Freeze when you get to the first position and check it. Round, like a hook, low wrist.
These are not staccato.
Pick the measures yourself, including the second half after the repeat.

9. 🟪 Sonatina in A minor, Op. 94 No. 4, I. Allegro moderato (Biehl)

THIS WEEK: Nothing new. Start from three random places each practice session.

RCM Level 3, List B

Practice type: Review.

We did not get to it. Same assignment.
Pick them yourself, including mid-measure.
Curved fingers. Watch measure 30, it is the hard one.

10. 🟪 The Stormy Sea (Gaudet)

THIS WEEK: Nothing new. Speed build from 96 to 116, in three sections.

Speed building: 96 to 116.

RCM Level 3, List C

Practice type: Speed-building.

We did not get to it. Same assignment. A couple of days this week.
Three sections: mm. 1-16, then mm. 17-24, then mm. 25 to the end.
Use the Speed-building tool. It is already set for you.
This is 6/8, which is compound meter. Two beats in the bar, three eighth notes inside each beat.
Don't think about the subdivisions. Think the beat.
Drop into the first note. It keeps the hand relaxed where it gets rushed.

11. 🟩 Étude in D major, Op. 37 No. 17 (Lemoine), mm. 1-8

THIS WEEK: Measures 1 to 8, hands together, very slowly. Expression is the focus.

NFPER focus: expression.

RCM Level 3, Etude 2

No faster than 56 per eighth note.
Three things to deal with and they are everywhere: accents, staccato notes and slurs.
Measure 4: the bottom curved line is a tie. Don't play that note a second time.
Very, very slowly. Slow enough to get the articulation right the first time.
Bonus, if you have time: keep learning further on, hands apart, as far as you like.

12. ⬛️ Solitude, No. 9 for right hand alone (Grill)

Still on deck. This is a Level 4 etude, so it waits until the Level 3 program is finished. Right hand only, same composer as Left Alone.

Setup

13. 🟧 Binder dividers

Dividers for your three ring binder, with a tab for technique and a tab for repertoire. I am bringing them.

RCM Level 3

Your program is complete and it is in the practice guide, under Royal Conservatory of Music. List A, List B, List C and both etudes are all assigned.

Practice Performances

When you play something all the way through for me: no stopping, no fixing, no changing the tempo. Spotting is different — stopping is fine there.

Focus Tracker

❤️ = 4 POINTS (+ bonus = no reminders)
💚 = 3 POINTS
💛 = 2 POINTS
💜 = 1 POINT
🐐 = 0 POINTS

I Spy Practice Video

[INSERT I SPY PRACTICE VIDEO LINK]

Review List

Review these with your music, one time each week.

RCM Level 3

Musette in D Major, BWV Anh. 126, Anonymous, from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach (List A)
Sonatina in C Major, Op. 36, No. 1, I. Allegro, by Muzio Clementi (1752-1832) (List B)
Lemon Sherbet Rag by Barbara Arens (List C)

RCM Level 2

Écossaise in G Major, WoO 23, by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (List A)
I Spy by Melody Bober (b. 1955) (List B)
Farewell, Op. 98, No. 4, by Alexander Gretchaninoff (1864-1956) (List B)
Etude in D Minor, Op. 82, No. 65, by Cornelius Gurlitt (1820-1901) (Etude)

RCM Level 1

German Dance in D Major, Hob. IX:22, No. 2, by Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) (List A)
This Guy's Disguised by Bradley Sowash (List B)
Cranky Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (List C)
Far Away by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (Etude)

RCM Preparatory B

Looking-Glass River by Nancy & Randall Faber
New Shoes by Linda Niamath
Raptors by Kevin Olson
Leaping the Waves with Dolphins by Barbara Arens

RCM Preparatory A

Marching, Op. 39, No. 3, by Dmitri Kabalevsky (1904-1987)
Curious Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964)
The Lively Boy

October 7, 2026 (3 of 8)

October 8, 2026 Dustin Gledhill

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 logs your practice for you, no comments needed.

Press Start from # whatever number it shows. It picks up where you stopped last time.
Press Start, read the assignment, practice.
When you are finished, press Done.
Press Next practice item and go again.

Capped items count down and chime. Keep going if it's going well.

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. Technique and repertoire don't have one; those are every day.

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.

Got something to say about an assignment? Paste the line it gives you into the comments and add your note.

Log only what you actually did, on the day you did it. Five minutes is a real entry.

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]

Technique

1. 🟩 The Virtuoso Pianist in Sixty Exercises, No. 1 (Hanon)

THIS WEEK: Follow the sprints video and do all four rotations.

⏱ Max 7 minutes per practice session.

Practice type: Polishing.

Sprints: one long note, then three fast short ones. Then the long moves to the second note, then the third, then the fourth. Four rotations.
Plant the finger and play, like pushing a seed into dirt. Don't pull or scrape.
Low wrist to start, then let the wrist move forward to help you.
Round, firm fingertips. Your first joint collapsed every time you went down. A finger that bends at the tip is a tool that bends at the tip.
Relax when you go fast. Soft, not harder.

🎥 Sprints https://youtube.com/shorts/bFvKSsHCtr8

2. 🟩 Technical Requirements for Piano, Level 3 (RCM)

THIS WEEK: Broken triads and broken chords.

Practice type: Polishing.

Crawl your hand across the keys. Don't lurch in and out.
If your thumb is going to land on a black key, be in position for it before you get there. Ask yourself where you are the note before.
Going in and out will sound choppy as soon as you speed up.
Relax your shoulder and elbow. Think chicken wings.
Everything has to be memorized for the exam.

Theory

3. 🟥 Celebrate Theory, Level 4, Unit 1 (RCM)

THIS WEEK: Same as last week. The whole of Unit 1, Getting Started.

Practice type: Learning.

Red this week because it has not been started yet.
It is in Newzik. Print it out and put it in your binder.
If you cannot print it, ask Sophie or Genevieve. If it gets to Sunday and it is still not printed, ask.
Press Done for the Week when the unit is finished.

Musicianship

4. 🟪 RCM Online Ear Training

THIS WEEK: Nothing new. Clap-backs only. Watch the end of the rhythm.

⏱ Max 5 minutes per practice session.

Same assignment.
Clap-backs only. No melody playbacks; those are solid.
Be a pattern detective. First hearing, ask where the pattern is. Second hearing, lock into it.
Start clapping the moment I stop. The gap is where it escapes you.

5. 🟪 Four Star Sight Reading and Ear Tests, Level 3 (Berlin and Markow)

THIS WEEK: Nothing new. Set 10, then press Done for the Week.

Same assignment. We will get to it next time.
Finish Set 10. There is no Set 11.
One day of the set per practice session.

6. 🟩 Piano Adventures Sightreading Book, Level 3A (Faber)

THIS WEEK: Pages 8 to 13.

Practice type: Learning.

One page per practice session.
Your expression on the Sakura day was the best part of it. Keep doing that.
Try for more than two days this week.

Repertoire

7. 🟩 Left Alone, No. 1 for left hand alone (Grill)

THIS WEEK: Fix every pink marker in the music in your binder.

NFPER focus: expression.

RCM Level 3, Etude 1

All of the expression is in pink marker now. Those are the spots.
Take a small breath going into each new section. Just enough, not a pause.
You are accenting some of the downbeats. Deep and strong is right, sudden is not. All of them the same way.
Good progress. We refine the expression now and memorize it after that.

8. 🟩 Minuet in G minor, BWV Anh. 115 (Petzold)

THIS WEEK: Start from three random measures each practice session.

RCM Level 3, List A

Practice type: Review.

Pick the measures yourself, including the second half after the repeat.
The second half starts in B-flat major. Know the key, so that if you freeze you can improvise inside the chord until your memory catches up.
Memorize four ways: by theory, by muscle memory, by finger number, and by sound.

9. 🟩 Sonatina in A minor, Op. 94 No. 4, I. Allegro moderato (Biehl)

THIS WEEK: Start from three random places each practice session.

RCM Level 3, List B

Practice type: Review.

Pick them yourself, including mid-measure.
Curved fingers. Watch measure 30, it is the hard one.

10. 🟩 The Stormy Sea (Gaudet)

THIS WEEK: Speed build from 96 to 116, in three sections.

Speed building: 96 to 116.

RCM Level 3, List C

Practice type: Speed-building.

Three sections: mm. 1-16, then mm. 17-24, then mm. 25 to the end.
Use the Speed-building tool. It is already set for you.
This is 6/8, which is compound meter. Two beats in the bar, three eighth notes inside each beat. A dotted quarter gets one beat.
Don't think about the subdivisions. Think the beat.
Drop into the first note. It keeps the hand relaxed for the first few notes, which is where it gets rushed and squished.
Next week we go to 132.

11. 🟩 Étude in D major, Op. 37 No. 17 (Lemoine)

THIS WEEK: Start learning it. Two measures at a time, hands alone.

NFPER focus: notes, fingering, position.

RCM Level 3, Etude 2

Your new piece, and your second Level 3 etude.
It is in Newzik.
Two measures at a time with the Section-Work tool. See how far you get.
Hands alone, and this is why: there are a lot of legato lifting moments in one hand while the other hand is not doing that. Each hand has to be the boss of its own part before they go together.

12. ⬛️ Solitude, No. 9 for right hand alone (Grill)

Still on deck. This is a Level 4 etude, so it waits until the Level 3 program is finished. Right hand only, same composer as Left Alone.

Setup

13. 🟧 Binder dividers

Dividers for your three ring binder, with a tab for technique and a tab for repertoire. I am bringing them.

RCM Level 3

Your program is complete and it is in the practice guide, under Royal Conservatory of Music. List A, List B, List C and both etudes are all assigned.

Practice Performances

When you play something all the way through for me: no stopping, no fixing, no changing the tempo. Spotting is different — stopping is fine there.

Focus Tracker

❤️ = 4 POINTS (+ bonus = no reminders)

💚 = 3 POINTS

💛 = 2 POINTS

💜 = 1 POINT

🐐 = 0 POINTS

I Spy Practice Video

[INSERT I SPY PRACTICE VIDEO LINK]

Review List

Review these with your music, one time each week.

RCM Level 3

Musette in D Major, BWV Anh. 126, Anonymous, from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach (List A)

Sonatina in C Major, Op. 36, No. 1, I. Allegro, by Muzio Clementi (1752-1832) (List B)

Lemon Sherbet Rag by Barbara Arens (List C)

RCM Level 2

Écossaise in G Major, WoO 23, by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (List A)

I Spy by Melody Bober (b. 1955) (List B)

Farewell, Op. 98, No. 4, by Alexander Gretchaninoff (1864-1956) (List B)

Etude in D Minor, Op. 82, No. 65, by Cornelius Gurlitt (1820-1901) (Etude)

RCM Level 1

German Dance in D Major, Hob. IX:22, No. 2, by Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) (List A)

This Guy's Disguised by Bradley Sowash (List B)

Cranky Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (List C)

Far Away by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (Etude)

RCM Preparatory B

Looking-Glass River by Nancy & Randall Faber

New Shoes by Linda Niamath

Raptors by Kevin Olson

Leaping the Waves with Dolphins by Barbara Arens

RCM Preparatory A

Marching, Op. 39, No. 3, by Dmitri Kabalevsky (1904-1987)

Curious Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964)

The Lively Boy

September 30, 2026 (2 of 8)

October 1, 2026 Dustin Gledhill

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 logs your practice for you, no comments needed.

Press Start from # whatever number it shows. It picks up where you stopped last time.
Press Start, read the assignment, practice.
When you are finished, press Done.
Press Next practice item and go again.

Capped items count down and chime. Keep going if it's going well.

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. Technique and repertoire don't have one; those are every day.

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.

Got something to say about an assignment? Paste the line it gives you into the comments and add your note.

Log only what you actually did, on the day you did it. Five minutes is a real entry.

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]

Technique

1. 🟩 The Virtuoso Pianist, No. 1 (Hanon)

THIS WEEK: Rhythm practice on mm. 12-17. Two longs, then three shorts, and rotate the pattern.

⏱ Max 8 minutes per practice session.

Practice type: Polishing.

Same section: mm. 12-17.
New this week: two longs and three shorts. Last week was two and two.
The longs are close-louds. The shorts as fast, as light and as soft as you can.
Rotate the pattern so every note takes its turn being the long one.
Metronome no faster than ♩ = 88.
Your shoulders creep up on the fast notes. Breathe out on the shorts and let them drop. Wrist active, shoulders down.
A little tired right here in the forearm is right. If you feel it in your hand, your position is off.
Next: sprints, then the Speed-building tool to get it fast hands together.

🎥 Rhythm practice https://youtube.com/shorts/my1ow7rycLo

🎥 Alternating accent practice https://youtu.be/Xb-E9AIoso8

[INSERT HANON RHYTHM PATTERNS IMAGE]

[INSERT HANON ALTERNATING ACCENTS IMAGE]

2. 🟩 RCM Technique, Level 3

THIS WEEK: Rotate through all the required items. Pick up where you left off last time.

⏱ Max 4 minutes per practice session.

