Aug 29 & Sep 5, 2025 (Lesson 3-4 of 8)

PRACTICE PLAN!

  • ❤️FIRST PRIORITY

  • 💛SECOND PRIORITY

  • 💜THIRD PRIORITY

  • 💚FOURTH PRIORITY

💚RCM Technical Requirements Level 03

  1. New Items

    1. See the items in the green highlighted area on page 10

💛Four Star: Level 3

  1. Clap Backs

    1. practice with the new recording in four Star 03 tests called three Clapback’s 9/5

    2. When listening to these examples, try to hear patterns in the rhythm. There are often patterns in the first and second halves of each example.

    3. Left off on Set 3. No need to prepare another right now.

    4. By the way, this has a yellow heart only because we are still working on the difficulties of this assignment, but there is progress!

💚Prelude No. 4 in F Major by Elvina Pearce (L. 3, Etude)

  1. Notes

    1. Measures 25-30: play the left hand has written, practiced the right hand alone, and then practice hands together!

  2. Expression

    1. In the first page, try to make the left hand softer overall. You’re doing so much better with the rhythm and the notes here, our next step is to secure the melody in the right hand as the leader over the left hand accompaniment.

💚Arabesque, op. 100, no. 2 by Burgmuller (L. 3, Etude)

  1. Notes

    1. please practice with the new video in Newzik titled last three measures 9/5

💜Minuet in G Major, BWV Anh. 114 by Christian Petzold (1677-1733) (L. 3, A)

  1. Review

    1. Focus on the 4th system (notes)

💚Sonatina in G Major, Anh. 5, no. 1. II. Romanze, attr. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (L. 3, B)

  1. Measures 35 to the end:

    1. See the pink markings in the last three measures of a piece. Hold the notes for their full value and rest on the last cord slightly longer so that we feel the ending of the piece.

  2. Review the rest of the piece once each day.

💜THEORY_03_03 Rhythm

  1. Please tell me about stem direction next lesson - specifically about the rule that applies when you have a group of notes on both sides of line three (see page 28).

  2. Please prepare pages 29-33

🖤Musette in D Major, BWV Anh. 126, attr. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) (L. 3, A)

🖤Sonatina in G Major, Anh. 5, no. 1. Moderato, attr. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) (L. 3, B)

🖤“Sight-Reading 2B”

(Approx. 3-5 min each day)

  1. Continue from page 37 of 90 (of the PDF)

  2. Be sure to move forward through mistakes - don’t correct them until you finish the exercise - then fix them in your MIND first before you try the entire thing again.

  3. PRACTICE SIGHT-READING NO FASTER THAN M.M. 50 PER QUARTER NOTE.

🎨 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 (🟧 Orange)

  • P – Position – hand shape, posture, and keyboard geography (🟨 Yellow)

  • E – Expression – phrasing, dynamics, articulation, tone, etc. (🟩 Green)

  • 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

  • ✅ 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?

REVIEW PIECES:

💚Bird in the Bebop by Wynn-Anne Rossi (L. 2, Etude)

  1. O Christmas Tree

  2. Etude in F Major, Op. 190, No. 27 by Christian Louis Heinrich Köhler (L. 2, Etude)

  3. 💚A Ditty of Yimeng Mountain (2. C)

  4. 💚Minuet in A Minor by Purcell (2, A)

  5. 💚Rhyme Time (2. B)

  6. 💚The Snake by Renée Christopher (L. 1, C)

  7. 💚Andante in G Minor by Georg Philip Telemann (L. 1, A)

  8. 💚Detectives by Christine Donkin (L. 1, Etude)

  9. 💚💜Angelfish (L. 1, B)

  10. 💚Celebration by Ann Crosby Gaudet (L. 1, Etude)

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

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

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

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

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

RCM LEVEL 1 EXAM: May 29th 11:01 am

List A: Andante

List B: Angelfish

List C: The Snake

Etude: Detectives

Recital May 19th: 3 pm (or 1 pm if possible)

Angelfish

Detectives

The Snake

Andante

Celebration