Here’s the video for Can-Can + the intro video for our Choose Your Own Adventure Christmas Song Extravaganza!

I will get the sheet music uploaded here sometime next week, along with the instructional videos, so check back soon so you can get started on some Christmas songs!

It’ll take one minute or less to do these three warm-ups before you start playing!

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Even if you already know how to play a major scale in one octave, I’d like you to still watch at least the first half of the video for C Scale Stomp. We have major scales in other key signatures coming up so you’ll want to understand the brief discussion on how to form a major scale.

Please remember to include your C major scale as part of your practice this week: 2x for each hand, hands together when you feel cocky, I mean, ready.

I also made a video of me playing Chillaxin’ and I challenge you to play along with me once you’ve got the sticky spots worked out.

Use whatever practice games you’d like to perfect last week’s section!

It’ll take one minute or less to do these three warm-ups before you start playing!

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Y’all.

My recording of our Piano Pronto song this week got overwritten! No video this week, I am so sorry.

Use the Pronto Prep boxes to help you get ready for Cowboy Medley and see what you can do without my help this week. You can also start listening to the backing tracks for Turkey in the Straw and Whoopee Ti-Yi-Yo before you start working on the Pronto Prep boxes on p. 30.

You can get started on the next eight measures of Chillaxin’! I do have a video for that!

It’ll take one minute or less to do these three warm-ups before you start playing!

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Our songs this week are Little Sonatina in C (Piano Pronto) and Chillaxin’ (Easy Spotlight Solos).

The instructional videos will be a big help!

They are both a little longer than normal but the reason why is because I am showing you some different practice techniques and practicing along with you! Free help practicing! What an awesome bonus!

The Chillaxin’ video breaks the first page into two parts:

1) Learning the LH lick in measures 1-8. PLEASE DO THIS PART FIRST!!! Go to 0:43 in the video to learn how to nail this part. Watch this segment and play along as many times as it takes for you to be able to play it well.

2) Work on the rest of the first page via the Playing Card technique, shown from 6:27-14:55 in the video.

You’ll want to have your computer or tablet next to the piano with your music open. If you play along with me as I coach you through these different parts, you’ll get them learned AND can count it as a practice day!

Guys, I’m not leaving you alone to figure these songs out! I love you too much for that. Please let me help you.

It’ll take one minute or less to do these three warm-ups before you start playing!

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Our songs this week are When the Saints Go Marching In (Piano Pronto) and Chillaxin’ (Easy Spotlight Solos).

The instructional videos will be a big help!

They are both a little longer than normal but the reason why is because I am showing you some different practice techniques and practicing along with you! Free help practicing! What an awesome bonus!

It’ll take one minute or less to do these three warm-ups before you start playing!

[Click the image to enlarge]

When the Saints Go Marching In Play-Along Track

When the Saints Go Marching In  Duet Track

Chillaxin’ Play-Along Track

Chillaxin’ Minus Track

Click on each of the following images to enlarge/open in a new window and print:

Our songs this week are The Star-Spangled Banner (Piano Pronto) and this week, we’ll polish up Summertime Swingin’ (Easy Spotlight Solos) for pass-off.

It’ll take one minute or less to do these three warm-ups before you start playing!

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Star-Spangled Banner Play-Along Track

Star-Spangled Banner Duet Track

Summertime Swingin’ Play-Along Track

Summertime Swingin’ Minus Track

Our songs this week are Hometown Pride (Piano Pronto) and we’re still plugging away at Summertime Swingin’ (Easy Spotlight Solos).

It’ll take one minute or less to do these three warm-ups before you start playing!

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Hometown Pride Play-Along Track

Hometown Pride Duet Track

Summertime Swingin’ Play-Along Track

Summertime Swingin’ Minus Track

Our Jazz Journey is almost over this year. ? I hope you’ve had as much fun with this unit as I have.

This week, you need to create 3 licks. A “lick” in jazz is a short series of notes in the Blues Scale that you like the sound of and you can play over again and again.