Every item twice: once close-loud at a slow tempo, then once at the final tempo as indicated. C major close-loud, C major final tempo, then G major, and on down the list.
When the four minutes are up, stop. Next session picks up from there.
You have been through all of Level 3 now, so this is maintenance.
Untidy attacks are the one thing an examiner would name. Totally focused, you can play these clean.
Everything has to be memorized for the exam.

Theory

3. 🟩 Theory 4, Unit 1

THIS WEEK: The whole of Unit 1, Getting Started. Press Done for the Week when the unit is finished.

⏱ Max 5 minutes per practice session.

Practice type: Learning.

Celebrate Theory, Level 4. It is in your binder now.
Not a long unit, and it is a review of all of Level 3.
Complete the whole thing.

Musicianship

4. 🟨 RCM Online Ear Training

THIS WEEK: Clap-backs only. Watch the end of the rhythm.

⏱ Max 5 minutes per practice session.

Clap-backs only. No melody playbacks; those are solid.
Be a pattern detective. First hearing, ask where the pattern is. Second hearing, lock into it.
If you can't find a pattern, memorize the shape of the melody instead.
If the examiner says 3/4, four measures, picture the grid: twelve beats, four measures of three, before they play.
Start clapping the moment I stop. The gap is where it escapes you.
You clapped half of the hardest one back perfectly. You can do the rest.
You don't have to do them all at once.

5. 🟨 Four Star, Level 3

THIS WEEK: Set 10, then press Done for the Week.

Finish Set 10. There is no Set 11.
One day of the set per practice session.
We did the clap-backs out of this book today and that was the hard part.

6. 🟩 PA Sightreading, Level 3A

THIS WEEK: Pages 6 to 11.

Practice type: Learning.

Level 2B is finished. This is the new book.
One page per practice session.

Repertoire

7. 🟩 Left Alone (Grill), mm. 13 to the end

THIS WEEK: Notes, fingering and position from m. 13 to the end.

NFPER focus: notes, fingering, position.

Practice type: Learning.

No brick practice on this piece any more. You have made good progress on it.
Use the Section-Work tool for this if you want it.
Lots of big twists in this last section. Let go of the note, the pedal is holding it. Don't try to twist and hold at the same time.
Don't hang on to the F and then play. Let it go, then play the chord. That is not a half note at the bottom.
The low C is two ledger lines down. See how fast you can find it.
8va below the note means an octave lower.
Let the end die away.

8. 🟩 Left Alone (Grill), mm. 1-12

THIS WEEK: Expression. Accompaniment soft, melody stronger than you think it should be.

NFPER focus: notes, fingering, position, expression.

Practice type: Learning.

Accompaniment soft. The melody a mezzo forte kind of sound, stronger than you think it needs to be.
mm. 4-12: any single up-stem note is the melody. No chords, just the single up-stem notes.
mm. 1-3: the down-stem notes are the melody.
Everything that is not the melody sits underneath, soft.
This is a dramatic piece, somebody crying. Keeping everything else soft is what lets it get really quiet at the end.
After m. 12 there are two ways to do it. Have an opinion ready for next lesson. Not this week.

9. 🟩 Minuet in G minor, BWV Anh. 115 (Petzold)

THIS WEEK: Expressive practice on every orange pen marking in your music.

RCM Level 3, List A

Practice type: Polishing.

The orange pen markings are the expression to look at, add or fix.
You are fine tuning and maintaining this one. It is your List A piece.
The crescendo: the biggest point is the largest point. Don't just get quieter the whole way through.

10. 🟩 Sonatina in A minor, Op. 94 No. 4, I. Allegro moderato (Biehl)

THIS WEEK: Start from random measures, and fix the three orange pen markings.

RCM Level 3, List B

Practice type: Polishing.

Practice starting from random measures. Pick them yourself, including mid-measure.
Then the orange pen: expressive practice on each of the three markings.
Poco means little. The slowdown you are doing is too much.

11. 🟩 The Stormy Sea (Gaudet)

THIS WEEK: mm. 17-23 with alternating accents, both modes. Then start from three random measures.

RCM Level 3, List C

Practice type: Polishing.

mm. 17-23. Accent every other note, then switch and do the other one.
This is about independence between your fingers, so the sound can stay smooth. It needs a wave feel.
Then start from three random measures per practice session.
You speed up in there. Watch it. Tempo and rhythm are what make it sound messy rather than free.

12. ⬛️ Solitude (Grill)

Your new piece. Don't start it yet; we start it next lesson.
Level 4 Celebration Series etude, right hand only, same composer as Left Alone.
The challenge is bringing the melody out from inside a chord. It looks easier than it is.

13. ⬛️ Étude in D major, Op. 37 No. 17 (Lemoine)

Your second etude, the one you picked. Don't start it yet.

Setup

14. 🟧 Binder dividers

Dividers for your three ring binder. I'm bringing them next lesson.

RCM Level 3

Your program was settled in the lesson on September 30. It is in the practice guide, under Royal Conservatory of Music. The three pieces we did not choose are on the review list.

Practice Performances

When you play something all the way through for me: no stopping, no fixing, no changing the tempo. Spotting is different — stopping is fine there.

Focus Tracker

💚💚💛💛💚💛💜❤️💚💚💜❤️💚💜❤️🖤❤️❤️💚💚💚💚💚❤️💚💚🖤🧡💚💚💚💚🧡💚❤️🧡❤️💚💚💚💚💛💚❤️ (53 points)

❤️ = 4 POINTS (+ bonus = no reminders)

💚 = 3 POINTS

💛 = 2 POINTS

💜 = 1 POINT

🖤 = 0 POINTS

I Spy Practice Video

[INSERT I SPY PRACTICE VIDEO LINK]

Review List

Review these with your music, one time each week.

RCM Level 3

Musette in D Major, BWV Anh. 126, Anonymous, from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach (List A)

Sonatina in C Major, Op. 36, No. 1, I. Allegro, by Muzio Clementi (1752-1832) (List B)

Lemon Sherbet Rag by Barbara Arens (List C)

RCM Level 2

Écossaise in G Major, WoO 23, by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (List A)

I Spy by Melody Bober (b. 1955) (List B)

Farewell, Op. 98, No. 4, by Alexander Gretchaninoff (1864-1956) (List B)

Etude in D Minor, Op. 82, No. 65, by Cornelius Gurlitt (1820-1901) (Etude)

RCM Level 1

German Dance in D Major, Hob. IX:22, No. 2, by Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) (List A)

This Guy's Disguised by Bradley Sowash (List B)

Cranky Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (List C)

Far Away by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (Etude)

RCM Preparatory B

Looking-Glass River by Nancy & Randall Faber

New Shoes by Linda Niamath

Raptors by Kevin Olson

Leaping the Waves with Dolphins by Barbara Arens

RCM Preparatory A

Marching, Op. 39, No. 3, by Dmitri Kabalevsky (1904-1987)

Curious Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964)

The Lively Boy

September 23, 2026 (1 of 8)

September 24, 2026 Dustin Gledhill

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 logs your practice for you — no comments needed.

Press Start from # whatever number it shows. It picks up where you stopped last time.
Press Start, read the assignment, practice.
Tap the kind of practice, then press Done.
Press Next practice item and go again.

One type of practice per assignment. If something needs two, it gets two assignments.

Capped items count down and chime. Keep going if it's going well.

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. Technique and repertoire don't have one; those are every day.

Need the metronome, a recorder or the NFPER colors? They are in Practice Tools, right under the practice types. Tap one and it opens inside your assignment. Tap Close to put it away.

Got something to say about an assignment? Paste the line it gives you into the comments and add your note.

Log only what you actually did, on the day you did it. Five minutes is a real entry.

Log every practice session from today. The competition starts October 1 — practicing and 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]

Setup

1. 🟩 Print your music from Newzik

THIS WEEK: Print Left Alone, put it in your binder, then press Done for the Week.

One-time assignment. I put fingering into the Newzik copy of Left Alone for you.
Print it and put it in your binder.
Press Done for the Week once it is printed.

Technique

2. 🟩 The Virtuoso Pianist, No. 1 (Hanon)

THIS WEEK: Rhythm practice on mm. 12-17. Two longs as close-louds, then two shorts, and rotate the pattern four ways.

⏱ Max 6 minutes per practice session.

Same section: mm. 12-17.
Tools you already have: close-loud, alternating accents.
New this week: rhythm practice. Two long notes as close-louds, then two shorts as fast and as soft as you can. While you play the shorts, think about your landing point on the next long one.
Rotate the pattern. Long long short short, then long short short long, then short short long long, then short long long short.
This is what weeds out the weak links in a passage.
Metronome no faster than ♩ = 88.
Next week we move to sprints: one close-loud note followed by three really fast ones.

🎥 Rhythm practice https://youtube.com/shorts/my1ow7rycLo

🎥 Alternating accent practice https://youtu.be/Xb-E9AIoso8

[INSERT HANON RHYTHM PATTERNS IMAGE]

[INSERT HANON ALTERNATING ACCENTS IMAGE]

3. 🟩 RCM Technique, Level 3

THIS WEEK: The formula pattern in D major, hands together, two octaves, ♩ = 80, and the chromatic starting on D. I'll hear both next lesson.

⏱ Max 5 minutes per practice session.

Work through the table on page 4: scales, formula pattern, chromatic, tonic triads.
Next lesson I will hear two things: the formula pattern in D major, hands together, two octaves, ♩ = 80. And the chromatic starting on D.
The chromatics are the easier of the two. The formula pattern is the hard one.
If you run into note problems, use accent practice or rhythm practice to smooth them out.
Untidy attacks today. The first joint of your finger is wobbly in places.
Creepy-crawly over the keyboard. Your elbows are sitting a little behind your tummy, so scoop back.

Where each one stands

🟩 D major · 🟩 F major

🟨 B-flat major

🟨 B minor, D minor, G minor — harmonic and melodic

Theory

4. 🟧 Theory, Level 4

THIS WEEK: I'm bringing the first unit of Level 4 next time.

Nothing for you to do on this one.

Musicianship

5. 🟩 PA Sightreading, Level 2B

THIS WEEK: Pages 86-90, then press Done for the Week.

Pages 86 to 90. That finishes the book.
One page per practice session. Two is fine if you want.
Press Done for the Week when you reach page 90.

6. 🟩 Four Star, Level 3

THIS WEEK: Set 10, then press Done for the Week.

Finish Set 10. There is no Set 11.
One day of the set per practice session.
Press Done for the Week when Set 10 is finished.

7. 🟪 RCM Online Ear Training

THIS WEEK: Clap-backs only. Watch the end of the rhythm.

⏱ Max 5 minutes per practice session.

We did not get to it. Same assignment.
Clap-backs only. No melody playbacks — those are solid. In the clap-backs, watch the end of the rhythm: that's where the errors are.
You don't have to do them all at once.

Repertoire

Left Alone — all four chunks, same method

NFPER focus: notes, fingering, position, expression

NFPER method. First focus is notes, fingering, position and expression all at once. They arrive already selected.
Second focus adds rhythm.
Metronome no faster than ♩ = 46.
Pedal: change on the downbeat of every measure, unless the music says otherwise.
Let go of the notes after you play them, but connect anything stepwise. Seconds and thirds you can play legato.
When you are learning a section, always play through to the downbeat of the next measure.
What happens after that. Once you get one round on all four chunks, they join into mm. 1-8 and mm. 9-18, same method. After another full round they become the whole piece — and then drop NFPER: run it through with no pauses, record yourself, and send it to me.

8. 🟩 Left Alone (Grill), mm. 1-4

THIS WEEK: One round of mm. 1-4. Once all four chunks have a round they join into bigger ones.

Brick practice: combine the chunks after one round each.

Start here.

9. 🟩 Left Alone (Grill), mm. 5-8

THIS WEEK: One round of mm. 5-8.

Same as mm. 1-4.

10. 🟩 Left Alone (Grill), mm. 9-12

THIS WEEK: One round of mm. 9-12.

Same as mm. 1-4.

11. 🟩 Left Alone (Grill), mm. 13-18

THIS WEEK: One round of mm. 13-18.

Same as mm. 1-4. This one runs to the end of the piece.

Repertoire

12. 🟩 Musette in D major, BWV Anh. 126 (Anonymous)

THIS WEEK: Record a run-through, circle every uneven sixteenth-note group, then spot them.

⏱ Max 7 minutes per practice session.

Audio-record a run-through of the whole piece, then listen back.
Listen only to the sixteenth notes. Circle every group that is uneven.
Spot the uneven ones: three correct in a row, or use close-loud or accent practice.
Then start from four random measures and play six measures from each.

13. 🟩 Lemon Sherbet Rag (Arens)

THIS WEEK: Expression. Work the dynamic plan, measure by measure.

⏱ Max 6 minutes per practice session.

Shoulders relaxed and down, while the wrist stays active. Down does not mean lazy.
When you get louder, more movement in the elbows and arms, so the shoulders don't come up.
For a big sound, stop pushing into the keys. Drop the natural weight of your arm, with a curved finger.
Your hand is the claw and your arm is the chain. Firm at the hand, loose in the arm, and release it straight away.

