May 27, 2026 (6.75 of 8)

Final Recital: May 30th at 2:00 pm

RCM Level 4 Material

💚Friedrich Burgmüller (L. 4, Etude) - recital

25 Études faciles et progressives, Op. 100, No. 15, Ballade

  1. Come up with a short blurb to say to the audience about this piece. Something like “the tempo has been challenging in this piece because there are three separate section that are different from each other…" Burgmuller wrote many etudes and this is no. 15 of 25 in this set!”

  2. m.m. 58 per measure.

  3. Put your music in a binder or folder so that both pages are open / no turning.

  4. mm. 53-56 - make sure to diminuendo and slow down before the return of section A

  5. mm. 24-26 - attacks should be very strong.

  6. mm. 19-23 - all chords staccato

  7. mm. 87-90 - do accent practice daily

💚Minuet in D Minor BWV Anh. 132 by J. S. Bach (L. 4, A) - recital

  1. Create a blurb about this piece to say before you play.

  2. Beginning: RH starts on the dominant, LH starts on the Tonic.

  3. LH crescendo in m. 12 on the repeat.

  4. Practice from any measure of the piece and see the purple dynamics in the second half.

  5. Hands alone practice each section before satruday.

💚Robert Schumann (L. 4, C) - recital

Album für die jugend Op. 68, No. 10, The Happy Farmer

  1. Create a blurb about this piece to say before you play.

  2. Practice with and without music, and start from three random measures each practice session. Play for at least 5 measures, then move on.

  3. Do some hands alone practice in sections with music at a slow tempo.

💜Sonatina in G Major op. 36 no. 2 III by Muzio Clementi (L. 4, B) - review

  1. mm. 37-38: Descending scales - careful not to twist your wrist when crossing over / under thumb.

💜THEORY_04_04: Rhythm (Genevieve only)

  1. Memorize circle of 5ths diagram on p. 34. Please be able to quickly tell me the number of sharps or flats in any of the indicated major or minor scales. The test will be no more than 2 second pause for your response. 🥸

Other Lesson Material

💚“Sight-Reading 2B”

  1. Prepare pgs. continue on from 75-80 of the PDF - focus this week is identifying the beat

💚Four Star: Level 3

  1. Continue to practice with the RCM Online Level 3 Ear Training examples.

⬛️Resume technique after the recital

🎨 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:

💚The First Noel, Traditional, arr. Edwin McLean

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

  1. 2, List A: Minuet in G Major, BWV Anh. 114 by Christian Petzold (1677-1733)

  2. 2, List B: Sonatina in G Major, Anh. 5, no. 1. II. Romanze, attr. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

  3. 2, List C: Play by Béla Bartók (1881-1945)

  4. 2, Etude 1: Prelude No. 4 in F Major by Elvina Pearce

  5. 2, Etude 2: Arabesque, op. 100, no. 2 by Burgmuller

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

  7. O Christmas Tree

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

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

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

  11. 💚Rhyme Time (2. B)

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

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

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

  15. 💚💜Angelfish (L. 1, B)

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

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

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

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

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

  21. 💚💚💚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