Two guidelines I have for you:

1) You don’t have to start your lick on C, and

2) you don’t have to use the notes of the Blues Scale in order. 

Try starting on different notes (the green dots) and have fun playing around with the sounds you can create when you jump around from a green dot to a dot that isn’t right next to it.

We will be playing our licks for each other in class next week.

For a level up, you can try playing your licks in the RH while you play the 12-Bar Blues in the LH.

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Slower (60 bpm)

Faster (80 bpm)

Our songs this week are the William Tell Overture Theme (Piano Pronto) and Summertime Swingin’ (Easy Spotlight Solos).

We will be using our Landmark Notes during Summertime Swingin’, so I included the video for you to review your Landmark Notes if you need the quick reminder.

I also included both parts 1 and 2 for Summertime Swingin’ if you feel like part 1 is too easy.

I hope you’re having fun with these warm-ups! It’s crazy how much better I play when I do these little exercises before I put my hands on the keys.

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William Tell Overture Theme Play-Along Track

William Tell Overture Theme Duet Track

Summertime Swingin’ Play-Along Track

Summertime Swingin’ Minus Track

We’re on our way! The Blues Scale sounded really great during class!

I’d like you to work on playing this scale over two octaves this week. That means that the C at the top of the first scale automatically turns into the bottom of the second scale, so keep going up (and down, too)!

I’d also like you to start swinging it when you play it. Think, “Doo-ba doo-ba doo-ba doo-ba” as you play and you’ll get the rhythm right!

[Click the image to enlarge]

 We’re adding the 12-Bar Blues this week for the left hand.

Click on the chart to make it bigger and print it off if you need!

We will be playing each box/bar as an open 5th in root position. This means that when we see C in a box, we will play C and G with our fingers 5 and 1. For F, we play F and C. For G, we play G and D.

Play each open 5th and hold for four beats. Then play the next chord in the next box. 

Play along with the backing tracks. I’ve included them for you at two speeds: slower and faster.

Slower (60 bpm)

Faster (80 bpm)

Our songs this week are Yankee Doodle (Piano Pronto) and Don’t Get It Twisted.

Have fun with Yankee Doodle and make sure you watch to the end of the video so you know what to expect at the next class.

You should be able to make it through both pages of Twisted this week. 

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Remember: don’t be an old dog! Use some of your new practice tricks to help you navigate the tricky, sticky parts and make them shine!

Yankee Doodle Play-Along Track

Yankee Doodle Duet Track

Don’t Get It Twisted Play-Along Track

Don’t Get It Twisted Minus Track

Our songs this week are For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow (Piano Pronto) and Don’t Get It Twisted.

I’ve included both videos for Twisted but don’t feel like you need to move on to page 2 if you still feel like page 1 needs some work.

If you want to check in with me anytime during the week to see if you’re on the right track, you are more than welcome to send me an audio recording or a video. I’m happy to help!

We’ll pass off this week’s songs through a Relay Play again. Be able to play the whole assignment because you don’t know which part you’re going to be assigned for the pass off! ?

I totally forgot to go over these new warm-ups with you in class, but I bet you can figure them out! 

On your first day of practice, keep your Practice Doctor worksheet handy and make note of any symptoms you may be exhibiting, just like you did last week. Pencil those symptoms right into the measures where they occur.

Now you have a practice plan!!!

Click this link to print your Practice Prescriptions

After you’ve printed your prescriptions, go ahead and cut them into four individual prescriptions and put them in your practice packet.

Then, during your practice, find the prescription that matches each symptom, and make a plan for how you’ll achieve musical wellness by your next lesson.

I’ve included the Edge Back technique via video here for you.

You’ve got the tools to make this practice week a great one!

For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow Play-Along Track

For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow Duet Track

Don’t Get It Twisted Play-Along Track

Don’t Get It Twisted Minus Track

Our songs this week are Love Somebody (Piano Pronto) and the first page only of Don’t Get It Twisted (Easy Spotlight Solos).

You’ll probably hear me say this a million times this year: start each practice session by listening to the backing tracks! You’ll notice something different each time.