Expression, and this is the focus

mm. 5-6: decrescendo down to piano by the end of 6, then suddenly mezzo forte.
End of m. 10: subito piano. m. 11 stays quiet. m. 12 mezzo piano, so you have somewhere to crescendo through mm. 13-14.
mm. 16-17: crescendo to forte, from the end of 16 to the middle of 17.
m. 19: subito piano, so you can crescendo and be forte by m. 22.
m. 21: no crescendo. It starts already at forte.

14. 🟩 The Stormy Sea (Gaudet)

THIS WEEK: Speed build: 96, 100, 104, 108, 112, 116.

⏱ Max 6 minutes per practice session.

Make all of the piano markings softer.
Speed build: 96, then 100, 104, 108, 112, 116.
Come off with hand and foot quickly on the last note. Drop weight, then release — don't push into the keyboard.

15. 🟪 Minuet in G minor, BWV Anh. 115 (Petzold)

THIS WEEK: Nothing. We didn't get to it, so we pick it up next lesson.

We did not get to it. Same assignment.
Right-hand focus. The left hand is too loud whenever the right hand plays. The right hand has the melody and needs to sit above it.
Ornaments: keep mm. 8, 13, 15, 31. Start with the wrist at or below the level of the white keys, then drop forward. Every trill that didn't speak had a high wrist.
Also play mm. 6-9, watching the low wrist going into the ornament. If the thumb sounds wobbly, change the hand position rather than repeating it the same way.
Starting from random measures still needs work. Begin anywhere, including mid-measure.

16. 🟪 Sonatina in A minor, Op. 94 No. 4, I. Allegro moderato (Biehl)

THIS WEEK: Nothing. We didn't get to it, so we pick it up next lesson.

We did not get to it. Same assignment.
mm. 15-16: more diminuendo. End the phrase in m. 16 quieter, with a tiny slowdown.
mm. 16-17: more breath between the sections. Do it because you know the phrase has ended, not because it's printed.
mm. 23-25: the left hand sticks in the keys on the half-note chords. Detach them slightly. In m. 25, lift off to restrike so the chord speaks.
Downbeat of m. 1: be in motion. Hands in your lap, then come in already moving, or the note may not speak.

17. 🟪 Sonatina in C major, Op. 36 No. 1, I. Allegro (Clementi)

THIS WEEK: Nothing. We didn't get to it, so we pick it up next lesson.

We did not get to it. Same assignment.
Start from random measures, two minutes straight. Pick them yourself, including mid-measure.
Settle the beat in your head before you start.

18. ⬛️ Étude in D major, Op. 37 No. 17 (Lemoine)

Your second etude, the one you picked. Don't start it yet.

Practice Performances

When you play something all the way through for me: no stopping, no fixing, no changing the tempo. Spotting is different — stopping is fine there.

Focus Tracker

❤️ = 4 POINTS (+ bonus = no reminders)

💚 = 3 POINTS

💛 = 2 POINTS

💜 = 1 POINT

🖤 = 0 POINTS

I Spy Practice Video

[INSERT I SPY PRACTICE VIDEO LINK]

Review List

Review these with your music, one time each week.

RCM Level 2

Écossaise in G Major, WoO 23, by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (List A)

I Spy by Melody Bober (b. 1955) (List B)

Farewell, Op. 98, No. 4, by Alexander Gretchaninoff (1864-1956) (List B)

Etude in D Minor, Op. 82, No. 65, by Cornelius Gurlitt (1820-1901) (Etude)

RCM Level 1

German Dance in D Major, Hob. IX:22, No. 2, by Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) (List A)

This Guy's Disguised by Bradley Sowash (List B)

Cranky Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (List C)

Far Away by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (Etude)

RCM Preparatory B

Looking-Glass River by Nancy & Randall Faber

New Shoes by Linda Niamath

Raptors by Kevin Olson

Leaping the Waves with Dolphins by Barbara Arens

RCM Preparatory A

Marching, Op. 39, No. 3, by Dmitri Kabalevsky (1904-1987)

Curious Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964)

The Lively Boy

September 16, 2026 (8 of 8)

September 17, 2026 Dustin Gledhill

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 logs your practice for you — no comments needed.

Press Start from # whatever number it shows. It picks up where you stopped last time.
Press Start, read the assignment, practice.
Tap the kind of practice, then press Done.
Press Next practice item and go again.

Capped items count down and chime. Keep going if it's going well.

Need the metronome, a recorder or the NFPER colors? They are in Practice Tools, right under the practice types. Tap one and it opens inside your assignment. Tap Close to put it away.

Got something to say about an assignment? Paste the line it gives you into the comments and add your note.

Log only what you actually did, on the day you did it. Five minutes is a real entry. Logging starts October 1.

🟩 on track · 🟨 needs extra attention · 🟪 didn't get to it at the lesson · 🟥 priority · ⬛️ don't practice this one

[PRACTICE TOOLS]

This week: 539 minutes over 9 days. Almost all of it repertoire. Technical requirements got zero.

Technique

1. 🟩 The Virtuoso Pianist, No. 1 (Hanon)

⏱ Max 4 minutes per session.

Same sections: mm. 12-17 and the last few measures.
Close-loud: you have this one.
Alternating accents (new): accent every other note close-loud, and make the notes in between extremely soft. Then rotate the accent onto the other notes.
Keep good position. It got chaotic when you sped up.
Metronome no faster than ♩ = 88.
Watch the video before you practice it.
Mom checks: the wrist releases forward on the close-loud notes. A still wrist means tension.

🎥 Alternating accent practice https://youtu.be/Xb-E9AIoso8

[INSERT HANON ALTERNATING ACCENTS IMAGE]

2. 🟩 RCM Technique, Level 3

⏱ Max 5 minutes per session.

Rotate through every Level 3 item. Work from the table on page 4: scales, formula pattern, chromatic, tonic triads broken and solid.

Two octaves, hands together, ♩ = 80, two notes per beat.

🟩 D major · 🟩 F major
🟨 B-flat major
🟨 B minor, D minor, G minor — harmonic and melodic

Think the scale through before you start it. Fingers close to the keys.

Theory

3. ⬛️ Theory, Level 4

Coming later. Don't start it.

Musicianship

4. 🟩 PA Sightreading, Level 2B

⏱ One page per session.

Pages 85-90. We finish the book next time.

5. 🟩 Four Star, Level 3

⏱ One day of the set per session.

Finish Set 9, then do Set 10.

6. 🟩 RCM Online Ear Training

⏱ Max 5 minutes per session.

Clap-backs only. No melody playbacks — those are solid. In the clap-backs, watch the end of the rhythm: that's where the errors are.

You don't have to do them all at once.

Repertoire

7. 🟩 Minuet in G minor, BWV Anh. 115 (Petzold)

RCM Level 3, List A · from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach

Expression

Right-hand focus. The left hand is too loud whenever the right hand plays. The right hand has the melody and needs to sit above it.

Ornaments — keep mm. 8, 13, 15, 31

No more full ornament routine. Just start with the wrist at or below the level of the white keys, then drop forward. Every trill that didn't speak today had a high wrist.

Also play mm. 6-9, watching the low wrist going into the ornament. If the thumb sounds wobbly, change the hand position instead of repeating it the same way.

🟨 Starting from random measures

This one needs work. Begin anywhere in the piece, including mid-measure. And when I name a measure, start where I ask.

Practice performances

When you play something all the way through for me: no stopping, no fixing, no changing the tempo. Spotting is different — stopping is fine there.

8. 🟩 Sonatina in A minor, Op. 94 No. 4, I. Allegro moderato (Biehl)

RCM Level 3, List B

Forte sections are much stronger, and the wrist movement looks good.

mm. 15-16. More diminuendo. End the phrase in m. 16 quieter, with a tiny slowdown.
mm. 16-17. More breath between the sections. Do it because you know the phrase has ended, not because it's printed.
mm. 23-25. The left hand sticks in the keys on the half-note chords. Detach them slightly. In m. 25, lift off to restrike so the chord speaks.
Downbeat of m. 1. Be in motion. Hands in your lap, then come in already moving, or the note may not speak.

9. 🟩 Sonatina in C major, Op. 36 No. 1, I. Allegro (Clementi)

RCM Level 3, List B

In good shape, so it goes green.

Assignment: start from random measures, two minutes straight. Pick them yourself, including mid-measure.

Settle the beat in your head before you start. A touch slower than today.

10. 🟩 Left Alone (Grill)

RCM Level 3, Etude · new

Your first etude, and a contrasting piece for the set. Left hand alone, so it's easier than it looks.

Assignment: learn the notes, NFPER, in small groups.

The down-stems and up-stems are two voices in one hand. mm. 1-4: the bass notes are the melody. End of m. 4 through m. 12: the up-stems are. Write that in the book.

11. ⬛️ Étude in D major, Op. 37 No. 17 (Lemoine)

RCM Level 3, Etude · from 50 Études enfantines

Your second etude, the one you picked. Don't start it yet.

12. 🟪 Musette in D major, BWV Anh. 126 (Anonymous)

RCM Level 3, List A · from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach

Whole piece: no locking wrist. Loosen up the way you do for the trills.

mm. 3 and 7 — drop the wrist into the first note, like the ornaments in the Minuet. That should tidy the attacks on its own.

Start from three different random measures each session, sometimes mid-measure.

13. 🟪 Lemon Sherbet Rag (Arens)

RCM Level 3, List C

Whole piece: wrist always in motion, never locked. Same as Hanon and the Biehl.

Near the beginning there are still moments where the wrist stops. Catch those.

Metronome ♩ = 108, then 112, then 116.

14. 🟪 The Stormy Sea (Gaudet)

RCM Level 3, List C

Come off with hand and foot quickly on the last note.

Focus Tracker

❤️ = 4 POINTS (+ bonus = no reminders)
💚 = 3 POINTS
💛 = 2 POINTS
💜 = 1 POINT
🖤 = 0 POINTS

I Spy Practice Video

[INSERT I SPY PRACTICE VIDEO LINK]

Review List

Review these with your music, one time each week.

RCM Level 2

Écossaise in G Major, WoO 23, by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (List A)
I Spy by Melody Bober (b. 1955) (List B)
Farewell, Op. 98, No. 4, by Alexander Gretchaninoff (1864-1956) (List B)
Etude in D Minor, Op. 82, No. 65, by Cornelius Gurlitt (1820-1901) (Etude)

RCM Level 1

German Dance in D Major, Hob. IX:22, No. 2, by Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) (List A)
This Guy's Disguised by Bradley Sowash (List B)
Cranky Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (List C)
Far Away by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (Etude)

RCM Preparatory B

Looking-Glass River by Nancy & Randall Faber
New Shoes by Linda Niamath
Raptors by Kevin Olson
Leaping the Waves with Dolphins by Barbara Arens

RCM Preparatory A

Marching, Op. 39, No. 3, by Dmitri Kabalevsky (1904-1987)
Curious Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964)
The Lively Boy

September 6, 2026 (7 of 8 - in-person)

September 6, 2026 Dustin Gledhill

September 6, 2026 (7 of 8)

September 6, 2026 · 60 min · in person

Forward Wrist, Always in Motion

Logging — your first assignment

Log every practice item, every day. As soon as you finish working on one item, and before you move to the next, write it in the comment section of this post: the name of the item, then the minutes you spent. Then go on.
Item by item, not all at the end. "Sonatina in C major — 12 min," then move on.
You practiced the theory and the RCM melody playbacks this week and neither showed up, because neither was logged. If it isn't logged, it isn't in the record.
Logging officially starts October 1. Use September to build the habit.
We're running a studio competition for whoever is most consistent with daily logging, with a reward at a group class. It's about consistency, not who practices the most minutes.

Technique

🟩The Virtuoso Pianist, No. 1, by Charles-Louis Hanon (1819-1900)

Close-loud, hands together now — this changes from hands alone.
Only mm. 12–17: the third system of the first page, the last three measures of the ascent and the first three of the descent.
Also the last few measures of the exercise.
Left hand especially: the instant you hear the sound start, relax. If you keep pushing into the key, nothing moves.
Next lesson we start speed building.

🟪RCM Technical Requirements: Level 3

We'll decide together which scales to work on — that's why this didn't get done, and that's fine. We'll sort it at the next lesson.
Write "NFPER" next to each item in Newzik. Focus on one or more at a time and check them off as you go. Slow tempo.
Keep the fingers close to the keys.

Theory

🟩Theory Level 3: Unit 8

Units 7 and 8 are both done — nice work getting ahead.
Still to do: study the musical terms and signs, the last two pages of the unit.

⬛️Theory Level 4

Listed so you know it's coming. Do not start this yet.

Musicianship

🟩Sight-Reading 2B

Complete pages 80–84 (the numbers written in the music).

🟩Four Star Level 3

Complete Set 9.
RCM Moodle melody playbacks: keep going, and log them. You did a lot of these and none of it was recorded.

