October 30, 2023

Royal Conservatory of Music Certificate Program Information

💚THEORY: Level 1

  1. Complete Unit 2, PAGES 1-10

💚PLAYBACKS: Level B

  1. See the new PDF if Newzik and use the recordings

💚Four Star: Level B.

  1. Finish Set 7

  2. Find music dictation examples (writing down the melody)

  3. Create audio examples including names of chords and numbers of the examples.

💚1Czerny Op. 599 No. 12 - resume with Dustin

  1. Learn to the end, hands alone, then together. Focus on round fingers, shoulders down.

💛Hanon No. 1

  1. 💛CLOSE LOUD HANDS ALONE (2 min each day, in each hand) m.m. 42 per note!

    1. Never leave the keyboard with your fingertips.

    2. Pop the wrist up on the attack and strike the key from the key to create a big sound.

    3. Immediately relax but keep your fingers on the keys.

  2. 💛HIGH LOUD HANDS ALONE (3 min each day, in each hand) m.m. 100-120

    1. Remember the 3 steps before you begin.

    2. Supplement the 4th and 5th finger exercise if needed - DON’T PLAY FLATLY ON YOUR 5TH FINGER.

💚Technique: Prep B

  1. SCALES:

    1. KEEP WRIST LEVEL WITH THE REST OF YOUR ARM

    2. LEARN A MINOR SCALE

    3. A “KEY SIGNATURE” is a group 0 to 7 sharps or flats at the beginning of each piece. It’s placed directly after the TIME SIGNATURE. It tells us what scale we are in.

    4. Every key signature has a major and minor key with the same number of sharps or flats.

🖤CZERNY Op. 823 No. 4

💚New Piece Next week!

💚Minuet in F Major by Leopold Mozart (1719-1787) (Prep B)

  1. Add the “p” on the last system.

  2. Practice starting from any measure of the piece. Three different measures per practice session.

💚Celebration by Ann Crosby Gaudet (L. 1)

  1. Three focus points:

    1. Wrists up to poke the keys from above. Practice once in your lap before you play on the keyboard.

    2. Shoulder down (think heavy cat on your shoulder)

    3. Play with the metronome (m.m. 80 per 8th note)

  2. Sit in the center of the bench

  3. Practice measures 8-12 with pedal as your focus. See the new pedal video.

Once a week, review the following pieces with the music:

  1. 💚The Calico Cat by Helen Marlais (b. 1966) (Prep B)

    1. Review, making sure your focus on DYNAMICS.

  2. 💚💚Freddie the Frog by Anne Crosby-Gaudet (b. 1968) (Prep B)

  3. 💚💚💜Allegro in C Major op. 1 no. 4 by Alexander Reinagle (1756-1809) (L. A)

  4. 💚💚💚A Skating Waltz by Boris Berlin (1907-2001) (L. A)

  5. 💚💚💚What’s That Noise by Martha Mier (b. 1936) L. A)

❤️ = Needs lots of work or wasn’t prepared properly for more than one lesson

💜 = Didn’t get to it at the last lesson - we’ll start with this before 💛 or 💚

💛 = Doing the assignment but needs special attention

💚 - On track and do the assignment.

2023 Fall Milestones

  1. RCM Level B Exam in the Fall? Or Level 1 in the Spring.