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Student’s First Assignment for the 2015-2016 Piano School Year
At your first lesson your teacher wants to see your (1) written goals for the school year, (2) goals up through January, 2016, and (3) goals for each month. Get a notebook and start writing. Follow this plan.
1. Have your notebook and pencil ready.
2. Write down your goals for this year. What do you want to do by the end of the school year? What do you want to learn? Do you want to complete your method books by the end of the year? What pieces do you really want to play? How many pieces do you think you can memorize and master?
3. Next, write down what you want to accomplish by January 2016? Be realistic.
4. Now set your goals for each month. Can you practice 5 hours each week for a month?
5. Now set your goals for each week. Could you learn 2 scales and cadence chords each week, in addition to memorizing one piece, sight-read one piece each day, tackle one new piece each week?
Tips for Practicing
Now Dr. Posey-Marcos (Mrs. Marcos) would like to give you some advice on how to practice and set goals for each practice session (which needs to be at least 5 sessions per week).
1. Set your goal for each practice session. What needs to be done? Do you to need to work on a difficult passage? Is there a stylistic issue or rhythmic passage that needs to be addressed? Are you having trouble with a fast run (scale passage)?
Once you have identified what you want to accomplish then…..
2. Warm-up with scales, chords, and other technical exercises you have learned. Play the scale of the pieces you are working on and also the primary chords and cadence chords for each piece. This is a good way to start.
3. Select the piece you want to work on first. Slowly play through your piece. If the piece is new, play as many details on your first read as possible. Dynamics, articulation, phrasing, are as much a part of the music as the pitches and rhythms. If the piece is confusing or difficult, try playing each hand separately. Note where you are struggling – unsure notes, struggling for notes, fingering issues, problem with the rhythm, stylistic, or interpretation issues.
4. Once through the piece, jot the trouble sections down – use measure numbers, words, or page numbers to indicate where the trouble spots are. Hang on to these notes for your next practice session and/or lesson!
5. By yourself or with the help of your teacher, break down the piece into sections. Work on sections individually. Analyze what difficulties are present in each section and set goals for overcoming the difficulties. For example, identify and isolate each trouble spot. The spot may be only a small two or three measure section that gives you trouble. Work slowly, building up speed gradually to master the passage. Try to incorporate the tips you have learned at your lessons to master one section at a time. Once you can play that section successfully, repeat it at least three times before moving on to the next challenge.
6. Evaluate – Have you accomplished the goal/s you set for this practice session?
7. Finish your practice session with a final run-through of your piece. Make notes of your outcome. Save your notes for your next practice session.
Remember five keys for brilliant technic: (1) good posture, (2) good hand position which contributes to curved, supporting fingers, and(3) consistent, well-chosen fingering, (4) steady beat, and (5) and most importantly do not forget to “listen”.
Repetition is key to learning a piece but remember the number of times you play a passage correctly needs to far outweigh the number of times you played it incorrectly. If you play a passage with mistakes 5 times and finally get it right on the sixth try, do not move on until you can play the passage correctly at least 7 times.
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