Repertoire

🟩Minuet in G Minor, BWV Anh. 115, attr. Christian Petzold (1677-1733), from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach (L. 3, A)

Expression — assignment

mm. 19–20, right hand only. Crescendo up to the high point of the slur, then decrescendo into the end of it. Marked in yellow highlight in your score.
Petzold did not write those dynamics in. The slur is what tells us we can do it — the shape of the musical thought.
The general rule, and it applies to other slurs too: at the end of a slur, get quieter.
Left hand stays as it is. This is a right-hand assignment.
Have a plan for every measure — crescendo, forte, staccato, detached, whatever it is. That planning is what makes the expression.

Sticky staccato (portato) — assignment

Blanket focus this week: forward wrist on every portato note. Always in motion.
The sound is often good already, but the wrist gets stuck for a moment, and that builds tension.
Use the same motion you found in Lemon Sherbet Rag: approach the note, then follow through.
m. 30 is where I hear it most. Watch that one particularly, but apply it everywhere.

Ornaments — assignment

Four ornament measures: mm. 8, 13, 15 and 31.

Faster and lighter. Think of each ornament as piano — softer than the notes around it. They'll come out about even, and they'll sound smoother.
Start with the wrist level with the white keys or slightly below, then drop forward.
Fingers round, almost hook-like, but relaxed — not tense. Firm fingertips.
Follow through, then release.
Right hand alone, 5 times correctly, each of the four measures. Then add the left hand. It may suddenly feel harder hands together — that's normal. Check that the wrist is still dropping once the hands are together.
An ornament can be played with tension, but it has a far greater chance of being inaccurate. Lightness and relaxation is what makes them reliable.
m. 7, last note. Don't cut the eighth note short in anticipation of the ornament in m. 8. Give it its full value, then go.
The ornament note is E-flat, not E-natural. We checked the harmony — the passage is moving to G, and a natural there would be cancelling the key signature for no reason. The flat is what you had; keep it.

Starting from random measures

Keep doing this — you should be able to begin anywhere in the piece, so it isn't only muscle memory.
Choose the measures yourself, including starting in the middle of a measure, not only on the downbeat. Pick the harder ones.

🟩Sonatina in A Minor, Op. 94, No. 4, first movement: Allegro moderato, by Albert Biehl (L. 3, B)

Notes, rhythm, position and fingering are all in good shape, and the portato is consistent throughout — that's a big thing out of the way. Expression is the whole focus now. One or two more lessons and this could be finished.

mm. 1 and 3, and the measures like them — assignment. Marked in orange highlight. The third beat of the left hand (the top note — the E in m. 1) is getting accented right as the right-hand eighth notes start. Play beat 3 softer in both hands. Think of the right hand starting softer too, and it fixes both at once.
m. 13 — the first forte. Stronger. It has to be louder than it is.
m. 14 — pop the wrist up. You're getting tense here. Forte does not mean tense: popping the wrist is what lets you play strongly and stay loose. Both hands, not just the right.
Getting tense while reaching for the correct notes is normal. Practice the passage relaxed and the right notes will follow — it doesn't work the other way round.
Take the diminuendo at the end of that section down properly. The contrast sets up the dolce section that follows.
m. 26 — poco ritardando, then a tempo at m. 27. This is where the theme comes back, and slowing a little exaggerates that return. You weren't doing the ritardando — make it clearly slower, then snap back.
mm. 31–33, and m. 34 — bigger sound overall. Unlock the left-hand wrist. Right now the sound goes up, down, up, down — keep it all up. Every note has a movement.

🟩Lemon Sherbet Rag by Barbara Arents (L. 3, C)

Go through the whole piece and make sure the wrist is always in motion. Never locked. Apply what we've been doing in Hanon and the Biehl — especially the Biehl.
There are still moments near the beginning where the wrist just stops. Those are the ones to catch.
Practice with the metronome at ♩ = 108, then 112, then 116.

🟩Musette in D Major, BWV Anh. 126, Anonymous, from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach (1725) (L. 3, A)

Go through the whole piece and make sure the wrist is not locking anywhere. Loosen up the same way you do for the trills.
mm. 3 and 7 — approach the first note with a dropped wrist, exactly like the ornaments in the Minuet. Your attacks aren't always tidy here, and the drop-and-follow-through should fix that on its own.
Practice starting from three different random measures each practice session, sometimes from the middle of a measure rather than the downbeat.

🟪Sonatina in C Major, Op. 36, No. 1, first movement: Allegro, by Muzio Clementi (1752-1832) (L. 3, B)

Start your practice with this one. It got the least attention this week, so it goes first next week and we'll begin the lesson with it.

New: practice starting from three different random places each practice session.
mm. 9 and 11 — right hand, raise the wrist on the repeated quarter notes.
m. 3 left hand — be very careful coming off the rests.
Expressive decisions from the hierarchy of the beat. m. 1, for example: of the last two notes, which one is softer?
Keep the left-hand Alberti bass softer in mm. 9, 11, 32 and 34.
Next lesson we increase the tempo.

🟪The Stormy Sea by Anne Crosby Gaudet (L. 3, C)

Come off with hand and foot quickly on the last note of the piece.

Focus Tracker

❤️ = 4 POINTS (+ bonus = no reminders)
💚 = 3 POINTS
💛 = 2 POINTS
💜 = 1 POINT
🖤 = 0 POINTS

I Spy Practice Video

HERE IS THE LINK TO I SPY PRACTICE VIDEO

Review List

Review the pieces on this list, with your music, one time each week.

🟩Etude in D Minor, Op. 82, No. 65, by Cornelius Gurlitt (1820-1901) (L. 2, Etude)
🟩Écossaise in G Major, WoO 23, by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (L. 2, A)
🟩I Spy by Melody Bober (b. 1955) (L. 2, B)
🟩Farewell, Op. 98, No. 4, by Alexander Gretchaninoff (1864-1956) (L. 2, B)
💚Cranky Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (L. 1, C)
💚Far Away by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (L. 1, Etude)
💚This Guy's Disguised by Bradley Sowash (L. 1, B)
💚German Dance in D Major, Hob. IX:22, No. 2, by Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) (L. 1, A)
💜Looking-Glass River by Nancy & Randall Faber (Prep. B)
💚Raptors by Kevin Olson (Prep. B)
💚New Shoes by Linda Niamath (Prep B)
💚The Lively Boy (Prep A)
💚Leaping the Waves with Dolphins (Prep B)
💚Curious Cat
💚Marching by Kabalevsky

🎨 Color-Focus Practice (NFPER)

At the top of your music, write NFPER using the following color system:

N – Notes – correct pitches and accidentals (🟥 Red)
F – Fingering – consistent, effective finger choices (🟨 Yellow)
P – Position – hand shape, posture, and keyboard geography (🟧 Orange)
E – Expression – phrasing, dynamics, articulation, tone, etc. (🟪 Purple)
R – Rhythm – steady pulse, accurate timing, and rests (🟦 Blue)

✅ 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 — 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 that 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?

August 28, 2026 (6 of 8)

August 29, 2026 Dustin Gledhill

August 29, 2026 (6 of 8)

Strong Attack, Immediate Release

Repertoire

**🟩Minuet in G Minor, BWV Anh. 115, attr. Christian Petzold (1677-1733), from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach (L. 3, A)**

Nice work — the fixes from last week are in place.
m. 24 LH - change the articulation to a slur. Play it legato.
Why: the RH is stagnant there, just sustaining one note. The LH suddenly takes over the movement, and it’s three stepwise motions. When one hand goes still, listen for where the motion moved to.
Right elbow - just check in with it this week. Put a post-it note on the piano that says “right elbow” if that helps. Be kind to your body, say hello to it, and we’ll keep an eye on it together.
5 minutes of hands alone practice.
3 minutes of starting from random measures - you should be able to begin anywhere in the piece. This keeps it from being only muscle memory.
Ornaments are our next step (not yet - just so you know what’s coming).

🟪Lemon Sherbet Rag by Barbara Arents (L. 3, C)

Fix m. 4 and last measure (see the audio in Newzik labeled mm. 3 and 4)
Practice with mm. 88, 96, and 104

**🟪Musette in D Major, BWV Anh. 126, Anonymous, from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach (1725) (L. 3, A)**

Dynamics were so good!
Make the ending sound like more of an “ending” by gradually slowing down (subtle) and increasing the dynamic.
The rhythm needs to be rock solid in the LH. Just listen for this as you play it.

🟪Sonatina in C Major, Op. 36, No. 1, first movement: Allegro, by Muzio Clementi (1752-1832) (L. 3, B)

mm. 9 and 11 - RH raise wrist on repeated quarter notes.
m. 3 LH - be very careful about coming off rests.
Expressive decisions related to the hierarchy of the beat. M. 1 for example - the last two notes: which one is softer?
Keep the LH alberti bass in mm. 9, 11, 32, 34 - softer.
Next lesson increase tempo.

🟩Sonatina in A Minor, Op. 94, No. 4, first movement: Allegro moderato, by Albert Biehl (L. 3, B)

Beautiful. The expression is sounding sensitive, the ends of your phrases are shaped and a little softer, and you did exactly what the blog asked for with the eighth-note motives. Good work.
mm. 18-19 LH - connect the C to the G. Imagine a slur over those notes. Start by practicing LH alone. Small thing, means a lot.
The note to watch is the lowest left-hand note on beat 1 — the bass note that starts the measure. This applies in mm. 1-4 and mm. 9-11, and everywhere those passages come back. You are sustaining that bass note for the full measure, as though it were written as a dotted half note. It isn’t. Hold it for roughly a half note’s worth, then release it — the rest of the measure should sound without it still ringing underneath.
To be clear about what this is not: this is not about the notes above it, and it is not about the right hand. It is only the bass note you put down on beat 1.
If you aren’t sure whether you’re doing it, play a measure and listen for whether that first bass note is still sounding when you arrive at beat 3. If it is, you’re holding too long. You can also practice it LH alone, deliberately lifting the finger on beat 3.
m. 42 is the clearest example in the whole piece: you hold that left-hand A all the way through into m. 43. Don’t. The small expressive hold exists to help the bass note carry, but we shouldn’t be able to notice you doing it.
Why it matters: you may get an RCM comment that these aren’t dotted half notes.
Forte practice - mm. 34, 36, and 50. For these, the attack comes from ABOVE the keyboard, with a forward wrist. Momentum into the keys is what gives you that crisp, suddenly-a-little-angry sound - and then it’s sweet again right after.
How to practice the above: start one measure before each one (so m. 33, m. 35, m. 49). Right hand alone, 5 times correctly each. Then add the left hand. It may suddenly feel like you never practiced it once hands are together - that’s normal. If it’s hard, slow down. That’s always the number one thing to do.
Why from above here, when close-loud is from the key? Context matters. These are detached notes moving immediately to another note, so coming off the key keeps you in motion. For a single sustained note where you’re staying put, from the key is usually the better choice - it’s not as harsh.
m. 45 was beautiful.
When you’re playing through, don’t stop to fix things. Treat every play-through as a little practice performance so you’re practicing not stopping when you make a mistake. (Your fix sounded great - just save it for practice.)

🟪The Stormy Sea by Anne Crosby Gaudet (L. 3, C)

Come off with hand and foot quickly - last note of the piece.

Theory & Musicianship (move forward)

🟪Theory Level 3: Unit 7.

Complete the unit.
Self-check it first, then give it to your mom to double-check.
When you fix an error, mark where you fixed it - don’t just quietly correct it.

🟩Sight-reading 2B

Complete pages 74-78 (numbers written in the music)
Excellent work - your preparation routine is solid. Keep talking yourself through key, dynamics, meter, then notes, then rhythm.
New challenge: make expression a priority in sight-reading too. Where you played it, the forte could have been louder and the piano quieter. Go for the contrast.

🟩Four Star Level 3

Complete Set 8.
New: log into the RCM Moodle portal and work on the melody playbacks. Go to the melody section, record yourself, then listen back while looking at the answer on the page, and grade yourself.
Both steps matter - you have to actively listen to your own recording against what you see. Just looking at the answer isn’t checking.

Technique

**🟥The Virtuoso Pianist, No. 1, by Charles-Louis Hanon (1819-1900)**

Know the pattern - don’t rely on muscle memory.

Ascending: start on your first note, skip up a 3rd, then step up to the interval of a 6th above where you started, then come back down a 5th.
The descending half is a mirror of that pattern - the same shape upside down. (It is not a retrograde - retrograde would be the pattern played exactly in reverse.)
Practice starting the pattern from different notes - B, then G, then anywhere. Once you truly know the pattern, you can play it across the whole keyboard and eventually transpose it to any key. That’s the fun part.
Don’t skip the last measure. This is the number one mistake people make in Hanon. The ending doesn’t continue the pattern on G - it finishes on A instead.

Close-loud - revised to hands alone.

3 minutes right hand, 3 minutes left hand. Set a timer. Log it in your block as “Hanon - 6 minutes.”
No hands together for now. This is not about playing fast. Once you’re comfortable, we’ll go back to hands together and then move on.
The technique, step by step: fingertips never leave the key - it’s legato, always from the surface of the key, never from above. Hand in position 1. Strong attack from the key with a forward wrist. Then the instant you hear the sound start, relax - release the energy so you’re not still pushing down into the keys.
Two steps, every single note: strong attack, immediate release. If you’re focused on that for every note, you’ll stay engaged the whole time. The minute you stop focusing, close-loud becomes a waste of time.
You have to have some tension to play strongly - that’s fine. What we’re training is letting it go the instant after. That’s what builds endurance.
“Tidy attacks” means the notes sound at exactly the same moment as each other.