Also, a reminder: the instructional videos can be watched as many times as you need. Sometimes my initial instructions might not make sense to you, but after you’ve dived into the piece, you may go back and watch the video and say, “Oh! I get it now!!”

We’ll pass off this week’s songs through a Relay Play again. Be able to play the whole assignment because you don’t know which part you’re going to be assigned for the pass off! ?

Before you jump on the bench to play, take one minute to do these warm-ups!

Remember: our goal this month is to learn how to practice smarter, not harder.

One of the ways we do this is to be mindful as we play. This means focusing on what’s going on, listening to the sounds we’re making, and constantly evaluating what we’re doing. We don’t want to go on auto-pilot.

No recordings this week, no game board this week.

Instead, use your Practice Doctor worksheet. Keep it on the piano right by your music as you play.

On your first and second practice days of the week, I need you to really pay attention and see which symptoms you are exhibiting in your playing. When you catch yourself coughing, sniffling, or noticing aches and pains (for example), please grab a pencil and write in whatever symptom you noticed, right into that measure (or above it or below it).

We will talk about which symptoms showed up for you as you were learning your pieces this week.

And next week, we’ll talk about what you can do about that. 

Love Somebody Play-Along Track

Love Somebody Duet Track

Don’t Get It Twisted Play-Along Track

Don’t Get It Twisted Minus Track

Our songs this week are Mexican Hand-Clapping Song (Piano Pronto) and we’re going to spend one more week on Smooth Sailing (Easy Spotlight Solos).

I’ve included a video of me playing Smooth Sailing in case you find that helpful.

Be prepared to play both songs next week! The best way to prepare for passoff is being able to play your song along with the backing track.

Our Backing Tracks are a great practice tool. Always listen to the backing track before you start to play.

Let’s use our Practice Hero Game Board for one more week. This week, please move sequentially from one game space to the next. The only space you may skip is the one that says “Play and name each interval…” because I haven’t reviewed that with you yet.

You don’t have to play the entire song for one game space, but you do have to choose a section of your piece that is at least 8 measures long.

Remember to record at least 3 practice days and send me the recordings by next Wednesday night. We will be analyzing them in the rest of this practice unit.

Mexican Hand-Clapping Song Play-Along Track

Mexican Hand-Clapping Song Duet Track

Smooth Sailing Play-Along Track

Smooth Sailing Minus Track

Our songs this week are Clementine (Piano Pronto) and Smooth Sailing (Easy Spotlight Solos).

Please start with the Warm-up Activity video at the top, and then move to each song’s instructional video after that.

Be prepared to play both songs next week! I don’t know how easy you’ll find Smooth Sailing so do as much as you want. I’ll ask you to play a part of one of these songs at the beginning of our next class.

Our Backing Tracks are a great practice tool. They help us know what the song is supposed to sound like, help us know how tricky rhythms should be played, and they give us something fun to play along with once we are comfortable with our songs. Always listen to the backing track before you start to play.

This week, use the Practice Hero Game Board as you learn and perfect your songs. Try to make it through all of the spaces before next Friday. Let me know if you need help understanding a game space.

You don’t have to play the entire song for one game space, but you do have to choose a section of your piece that is at least 8 measures long.

Remember to record at least 3 practice days and send me the recordings by next Wednesday night. We will be analyzing them in the rest of this practice unit.

Clementine Play-Along Track

Clementine Duet Track

Smooth Sailing Play-Along Track

Smooth Sailing Minus Track

We are using the Piano Pronto Movement 1 Book and Spotlight Solos Books this year. We will be working on 2 songs each week.

Every week after our class, I will post a new video here (to the right of this text) that will give you tips, tricks, and background info to make learning these songs a breeze!

Please come to class prepared to play all of the assigned songs. Sometimes I will ask you to play a specific song or part of a song; other times I might ask you to play your favorite for me. I need to be able to hear how you’re doing with each piece, but we won’t generally take the time to hear everyone play every bit of their music each week.

During class, we will work on music skills that will help us be amazing musicians! There will generally be games involved. 🙂

Look forward to seeing you in class!