February 28, 2026 (Lesson 1 of 8)

Lesson Assignments

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

  1. See two new videos in Newzik, titled “LH & RH Second theme / development”

  2. Movement:

    1. Long notes: forward wrists! Why? Helps keep our muscles relaxed and ready for the NEXT movement.

    2. Two-note Slurs: down-up movement.

    3. LH curved fingers.

    4. Repeated notes: lift wrist

  3. m. 6 LH - detached

  4. m. 7: detach the LH chords with a forward-motion wrist.

  5. 💛mm. 13-17 LH: Block the LH in groups of two beats (beats 1-2 and 3-4) so that you form a chord. Then practice as-written.

  6. Send a video of your corrected hand position, measures 1-17 (to Dustin)

  7. Learn

🟩Sight-reading 2A

  1. Prepare pages 74-78

🟩RCM Technical Requirements: Level 3

  1. Prepare page 5 of the PDF.

🟩RCM Technical Requirements: Level 2

  1. When you play solid triads, please have a forward-motion wrist.

  2. Review all technical items at their final tempo.

🟩Four Star Level 2 (this needs a bit more work before an exam)

  1. Practice daily with the two new audio files, pausing the audio after each example to clap or play back.

  2. After you play or clap back one of the examples, you can go back and clap / play with the example to see if you did it correctly.

  3. If you’re short on practice time, you can alternate between the clapbacks and playbacks on different days.

🟩 Theory Level 3

  1. Unit 2: Complete the unit

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

  1. Gradually slow down at the end.

  2. 💛Work for continued shaping of your LH melody. Try to have gradual crescendo and decrescendo and avoid accenting the peak of a melody.

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

  1. Review by practicing starting from any measure of the piece.

  2. POSITION IS FOCUS

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

  1. Review by practicing starting from any measure of the piece.

  2. POSITION IS FOCUS

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

  1. Review by practicing starting from any measure of the piece.

  2. POSITION IS FOCUS

Level 3 Pieces

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

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

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

  4. Musette 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

  1. Record your section once — video is best, but audio is fine too.

  2. Listen back with one color/goal in mind.

  3. As you listen, mark your music using that color anywhere it needs improvement.

  4. Repeat for each remaining color, one at a time, until all five have been addressed.

  5. 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.





  1. Focus on one or two colors at a time while practicing that spot.

  2. 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?