🟪RCM Technical Requirements: Level 3

Decide with Dustin which scales to work on (Thursday)
Write “NFPER” next to each item in Newzik. Focus on one or more at a time, and check them off as you go! Please do this as a slow tempo.
Please focus on close fingers to the keys.

⬛️Level 3 Pieces

Focus Tracker

💚💚💛💛💚💛💜❤️💚💚💜❤️💚💜❤️🖤❤️❤️💚💚💚💚💚❤️💚💚🖤🧡💚💚💚💚🧡💚❤️🧡❤️💚💚💚💚💛💚❤️

(53 points)

❤️= 4 POINTS (+ bonus = no reminders)

💚= 3 POINTS

💛= 2 POINTS

💜= 1 POINT

🖤= 0 POINTS

HERE IS THE LINK TO I SPY PRACTICE VIDEO
https://www.videoask.com/f034bc97a

REVIEW LIST

Review the pieces on this list, with your music, one time each week.

🟩Etude in D Minor, Op. 82, No. 65, by Cornelius Gurlitt (1820-1901) (L. 2, Etude)

🟩Écossaise in G Major, WoO 23, by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (L. 2, A)

🟩I Spy by Melody Bober (b. 1955) (L. 2, B)

🟩Farewell, Op. 98, No. 4, by Alexander Gretchaninoff (1864-1956) (L. 2, B)

💚Cranky Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (L. 1, C)

💚Far Away by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (L. 1, Etude)

💚This Guy’s Disguised by Bradley Sowash (L. 1, B)

💚German Dance in D Major, Hob. IX:22, No. 2, by Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) (L. 1, A)

💜Looking-Glass River by Nancy & Randall Faber (Prep. B)

💚Raptors by Kevin Olson (Prep. B)

💚New Shoes by Linda Niamath (Prep B)

💚The Lively Boy (Prep A)

💚Leaping the Waves with Dolphins (Prep B)

💚Curious Cat

💚Marching by Kabalevsky

🎨 Color-Focus Practice (NFPER)

At the top of your music, write NFPER using the following color system:

N – Notes – correct pitches and accidentals (🟥 Red)
F – Fingering – consistent, effective finger choices (🟨 Yellow)
P – Position – hand shape, posture, and keyboard geography (🟧 Orange)
E – Expression – phrasing, dynamics, articulation, tone, etc. (🟪 Purple)
R – Rhythm – steady pulse, accurate timing, and rests (🟦 Blue)

✅ 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 — 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 that 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?

August 2, 2026 (5 of 8)

August 2, 2026 Dustin Gledhill

Position is Priority in All Assignments

Repertoire

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

m. 17 - finger 1 on C
m. 18 - detached quarter notes.
See the video inside Newzik for the trills and mordent practice.
All non-slurred quarter notes are detached.
Once you’ve fixed all above, practice hands together in small chunks, keeping the articulation as primary focus.

🟩Lemon Sherbet Rag by Barbara Arents (L. 3, C)

Fix m. 4 and last measure (see the audio in Newzik labeled mm. 3 and 4)
Practice with mm. 88, 96, and 104

🟪Musette in D Major, BWV Anh. 126 attr. Johann Sebastian Bach (L. 3, A)

Dynamics were so good!
Make the ending sound like more of an “ending” by gradually slowing down (subtle) and increasing the dynamic.
The rhythm needs to be rock solid in the LH. Just listen for this as you play it.

🟩Sonatina in C Major, op. 36 no. 1, Allegro by Muzio Clementi (L. 3, B)

mm. 9 and 11 - RH raise wrist on repeated quarter notes.
m. 3 LH - be very careful about coming off rests.
\Expressive decisions related to the hierachry of the beat. M. 1 for example - the last two notes: which one is softer?
Keep the LH alberti bass in mm. 9, 11, 32, 34 - softer.
Next lesson increase tempo.

🟪Sonatina in A Minor op. 94, no. 4, Allegro moderato by Albert Biehl (L. 3, B)

The descending four-note 8th note motives: please don’t start them louder than the previous note. Example in m. 1. Keep the LH soft - don’t cresc. along with the RH.

🟪The Stormy Sea by Ann Crosby Gaudet (L. 3, C)

Come off with hand and foot quickly - last note of the piece.

Theory & Musicianship (move forward)

🟪Theory Level 3: Unit 7.

Complete the unite

🟪Sight-reading 2B

Complete pages 54-68 (numbers written in the music)

🟪Four Star Level 3

Finish Set 2-3

Technique

🟪Hanon No. 1

Do the wrist movements correctly before you put it hands together.
Do 3-5 min of close-loud each day. You can set a timer and have fun!
Tidy attacks

RCM Technical Requirements: Level 3

Decide with Dustin which scales to work on (Thursday)
Write “NFPER” next to each item in Newzik. Focus on one or more at a time, and check them off as you go! Please do this as a slow tempo.
Please focus on close fingers to the keys.

⬛️Level 3 Pieces

Focus Tracker

💚💚💛💛💚💛💜❤️💚💚💜❤️💚💜❤️🖤❤️❤️💚💚💚💚💚❤️💚💚🖤🧡💚💚💚💚🧡💚❤️🧡❤️💚💚💚💚💛💚❤️

(53 points)

❤️= 4 POINTS (+ bonus = no reminders)

💚= 3 POINTS

💛= 2 POINTS

💜= 1 POINT

🖤= 0 POINTS

HERE IS THE LINK TO I SPY PRACTICE VIDEO
https://www.videoask.com/f034bc97a

REVIEW LIST

Review the pieces on this list, with your music, one time each week.

🟩Etude in D Minor op. 82, no. 65 (L. 2, Etude)

🟩 Écossaise in G Major, WoO 23 by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (L. 2, A)

🟩I Spy by Melody Bober (b. 1955) (L. 2, B)

🟩Farewell op. 98 no. 4 by Aleksandr Grechaninov (L. 2, B)

💚Cranky Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (L. 1, C)

💚Far Away by Teresa Richert (b. 1864) (L. 1 Etude)

💚This Guy’s Disguised by Bradley Sowash (L. 1, B)

💚German Dance in D Major Hob. IX:22, no. 2 by Franz Jospeh Haydn (1732-1809) (L. 1, A)

💜Looking-Glass River by Nancy & Randall Faber (Prep. B)

💚Raptors by Kevin Olson (Prep. B)

💚New Shoes by Linda Niamath (Prep B)

💚The Lively Boy (Prep A)

💚Leaping the Waves with Dolphins (Prep B)

💚Curious Cat

💚Marching by Kabalevsky

🎨 Color-Focus Practice (NFPER)

At the top of your music, write NFPER using the following color system:

N – Notes – correct pitches and accidentals (🟥 Red)
F – Fingering – consistent, effective finger choices (🟨 Yellow)
P – Position – hand shape, posture, and keyboard geography (🟧 Orange)
E – Expression – phrasing, dynamics, articulation, tone, etc. (🟪 Purple)
R – Rhythm – steady pulse, accurate timing, and rests (🟦 Blue)

✅ 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 — 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 that 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?

July 16, 2026 (4 of 8)

July 16, 2026 Dustin Gledhill

Position is Priority in All Assignments

Repertoire

🟪Lemon Sherbet Rag by Barbara Arents (L. 3, C)

Fix all the purple markings.

🟩Musette in D Major, BWV Anh. 126 attr. Johann Sebastian Bach (L. 3, A)

Dynamics were so good!
Make the ending sound like more of an “ending” by gradually slowing down (subtle) and increasing the dynamic.
The rhythm needs to be rock solid in the LH. Just listen for this as you play it.

🟩Sonatina in C Major, op. 36 no. 1, Allegro by Muzio Clementi (L. 3, B)

Expressive decisions related to the hierachry of the beat. M. 1 for example - the last two notes: which one is softer?
Keep the LH alberti bass in mm. 9, 11, 32, 34 - softer.
Next lesson increase tempo.

🟩Sonatina in A Minor op. 94, no. 4, Allegro moderato by Albert Biehl (L. 3, B)

The descending four-note 8th note motives: please don’t start them louder than the previous note. Example in m. 1. Keep the LH soft - don’t cresc. along with the RH.

🟩The Stormy Sea by Ann Crosby Gaudet (L. 3, C)

Come off with hand and foot quickly - last note of the piece.

Theory & Musicianship

🟩Theory Level 3: Unit 7.

Complete the unite

🟩Sight-reading 2B

Complete pages 54-68 (numbers written in the music)

🟩Four Star Level 3

Finish Set 2-3

Technique

🟩Hanon No. 1

Do the wrist movements correctly before you put it hands together.

RCM Technical Requirements: Level 3

Decide with Dustin which scales to work on (Thursday)
Write “NFPER” next to each item in Newzik. Focus on one or more at a time, and check them off as you go! Please do this as a slow tempo.
Please focus on close fingers to the keys.

⬛️Level 3 Pieces

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

Focus Tracker

💚💚💛💛💚💛💜❤️💚💚💜❤️💚💜❤️🖤❤️❤️💚💚💚💚💚❤️💚💚🖤🧡💚💚💚💚🧡💚❤️🧡❤️💚💚💚💚💛💚❤️

(53 points)

❤️= 4 POINTS (+ bonus = no reminders)

💚= 3 POINTS

💛= 2 POINTS

💜= 1 POINT

🖤= 0 POINTS

HERE IS THE LINK TO I SPY PRACTICE VIDEO
https://www.videoask.com/f034bc97a

REVIEW LIST

Review the pieces on this list, with your music, one time each week.

🟩Etude in D Minor op. 82, no. 65 (L. 2, Etude)

🟩 Écossaise in G Major, WoO 23 by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (L. 2, A)

🟩I Spy by Melody Bober (b. 1955) (L. 2, B)

🟩Farewell op. 98 no. 4 by Aleksandr Grechaninov (L. 2, B)

💚Cranky Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (L. 1, C)

💚Far Away by Teresa Richert (b. 1864) (L. 1 Etude)

💚This Guy’s Disguised by Bradley Sowash (L. 1, B)

💚German Dance in D Major Hob. IX:22, no. 2 by Franz Jospeh Haydn (1732-1809) (L. 1, A)

💜Looking-Glass River by Nancy & Randall Faber (Prep. B)

💚Raptors by Kevin Olson (Prep. B)

💚New Shoes by Linda Niamath (Prep B)

💚The Lively Boy (Prep A)

💚Leaping the Waves with Dolphins (Prep B)

💚Curious Cat

💚Marching by Kabalevsky

🎨 Color-Focus Practice (NFPER)

At the top of your music, write NFPER using the following color system:

N – Notes – correct pitches and accidentals (🟥 Red)
F – Fingering – consistent, effective finger choices (🟨 Yellow)
P – Position – hand shape, posture, and keyboard geography (🟧 Orange)
E – Expression – phrasing, dynamics, articulation, tone, etc. (🟪 Purple)
R – Rhythm – steady pulse, accurate timing, and rests (🟦 Blue)

✅ 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 — 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 that 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?

July 12, 2026 (3 of 8)

July 12, 2026 Dustin Gledhill

Position is Priority in All Assignments

Repertoire

🟩Lemon Sherbet Rag by Barbara Arents (L. 3, C)

Fix all the purple markings.

🟪🟪Musette in D Major, BWV Anh. 126 attr. Johann Sebastian Bach (L. 3, A)

Your position is much improved!
M. 17 - start very slowly and do the exercise playing very close to the keys using your wrist to rock to the notes. Gradually speed up.

🟩🟪Sonatina in C Major, op. 36 no. 1, Allegro by Muzio Clementi (L. 3, B)

Focus on relaxation techniques now.
1. Take the opportunity on long notes to keep the wrist and elbow supple.
2. When you play softly, keep a focus on your fingering being curved.
For the rest of your 30% practice, use metronome 60, 66, and 72 as benchmark.

🟪🟪Sonatina in A Minor op. 94, no. 4, Allegro moderato by Albert Biehl (L. 3, B)

Wow so much better!
m. 37 - clean pedal and please change your position - keep wrist low, thumb further up on the key and on its side.
smooth wrist mm. 23-27

🟩🟪The Stormy Sea by Ann Crosby Gaudet (L. 3, C)

m. 4, 12, 28, 36 - please do the decrescendo
Please follow the video below

Theory & Musicianship

🟨Theory Level 3: Unit 6 Intervals.

Double check your work and correct any issues with accidentals and labeling.
Use flash cards for key signatures up to three sharps and two flats (major and minor)
1. Practice using both sides of the cards.

🟩Sight-reading 2B

Complete pages 51-53 (numbers written in the music)

🟩Four Star Level 3

Finish Set 1

Technique

🟩Hanon No. 1

Learn the pattern hands alone, focusing on fingers round and close to the keys. Gently lower and raise your wrist along with the direction of the notes. We will learn hands together on Thursday.

