August 28, 2026 (6 of 8)

August 28, 2026 (6 Of 8)

Practice structure this week: two 40-minute sessions and two 30-minute sessions.

Log your notes during practice in the comment section of this post.

Lesson Assignments

Repertoire

🟥25 Études faciles et progressives, Op. 100, No. 15, Ballade by Johann Friedrich Franz Burgmüller (1806-1874) (L. 4, Etude)

5 minutes per session.

Still rough. Work it phrase by phrase: LH alone, then RH alone, then hands together.

3 times correctly per phrase, with perfect notes and perfect fingering.

🟨Minuet in D Minor, BWV Anh. 132, from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, attrib. J. S. Bach (L. 4, A)

m. 7 into m. 8 — get the notes right. Don't add an extra beat, and watch the F in the LH.

mm. 7-8: play 5 times correctly. LH alone, then RH alone, then hands together.

mm. 4-8: 3 times.

🟨Album für die Jugend, Op. 68, No. 10, The Happy Farmer by Robert Schumann (L. 4, C)

5 minutes per session.

3 times through: RH alone, LH alone, then hands together.

A phrase or a chunk at a time.

🟨Masquerade by Linda Niamath (L. 4, Etude)

Grace notes.

  1. mm. 13-20 — play without changing the beat in mm. 16-17. Do it with the metronome and without. ♩ = 112.

  2. mm. 25-28 — don't accent the RH third beat. No rit. in mm. 27-28. 3 times correctly.

  3. Pedal in m. 32. Then mm. 29-33 with the correct pedal, 3 times correctly.

🟩Joyous Etude by Melody Bober (L. 5, Etude)

  1. 5 minutes. Set a 15-second timer, play, and find where you are.

  2. mm. 9-17 — RH alone, LH alone, then hands together. With the metronome at ♩ = 79. 3 times.

Theory & Musicianship

🟨THEORY_04_07: Triads

Finish the unit.

Check your own work: circle or X each item so Dustin can see where the issues are.

🟨Sight-Reading 3A (book on loan)

Go through NFPER, with special attention to R — Rhythm.

Identify the meter when you're preparing.

Spot the weak rhythm and say it out loud.

"Ta" it in your mind as a rhythm exercise.

Clap the beat.

🟩Four_Star_04_05

One "day" per practice session.

🟪RCM Musicianship Level 4 Online

login info: info@gledhillartscollective.com - dust2789

Keep doing the playbacks online.

Technique

🟪Level 4 RCM Technique

5-8 minutes per day.

Keep your fingers round.

We'll look at technique together next time.

For each item, do close-loud no faster than 60 per note. then legato 60 per quarter note. Then the final tempo, 92 per quarter note.

Careful of scooping / sweeping wrists

Firm fingertips

round fingertips

Stay in the black

Very strong approach followed by relaxation.

Dates

Registration: September 2

Exam session: November 28 - December 10

🎨 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.

  6. "Spot" until it's solid — ✅ 3 times in a row correctly, or ✅ 5 total correct repetitions, then move on.

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

  8. 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)

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

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

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

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

2, Etude 2: L'Arabesque, Op. 100, No. 2 by Burgmüller

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

O Christmas Tree

Etude in F Major, Op. 190, No. 27 by Christian Louis Heinrich Köhler (1820-1886) (L. 2, Etude)

💚A Ditty of Yimeng Mountain (2, C)

💚Minuet in A Minor by Henry Purcell (1659-1695) (2, A)

💚Rhyme Time (2, B)

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

💚Andante in G Minor by Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) (L. 1, A)

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

💚💜Angelfish (L. 1, B)

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

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

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

💚💚💚Allegro in C Major, Op. 1, No. 4 by Alexander Reinagle (1756-1809) (L. A)

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

💚💚💚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