🟩RCM Technical Requirements: Level 3

Decide with Dustin which scales to work on (Thursday)
Write “NFPER” next to each item in Newzik. Focus on one or more at a time, and check them off as you go! Please do this as a slow tempo.
Please focus on close fingers to the keys.

⬛️Level 3 Pieces

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

Focus Tracker

💚💚💛💛💚💛💜❤️💚💚💜❤️💚💜❤️🖤❤️❤️💚💚💚💚💚❤️💚💚🖤🧡💚💚💚💚🧡💚❤️🧡❤️💚💚💚💚💛💚❤️

(53 points)

❤️= 4 POINTS (+ bonus = no reminders)

💚= 3 POINTS

💛= 2 POINTS

💜= 1 POINT

🖤= 0 POINTS

HERE IS THE LINK TO I SPY PRACTICE VIDEO
https://www.videoask.com/f034bc97a

REVIEW LIST

Review the pieces on this list, with your music, one time each week.

🟩Etude in D Minor op. 82, no. 65 (L. 2, Etude)

🟩 Écossaise in G Major, WoO 23 by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (L. 2, A)

🟩I Spy by Melody Bober (b. 1955) (L. 2, B)

🟩Farewell op. 98 no. 4 by Aleksandr Grechaninov (L. 2, B)

💚Cranky Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (L. 1, C)

💚Far Away by Teresa Richert (b. 1864) (L. 1 Etude)

💚This Guy’s Disguised by Bradley Sowash (L. 1, B)

💚German Dance in D Major Hob. IX:22, no. 2 by Franz Jospeh Haydn (1732-1809) (L. 1, A)

💜Looking-Glass River by Nancy & Randall Faber (Prep. B)

💚Raptors by Kevin Olson (Prep. B)

💚New Shoes by Linda Niamath (Prep B)

💚The Lively Boy (Prep A)

💚Leaping the Waves with Dolphins (Prep B)

💚Curious Cat

💚Marching by Kabalevsky

🎨 Color-Focus Practice (NFPER)

At the top of your music, write NFPER using the following color system:

N – Notes – correct pitches and accidentals (🟥 Red)
F – Fingering – consistent, effective finger choices (🟨 Yellow)
P – Position – hand shape, posture, and keyboard geography (🟧 Orange)
E – Expression – phrasing, dynamics, articulation, tone, etc. (🟪 Purple)
R – Rhythm – steady pulse, accurate timing, and rests (🟦 Blue)

✅ 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 — 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 that 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?

June 28, 2026 (2 of 8)

June 28, 2026 Dustin Gledhill

Position is Priority in All Assignments

Repertoire

🟩Lemon Sherbet Rag by Barbara Arents (L. 3, C)

Fix the rhythm in m. 14
m. 13 - drop into the key (tap) with forward wrists: Follow the practice video below.

🟪Musette in D Major, BWV Anh. 126 attr. Johann Sebastian Bach (L. 3, A)

Your position is much improved!
M. 17 - start very slowly and do the exercise playing very close to the keys using your wrist to rock to the notes. Gradually speed up.

🟩Sonatina in C Major, op. 36 no. 1, Allegro by Muzio Clementi (L. 3, B)

Focus on relaxation techniques now.
1. Take the opportunity on long notes to keep the wrist and elbow supple.
2. When you play softly, keep a focus on your fingering being curved.
For the rest of your 30% practice, use metronome 60, 66, and 72 as benchmark.

🟪Sonatina in A Minor op. 94, no. 4, Allegro moderato by Albert Biehl (L. 3, B)

Wow so much better!
m. 37 - clean pedal and please change your position - keep wrist low, thumb further up on the key and on its side.
smooth wrist mm. 23-27

🟩The Stormy Sea by Ann Crosby Gaudet (L. 3, C)

m. 4, 12, 28, 36 - please do the decrescendo
Please follow the video below

Theory & Musicianship

🟩Theory Level 3: Unit 6 Intervals.

Complete the entire unit.
Use flash cards for key signatures up to three sharps and two flats (major and minor)
Practice using both sides of the cards.

🟨Sight-reading 2B

Complete pages 39-43 (numbers written in the music)

🟨Four Star Level 3

Finish Review Set 1
Complete Review Set 2

Technique

🟪RCM Technical Requirements: Level 3

Prepare pages 9-12
Write “NFPER” next to each item in Newzik. Focus on one or more at a time, and check them off as you go! Please do this as a slow tempo.
Please focus on close fingers to the keys.

⬛️Level 3 Pieces

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

Focus Tracker

💚💚💛💛💚💛💜❤️💚💚💜❤️💚💜❤️🖤❤️❤️💚💚💚💚💚❤️💚💚🖤🧡💚💚💚💚🧡💚❤️🧡❤️💚💚💚💚💛

(53 points)

❤️= 4 POINTS (+ bonus = no reminders)

💚= 3 POINTS

💛= 2 POINTS

💜= 1 POINT

🖤= 0 POINTS

HERE IS THE LINK TO I SPY PRACTICE VIDEO
https://www.videoask.com/f034bc97a

REVIEW LIST

Review the pieces on this list, with your music, one time each week.

🟩Etude in D Minor op. 82, no. 65 (L. 2, Etude)

🟩 Écossaise in G Major, WoO 23 by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (L. 2, A)

🟩I Spy by Melody Bober (b. 1955) (L. 2, B)

🟩Farewell op. 98 no. 4 by Aleksandr Grechaninov (L. 2, B)

💚Cranky Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (L. 1, C)

💚Far Away by Teresa Richert (b. 1864) (L. 1 Etude)

💚This Guy’s Disguised by Bradley Sowash (L. 1, B)

💚German Dance in D Major Hob. IX:22, no. 2 by Franz Jospeh Haydn (1732-1809) (L. 1, A)

💜Looking-Glass River by Nancy & Randall Faber (Prep. B)

💚Raptors by Kevin Olson (Prep. B)

💚New Shoes by Linda Niamath (Prep B)

💚The Lively Boy (Prep A)

💚Leaping the Waves with Dolphins (Prep B)

💚Curious Cat

💚Marching by Kabalevsky

🎨 Color-Focus Practice (NFPER)

At the top of your music, write NFPER using the following color system:

N – Notes – correct pitches and accidentals (🟥 Red)
F – Fingering – consistent, effective finger choices (🟨 Yellow)
P – Position – hand shape, posture, and keyboard geography (🟧 Orange)
E – Expression – phrasing, dynamics, articulation, tone, etc. (🟪 Purple)
R – Rhythm – steady pulse, accurate timing, and rests (🟦 Blue)

✅ 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 — 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 that 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?

June 21, 2026 (8 of 8) (actually 1 of 8, taking 1 from Genevieve)

June 21, 2026 Dustin Gledhill

Position is Priority in All Assignments

Repertoire

🟩Lemon Sherbet Rag by Barbara Arents (L. 3, C)

Learn the rest of the piece in two-beat chunks, focusing on articulation and the way your wrist helps you achieve this.

🟩Musette in D Major, BWV Anh. 126 attr. Johann Sebastian Bach (L. 3, A)

Your position is much improved!
M. 17 - start very slowly and do the exercise playing very close to the keys using your wrist to rock to the notes. Gradually speed up.

🟪Sonatina in C Major, op. 36 no. 1, Allegro by Muzio Clementi (L. 3, B)

This is much better! Don’t forget to keep focused on rhythm this week and remember that about 70% of your practice should be slow to medium tempos.
For the rest of your 30% practice, use metronome 60, 66, and 72 as benchmark.

🟩Sonatina in A Minor op. 94, no. 4, Allegro moderato by Albert Biehl (L. 3, B)

Wow so much better!
m. 37 - clean pedal and please change your position - keep wrist low, thumb further up on the key and on its side.
smooth wrist mm. 23-27

🟪The Stormy Sea by Ann Crosby Gaudet (L. 3, C)

mm. 5-8 - make the LH chords softer than the rh. The RH should be really strong here. The pedal is also a bit muddy. Make sure to change all the way.
Added dynamics in green - mm. 17-24. Also, make the first note of each measure the melody. So bring it out slightly above the others - make the others softer.

Theory & Musicianship

🟨Theory Level 3: Unit 4

Self-check pg. 45
Use flash cards for key signatures up to three sharps and two flats (major and minor)

🟩Sight-reading 2B

Complete pages 39-43 of the next PDF

🟩Four Star Level 3

Prepare Review Set 1

Technique

🟩RCM Technical Requirements: Level 3

Prepare pages 9-12
Write “NFPER” next to each item in Newzik. Focus on one or more at a time, and check them off as you go! Please do this as a slow tempo.
Please focus on close fingers to the keys.

⬛️Level 3 Pieces

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

Focus Tracker

💚💚💛💛💚💛💜❤️💚💚💜❤️💚💜❤️🖤❤️❤️💚💚💚💚💚❤️💚💚🖤🧡💚💚💚💚🧡💚❤️🧡❤️💚💚💚💚💛

(53 points)

❤️= 4 POINTS (+ bonus = no reminders)

💚= 3 POINTS

💛= 2 POINTS

💜= 1 POINT

🖤= 0 POINTS

HERE IS THE LINK TO I SPY PRACTICE VIDEO
https://www.videoask.com/f034bc97a

REVIEW LIST

Review the pieces on this list, with your music, one time each week.

🟩Etude in D Minor op. 82, no. 65 (L. 2, Etude)

🟩 Écossaise in G Major, WoO 23 by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (L. 2, A)

🟩I Spy by Melody Bober (b. 1955) (L. 2, B)

🟩Farewell op. 98 no. 4 by Aleksandr Grechaninov (L. 2, B)

💚Cranky Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (L. 1, C)

💚Far Away by Teresa Richert (b. 1864) (L. 1 Etude)

💚This Guy’s Disguised by Bradley Sowash (L. 1, B)

💚German Dance in D Major Hob. IX:22, no. 2 by Franz Jospeh Haydn (1732-1809) (L. 1, A)

💜Looking-Glass River by Nancy & Randall Faber (Prep. B)

💚Raptors by Kevin Olson (Prep. B)

💚New Shoes by Linda Niamath (Prep B)

💚The Lively Boy (Prep A)

💚Leaping the Waves with Dolphins (Prep B)

💚Curious Cat

💚Marching by Kabalevsky

🎨 Color-Focus Practice (NFPER)

At the top of your music, write NFPER using the following color system:

N – Notes – correct pitches and accidentals (🟥 Red)
F – Fingering – consistent, effective finger choices (🟨 Yellow)
P – Position – hand shape, posture, and keyboard geography (🟧 Orange)
E – Expression – phrasing, dynamics, articulation, tone, etc. (🟪 Purple)
R – Rhythm – steady pulse, accurate timing, and rests (🟦 Blue)

✅ 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 — 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 that 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?

June 11, 2026 (7 of 8)

June 11, 2026 Dustin Gledhill

Position is Priority in All Assignments

Repertoire

🟩Lemon Sherbet Rag by Barbara Arents (L. 3, C)

See the videos sent to MB.
Use the NFPER Practice Charts for this piece (see videos).

🟩Musette in D Major, BWV Anh. 126 attr. Johann Sebastian Bach (L. 3, A)

Your position is much improved!
Small expression fix - more contrast between f mp mf p

🟩Sonatina in C Major, op. 36 no. 1, Allegro by Muzio Clementi (L. 3, B)

This is much better! Don’t forget to keep focused on rhythm this week and remember that about 70% of your practice should be slow to medium tempos.
For the rest of your 30% practice, use metronome 60, 66, and 72 as benchmark.

🟩Sonatina in A Minor op. 94, no. 4, Allegro moderato by Albert Biehl (L. 3, B)

Wow so much better!
m. 37 - do the rit and decrescendo
mm. 6-7 make sure LH articulation (legato / staccato) is consistent. It’s sometimes short in m. 6 and sometimes not. Make m. 6 legato and m. 7 staccato.
Fix the above and continue to focus on position (RH fingers 2-3 still need curving) but this is really so much better.

🟩The Stormy Sea by Ann Crosby Gaudet (L. 3, C)

mm. 5-8 - make the LH chords softer than the rh. The RH should be really strong here. The pedal is also a bit muddy. Make sure to change all the way.
Added dynamics in green - mm. 17-24. Also, make the first note of each measure the melody. So bring it out slightly above the others - make the others softer.

Theory & Musicianship

🟪Theory Level 3: Unit 4

Look at pages 45-46 to fix the key signatures.
Use flash cards for key signatures up to two sharps and two flats.

🟩Sight-reading 2B

Complete pages 36-40 of the next PDF

Technique

🟩RCM Technical Requirements: Level 3

Prepare pages 7 and 8
Write “NFPER” next to each item in Newzik. Focus on one or more at a time, and check them off as you go! Please do this as a slow tempo.

⬛️Level 3 Pieces

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

Focus Tracker

💚💚💛💛💚💛💜❤️💚💚💜❤️💚💜❤️🖤❤️❤️💚💚💚💚💚❤️💚💚🖤🧡💚💚💚💚🧡💚❤️🧡❤️💚💚💚💚💛

(53 points)

❤️= 4 POINTS (+ bonus = no reminders)

💚= 3 POINTS

💛= 2 POINTS

💜= 1 POINT

🖤= 0 POINTS

HERE IS THE LINK TO I SPY PRACTICE VIDEO
https://www.videoask.com/f034bc97a

REVIEW LIST

Review the pieces on this list, with your music, one time each week.

🟩Etude in D Minor op. 82, no. 65 (L. 2, Etude)

🟩 Écossaise in G Major, WoO 23 by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (L. 2, A)

🟩I Spy by Melody Bober (b. 1955) (L. 2, B)

🟩Farewell op. 98 no. 4 by Aleksandr Grechaninov (L. 2, B)

💚Cranky Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (L. 1, C)

💚Far Away by Teresa Richert (b. 1864) (L. 1 Etude)

💚This Guy’s Disguised by Bradley Sowash (L. 1, B)

💚German Dance in D Major Hob. IX:22, no. 2 by Franz Jospeh Haydn (1732-1809) (L. 1, A)

💜Looking-Glass River by Nancy & Randall Faber (Prep. B)

💚Raptors by Kevin Olson (Prep. B)

💚New Shoes by Linda Niamath (Prep B)

💚The Lively Boy (Prep A)

💚Leaping the Waves with Dolphins (Prep B)

💚Curious Cat

💚Marching by Kabalevsky

🎨 Color-Focus Practice (NFPER)

At the top of your music, write NFPER using the following color system:

N – Notes – correct pitches and accidentals (🟥 Red)
F – Fingering – consistent, effective finger choices (🟨 Yellow)
P – Position – hand shape, posture, and keyboard geography (🟧 Orange)
E – Expression – phrasing, dynamics, articulation, tone, etc. (🟪 Purple)
R – Rhythm – steady pulse, accurate timing, and rests (🟦 Blue)

✅ 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 — 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 that 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?

June 4, 2026 (6 of 8)

June 4, 2026 Dustin Gledhill

Position is Priority in All Assignments

Repertoire

🟪Musette in D Major, BWV Anh. 126 attr. Johann Sebastian Bach (L. 3, A)

Please have a forward-motion wrist on the A in RH finger 5 in mm. 1-2 and others like it.

🟩Sonatina in C Major, op. 36 no. 1, Allegro by Muzio Clementi (L. 3, B)

Daniel - this is very serious. Your position needs to get better or your pieces will eventually become too difficult for you. A
1. Fingers ROUND and CLOSE TO THE KEYS
2. Do not drop WRIST when you play your thumb (usually when crossing over or under fingers).
3. Set metronome to 60: Razor sharp focus on keeping wrist up, fingers extremely close to the keys (gliding across) and steady wrist when you cross over / under fingers. The thumb should also be relaxed and careful not to stick out.

🟩Sonatina in A Minor op. 94, no. 4, Allegro moderato by Albert Biehl (L. 3, B)

Please work on making your fingers curved. They are still collapsed!
Please see all the red pen. There is a lot! Mostly for expression and position.

🟩The Stormy Sea by Ann Crosby Gaudet (L. 3, C)

Write the chords in mm. 21-23
See all the red pen.
Measures 3-4 - keep LH wrist up and arch LH to cross over playing finger 2
Measures 1-4 and all other similar sections: use one pedal (don’t change). Start much softer in m. 1 and all other beginning measures like it.
Measures 13-16, 29-32, and 37-39: LH forward wrist.
Measures 17-24: keep wrists up and fingers close to the keys.

Theory & Musicianship

🟩Theory Level 3: Unit 4

Complete the entire unit.

🟩Sight-reading 2B

Complete pages 30-34 of the next PDF

Technique

🟩RCM Technical Requirements: Level 3

Prepare pages 5 and 6
Write “NFPER” next to each item in Newzik. Focus on one or more at a time, and check them off as you go! Please do this as a slow tempo.

⬛️Level 3 Pieces

Lemon Sherbet Rag by Barbara Arents (L. 3, C)
The Stormy Sea by Ann Crosby Gaudet (L. 3, C)
Minuet in G Minor BWV Anh. 115 by Christian Petzold (L. 3, A)
in D Major, BWV Anh. 126 attr. Johann Sebastian Bach (L. 3, A)

Focus Tracker

💚💚💛💛💚💛💜❤️💚💚💜❤️💚💜❤️🖤❤️❤️💚💚💚💚💚❤️💚💚🖤🧡💚💚💚💚🧡💚❤️🧡❤️💚💚💚💚💛

(53 points)

❤️= 4 POINTS (+ bonus = no reminders)

💚= 3 POINTS

💛= 2 POINTS

💜= 1 POINT

🖤= 0 POINTS

HERE IS THE LINK TO I SPY PRACTICE VIDEO
https://www.videoask.com/f034bc97a

REVIEW LIST

Review the pieces on this list, with your music, one time each week.

🟩Etude in D Minor op. 82, no. 65 (L. 2, Etude)

🟩 Écossaise in G Major, WoO 23 by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (L. 2, A)

🟩I Spy by Melody Bober (b. 1955) (L. 2, B)

🟩Farewell op. 98 no. 4 by Aleksandr Grechaninov (L. 2, B)

💚Cranky Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (L. 1, C)

💚Far Away by Teresa Richert (b. 1864) (L. 1 Etude)

💚This Guy’s Disguised by Bradley Sowash (L. 1, B)

💚German Dance in D Major Hob. IX:22, no. 2 by Franz Jospeh Haydn (1732-1809) (L. 1, A)

💜Looking-Glass River by Nancy & Randall Faber (Prep. B)

💚Raptors by Kevin Olson (Prep. B)

💚New Shoes by Linda Niamath (Prep B)

💚The Lively Boy (Prep A)

💚Leaping the Waves with Dolphins (Prep B)

💚Curious Cat

💚Marching by Kabalevsky

🎨 Color-Focus Practice (NFPER)

At the top of your music, write NFPER using the following color system:

N – Notes – correct pitches and accidentals (🟥 Red)
F – Fingering – consistent, effective finger choices (🟨 Yellow)
P – Position – hand shape, posture, and keyboard geography (🟧 Orange)
E – Expression – phrasing, dynamics, articulation, tone, etc. (🟪 Purple)
R – Rhythm – steady pulse, accurate timing, and rests (🟦 Blue)

✅ 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 — 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 that 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?

May 28, 2026 (4.75 of 8)

May 28, 2026 Dustin Gledhill

Final Recital

May 30th, 2:00 pm

Lesson Assignments

Level 3 RCM Material

⬛️RCM Technical Requirements: Level 3

Prepare pages 11 and 12.

🟩Musette in D Major, BWV Anh. 126 attr. Johann Sebastian Bach (L. 3, A)

Please have a forward-motion wrist on the A in RH finger 5 in mm. 1-2 and others like it.

🟩Sonatina in C Major, op. 36 no. 1, Allegro by Muzio Clementi (L. 3, B)

Hold the RH chord for its full value in m. 23
Change the fingering in mm. 22-23 (red pen)
Aim for slower practice (around 46 per quarter) with a razor sharp focus on keeping wrist up, fingers extremely close to the keys (gliding across) and steady wrist when you cross over / under fingers. The thumb should also be relaxed and careful not to stick out.

🟩Sonatina in A Minor op. 94, no. 4, Allegro moderato by Albert Biehl (L. 3, B)

m. 37 - please slow down slightly - poco rit.
Measure 45 - please remember to play all LH notes here. You were missing the last three.

🟩The Stormy Sea by Ann Crosby Gaudet (L. 3, C)

Measures 1-3 and others like them - down-stem notes are LH and up-stem notes are RH.
How do we end phrases? Remember how we’ve played them in your other pieces? Relax the ending of a phrase in terms of dynamic level.
Practice playing the chords blocked in mm. 17-23 before you play them as written.
Finish learning the piece.

⬛️Sight-reading 2B

Complete pages 25-30 of the next PDF

⬛️Theory Level 3: Unit 3

Corrected / made some notes in theory

For Recital

🟩Etude in D Minor op. 82, no. 65 (L. 2, Etude)

You can paraphrase the info below:

Cornelius Gurlitt was born in 1820. This piece is called an “etude,” which is a type of piece designed to teach the performer a specific technical or musical skill. In this etude, the challenge is to play repeated notes quickly and softly throughout the piece while the left hand carries the melody.

🟩 Écossaise in G Major, WoO 23 by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (L. 2, A)

You can paraphrase the info below:

The next piece is by a very famous composer named Beethoven! Schroeder from Peanuts absolutely worships Beethoven! I’m not playing Für Elise today, but instead a piece called Ecossaise. An ecossaise is a Scottish dance, and this one is very fun to play!

🟩I Spy by Melody Bober (b. 1955) (L. 2, B)

You can paraphrase the info below:

This piece is kind of like an “etude” because it taught me how to play triplets, which means fitting three equal notes into one beat—and playing them very quickly! The expression in this piece makes the story feel sneaky, playful, and full of surprises.

🟩Farewell op. 98 no. 4 by Aleksandr Grechaninov (L. 2, B)

You can paraphrase the info below:

Aleksandr Grechaninov was a Russian composer who wrote many beautiful piano pieces for students. This piece is called Farewell, and it sounds calm, emotional, and a little sad—like saying goodbye to someone before a long trip. Playing this piece taught me how to make the melody sing and how to use dynamics to make the music more expressive.

Other Assignments

🟩Improvisation Assignment: Making up our own melodies

With Dustin at the lesson (for now)
Identify a scale
Identify two triads (tonic / dominant)
Improvise a melody within each chord with a limited amount of notes.
Begin and end on the tonic or root of the triad.

🟩Level 3 Pieces

Lemon Sherbet Rag by Barbara Arents (L. 3, C)
The Stormy Sea by Ann Crosby Gaudet (L. 3, C)
Minuet in G Minor BWV Anh. 115 by Christian Petzold (L. 3, A)
in D Major, BWV Anh. 126 attr. Johann Sebastian Bach (L. 3, A)

Focus Tracker

💚💚💛💛💚💛💜❤️💚💚💜❤️💚💜❤️🖤❤️❤️💚💚💚💚💚❤️💚💚🖤🧡💚💚💚💚🧡💚❤️🧡❤️💚💚💚💚

(53 points)

❤️= 4 POINTS (+ bonus = no reminders)

💚= 3 POINTS

💛= 2 POINTS

💜= 1 POINT

🖤= 0 POINTS

HERE IS THE LINK TO I SPY PRACTICE VIDEO
https://www.videoask.com/f034bc97a

REVIEW LIST

Review the pieces on this list, with your music, one time each week.

💚Cranky Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (L. 1, C)

💚Far Away by Teresa Richert (b. 1864) (L. 1 Etude)

💚This Guy’s Disguised by Bradley Sowash (L. 1, B)

💚German Dance in D Major Hob. IX:22, no. 2 by Franz Jospeh Haydn (1732-1809) (L. 1, A)

💜Looking-Glass River by Nancy & Randall Faber (Prep. B)

💚Raptors by Kevin Olson (Prep. B)

💚New Shoes by Linda Niamath (Prep B)

💚The Lively Boy (Prep A)

💚Leaping the Waves with Dolphins (Prep B)

💚Curious Cat

💚Marching by Kabalevsky

🎨 Color-Focus Practice (NFPER)

At the top of your music, write NFPER using the following color system:

N – Notes – correct pitches and accidentals (🟥 Red)
F – Fingering – consistent, effective finger choices (🟨 Yellow)
P – Position – hand shape, posture, and keyboard geography (🟧 Orange)
E – Expression – phrasing, dynamics, articulation, tone, etc. (🟪 Purple)
R – Rhythm – steady pulse, accurate timing, and rests (🟦 Blue)

✅ 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 — 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 that 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?

May 14, 2026 (4 of 8)

May 14, 2026 Dustin Gledhill

Final Recital

May 30th, 2:00 pm

Lesson Assignments

Level 3 RCM Material

⬛️RCM Technical Requirements: Level 3

Prepare pages 11 and 12.

🟩Musette in D Major, BWV Anh. 126 attr. Johann Sebastian Bach (L. 3, A)

Measures 2-3 - please minimize the time between the last note of m. 2 and first note of m. 3. Practice this by playing only those two notes, then expand to two measures.

🟩Sonatina in C Major, op. 36 no. 1, Allegro by Muzio Clementi (L. 3, B)

Smooth out the notes in m. 16-19
More march-like from the very beginning - more sound!

🟩Sonatina in A Minor op. 94, no. 4, Allegro moderato by Albert Biehl (L. 3, B)

Measures 24 and 26 - please do play through the LH rests.
Measure 45 - please remember to play all LH notes here. You were missing the last three.

⬛️Sight-reading 2B

Complete pages 25-30 of the next PDF

⬛️Theory Level 3: Unit 3

Corrected / made some notes in theory

RCM Level 2 Exam Material

🟩RCM Technical Requirements: Level 2

Keep doing close-loud. This is improving your technique a lot!

🟩Etude in D Minor op. 82, no. 65 (L. 2, Etude)

Think about your RH position - sometimes the transitions in the last two systems are a little rocky because your you a bit too far “down” (close to the edges of the keys) on the keyboard.
Otherwise - excellent!

🟩 Écossaise in G Major, WoO 23 by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (L. 2, A)

I love the expression this week! However, your body is getting tense so please think about moving arms and wrists more when you change your dynamics so that you stay in-motion. We don’t want your wrists to lock which results in poor sound and sometimes incorrect notes.
In the B section: I appreciate you bringing out the bottom notes out but please keep the top notes (in the LH) present.

🟩I Spy by Melody Bober (b. 1955) (L. 2, B)

This is sounding great. Please practice starting from random measures.

🟩Farewell op. 98 no. 4 by Aleksandr Grechaninov (L. 2, C)

This is also sounding great! Please practice starting from random measures.

🟩Sight-reading: Four_Star_03_Tests.

Do one of these per day.
Work your way from left to right in terms of studying what’s in the music,
Ta the rhythm in your mind after you have established the scale and time signature.

🟩Musicianship Level 2

Clapback:
Playback:
Intervals:
Chords

Other Assignments

🟩Improvisation Assignment: Making up our own melodies

With Dustin at the lesson (for now)
Identify a scale
Identify two triads (tonic / dominant)
Improvise a melody within each chord with a limited amount of notes.
Begin and end on the tonic or root of the triad.

🟩Level 3 Pieces

Lemon Sherbet Rag by Barbara Arents (L. 3, C)
The Stormy Sea by Ann Crosby Gaudet (L. 3, C)
Minuet in G Minor BWV Anh. 115 by Christian Petzold (L. 3, A)
in D Major, BWV Anh. 126 attr. Johann Sebastian Bach (L. 3, A)

Focus Tracker

💚💚💛💛💚💛💜❤️💚💚💜❤️💚💜❤️🖤❤️❤️💚💚💚💚💚❤️💚💚🖤🧡💚💚💚💚🧡💚❤️🧡❤️💚

(53 points)

❤️= 4 POINTS (+ bonus = no reminders)

💚= 3 POINTS

💛= 2 POINTS

💜= 1 POINT

🖤= 0 POINTS

HERE IS THE LINK TO I SPY PRACTICE VIDEO
https://www.videoask.com/f034bc97a

REVIEW LIST

Review the pieces on this list, with your music, one time each week.

💚Cranky Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (L. 1, C)

💚Far Away by Teresa Richert (b. 1864) (L. 1 Etude)

💚This Guy’s Disguised by Bradley Sowash (L. 1, B)

💚German Dance in D Major Hob. IX:22, no. 2 by Franz Jospeh Haydn (1732-1809) (L. 1, A)

💜Looking-Glass River by Nancy & Randall Faber (Prep. B)

💚Raptors by Kevin Olson (Prep. B)

💚New Shoes by Linda Niamath (Prep B)

💚The Lively Boy (Prep A)

💚Leaping the Waves with Dolphins (Prep B)

💚Curious Cat

💚Marching by Kabalevsky

🎨 Color-Focus Practice (NFPER)

At the top of your music, write NFPER using the following color system:

N – Notes – correct pitches and accidentals (🟥 Red)
F – Fingering – consistent, effective finger choices (🟨 Yellow)
P – Position – hand shape, posture, and keyboard geography (🟧 Orange)
E – Expression – phrasing, dynamics, articulation, tone, etc. (🟪 Purple)
R – Rhythm – steady pulse, accurate timing, and rests (🟦 Blue)

✅ 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 — 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 that 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?

May 6, 2026 (3 of 8)

May 6, 2026 Dustin Gledhill

Final Recital

May 30th, 2:00 pm

Lesson Assignments

Level 3 RCM Material

⬛️RCM Technical Requirements: Level 3

Prepare pages 11 and 12.

🟪Musette in D Major, BWV Anh. 126 attr. Johann Sebastian Bach (L. 3, A)

Review

🟪Sonatina in C Major, op. 36 no. 1, Allegro by Muzio Clementi (L. 3, B)

Review at m.m. 60 with a focus in even 8th notes. Keep hand round / bubble / fingers curved.

🟪Sonatina in A Minor op. 94, no. 4, Allegro moderato by Albert Biehl (L. 3, B)

Review at m.m. 60 with a focus on even notes and dynamics.

⬛️Sight-reading 2B

Complete pages 25-30 of the next PDF

⬛️Theory Level 3: Unit 3

Corrected / made some notes in theory

RCM Level 2 Exam Material

🟩RCM Technical Requirements: Level 2

Do one round of close-loud for each item.
Don’t drop wrists when you play your thumbs.
Triads: please play further up in the keys so you don’t suddenly move in and out of the black keys.

🟩Etude in D Minor op. 82, no. 65 (L. 2, Etude)

So good - but we forgot the decrescendo and rit. at the end.

🟩 Écossaise in G Major, WoO 23 by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (L. 2, A)

Work expression in section B - RH upbeat softer and strong bass notes. Staccato notes at the end. Even 16ths.

🟩I Spy by Melody Bober (b. 1955) (L. 2, B)

Slight rit. on the three chords of the climax (m. 16). Even more expression! Strive for totally even triplets.

🟩Farewell op. 98 no. 4 by Aleksandr Grechaninov (L. 2, C)

Take more time before you begin. Focus on the first four measures of the piece. Practice not looking out the window while you play.

🟨Sight-reading: Four_Star_02_Tests, then move to Level 3.

Do at least two of these per day.
Work your way from left to right in terms of studying what’s in the music,
Ta the rhythm in your mind after you have established the scale and time signature.

🟩Musicianship Level 2

Clapback:
Playback:
Intervals:
Chords

Other Assignments

🟩Improvisation Assignment: Making up our own melodies

With Dustin at the lesson (for now)
Identify a scale
Identify two triads (tonic / dominant)
Improvise a melody within each chord with a limited amount of notes.
Begin and end on the tonic or root of the triad.

🟩Level 3 Pieces

Lemon Sherbet Rag by Barbara Arents (L. 3, C)
The Stormy Sea by Ann Crosby Gaudet (L. 3, C)
Minuet in G Minor BWV Anh. 115 by Christian Petzold (L. 3, A)
in D Major, BWV Anh. 126 attr. Johann Sebastian Bach (L. 3, A)

Focus Tracker

💚💚💛💛💚💛💜❤️💚💚💜❤️💚💜❤️🖤❤️❤️💚💚💚💚💚❤️💚💚🖤🧡💚💚💚💚🧡💚❤️🧡❤️💚

(53 points)

❤️= 4 POINTS (+ bonus = no reminders)

💚= 3 POINTS

💛= 2 POINTS

💜= 1 POINT

🖤= 0 POINTS

HERE IS THE LINK TO I SPY PRACTICE VIDEO
https://www.videoask.com/f034bc97a

REVIEW LIST

Review the pieces on this list, with your music, one time each week.

💚Cranky Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (L. 1, C)

💚Far Away by Teresa Richert (b. 1864) (L. 1 Etude)

💚This Guy’s Disguised by Bradley Sowash (L. 1, B)

💚German Dance in D Major Hob. IX:22, no. 2 by Franz Jospeh Haydn (1732-1809) (L. 1, A)

💜Looking-Glass River by Nancy & Randall Faber (Prep. B)

💚Raptors by Kevin Olson (Prep. B)

💚New Shoes by Linda Niamath (Prep B)

💚The Lively Boy (Prep A)

💚Leaping the Waves with Dolphins (Prep B)

💚Curious Cat

💚Marching by Kabalevsky

🎨 Color-Focus Practice (NFPER)

At the top of your music, write NFPER using the following color system:

N – Notes – correct pitches and accidentals (🟥 Red)
F – Fingering – consistent, effective finger choices (🟨 Yellow)
P – Position – hand shape, posture, and keyboard geography (🟧 Orange)
E – Expression – phrasing, dynamics, articulation, tone, etc. (🟪 Purple)
R – Rhythm – steady pulse, accurate timing, and rests (🟦 Blue)

✅ 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 — 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 that 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?

May 2, 2026 (Group Class In-Person)

May 2, 2026 Dustin Gledhill

Final Recital

May 30th, 2:00 pm

Group Class

May 2nd / 3rd

Lesson Assignments

Group Class

I Spy - much more expression!

Level 3 RCM Material

🟪RCM Technical Requirements: Level 3

Prepare pages 11 and 12.

🟪Musette in D Major, BWV Anh. 126 attr. Johann Sebastian Bach (L. 3, A)

m. 9 - LH: please don’t slur the notes. Each LH 8th staccato.
This is sounding great! Expression is so much better.
Memorize!

🟪Sonatina in C Major, op. 36 no. 1, Allegro by Muzio Clementi (L. 3, B)

This assignment will take longer to accomplish than your other assignments.
Speed-build to m.m. 72 per half note (final is 84 at minimum).
Do this small chunks, starting at a slower tempo, then increase gradually as you are able to play the sections correctly.

🟪Sonatina in A Minor op. 94, no. 4, Allegro moderato by Albert Biehl (L. 3, B)

Bueno!
Measure 21: LH, don’t make the highlited note staccato. Connect it to the LH in the next meausre.
Last system of the piece: hold the highlighted quarter notes for their full value.

🟪Sight-reading 2B

Complete pages 25-30 of the next PDF

🟪 Theory Level 3: Unit 3

Corrected / made some notes in theory

RCM Level 2 Exam Material

🟩RCM Technical Requirements: Level 2

Focus on formula patterns.
Strive for even sound!

🟩Etude in D Minor op. 82, no. 65 (L. 2, Etude)

We can’t have accents in this piece. Focus on smooth crescendo and decrescendo in the LH. The RH needs to be smooth and NOT participate in the dynamic changes.

🟩 Écossaise in G Major, WoO 23 by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (L. 2, A)

Please activate your wrists to be more flexible. Your hands are tense and it makes the notes muffled and sometimes not speak! 👻notes. :) Bigger contrast in dynamics.

🟩I Spy by Melody Bober (b. 1955) (L. 2, B)

The triples are slightly uneven. Think of them as lighter (weight and sound). Don’t scoot on your bench to get to a higher register. Clean up the notes in mm. 15-16. Same comment as Ecossaise: keep wrist flexible - start your triplets in a lower position so you can follow through by raising the wrist.

🟩Farewell op. 98 no. 4 by Aleksandr Grechaninov (L. 2, C)

m. 8 - don’t cheat the full value of the note. In mm. 15-16 please do the rit. The “rall.” at the end (last two measures) is too much. Slow down just a bit here.

🟥Sight-reading

This is your weakest assignment today - check the key signature, rhythm, and make sure you’re doing all the expression!

🟩Musicianship Level 2

Clapback:
- Please clap loudly. Don’t give them an excuse to misunderstand your rhythm.
Playback:
- Good.
Intervals:
- Good.
Chords
- Good.

Other Assignments

🟩Improvisation Assignment: Making up our own melodies

With Dustin at the lesson (for now)
Identify a scale
Identify two triads (tonic / dominant)
Improvise a melody within each chord with a limited amount of notes.
Begin and end on the tonic or root of the triad.

🟩Level 3 Pieces

Lemon Sherbet Rag by Barbara Arents (L. 3, C)
The Stormy Sea by Ann Crosby Gaudet (L. 3, C)
Minuet in G Minor BWV Anh. 115 by Christian Petzold (L. 3, A)
in D Major, BWV Anh. 126 attr. Johann Sebastian Bach (L. 3, A)

Focus Tracker

💚💚💛💛💚💛💜❤️💚💚💜❤️💚💜❤️🖤❤️❤️💚💚💚💚💚❤️💚💚🖤🧡💚💚💚💚🧡💚❤️🧡❤️💚

(53 points)

❤️= 4 POINTS (+ bonus = no reminders)

💚= 3 POINTS

💛= 2 POINTS

💜= 1 POINT

🖤= 0 POINTS

HERE IS THE LINK TO I SPY PRACTICE VIDEO
https://www.videoask.com/f034bc97a

REVIEW LIST

Review the pieces on this list, with your music, one time each week.

💚Cranky Cat by Teresa Richert (b. 1964) (L. 1, C)

💚Far Away by Teresa Richert (b. 1864) (L. 1 Etude)

💚This Guy’s Disguised by Bradley Sowash (L. 1, B)

💚German Dance in D Major Hob. IX:22, no. 2 by Franz Jospeh Haydn (1732-1809) (L. 1, A)

💜Looking-Glass River by Nancy & Randall Faber (Prep. B)

💚Raptors by Kevin Olson (Prep. B)

💚New Shoes by Linda Niamath (Prep B)

💚The Lively Boy (Prep A)

💚Leaping the Waves with Dolphins (Prep B)

💚Curious Cat

💚Marching by Kabalevsky

🎨 Color-Focus Practice (NFPER)

At the top of your music, write NFPER using the following color system:

N – Notes – correct pitches and accidentals (🟥 Red)
F – Fingering – consistent, effective finger choices (🟨 Yellow)
P – Position – hand shape, posture, and keyboard geography (🟧 Orange)
E – Expression – phrasing, dynamics, articulation, tone, etc. (🟪 Purple)
R – Rhythm – steady pulse, accurate timing, and rests (🟦 Blue)

✅ 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 — 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 that 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?