Kim’s Piano Level 9 Test Review

by Mr. Derrick Javier

Congratulations, Kim has passed her Level 9 Test. In addition to the pieces in the video, she has learned the following music theory concepts and terms:

• Identify chords to match given Roman numerals in Major key (I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi)

• Identify all Perfect and Major intervals

• Identify key signatures with 4 sharps and 4 flats

• Analyze a music excerpt in Major key with Roman Numerals (I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi)

Level Test Video Analysis:

Scales:

• Your strengths:

  • Wonderful job on your scales. You have great speed and confidence in your playing. It takes time and consistent practice to get that level of polish in your playing. Great work putting in the time and maintaining that commitment to your playing. Keep up the great work.

• Where you can improve:

  • You had a wonderful play through here but you did slip on F for your scale and cadence. Remember to take a second to review how the scale goes in your head before you play. Muscle memory is an amazing skill but you should have your scale in your head as well as in your hands when you’re playing. Remember that it’s fine to take a second before your scale or cadence to mentally prepare.

Repertoire: Prelude in G Minor

• Your strengths:

  • This is an amazing performance. It’s wonderful to see your playing develop and open up so well. You have great expression in your playing as well as a very good showing of hand independence in this piece. I think you have a great over all tempo going as well as wonderful dynamic contour and phrasing going for each of your parts. Wonderful work.

• Where you can improve:

  • Great work on this piece. You play incredibly and my only suggestion to better your performance is to have a bit better beginning and ending. If you watch any professional piano player, you can see in their body language when they are about to start their piece. They set their hands then there is a breath, or a nod, or some indicator to the audience that the piece is beginning. These are little things but they will add to your performance. Remember that communicating with your audience is one of the biggest things we are trying to do when performing.

  • Your ending is physically communicated well but I think you can put more time into it. There is a lot of forward motion built up in this piece and I think taking a bit more time in your ending to wrap up the piece will help it feel not so abrupt of an end. We are always trying to play with smoothness even when we are coming to a stop.

Free Choice: Prelude No. 1

• Your strengths:

  • This is an absolutely wonderful performance. The playing level that you display here is amazing. These are complex harmonies and melodies to internalize and you take them and process them quite well. Beautiful work. I really like how you take time for your beginning and ending here as well. It’s good to see that you can develop an introduction as well as a proper ending. Amazing playing.

• Where you can improve:

  • You play this incredibly well. You have great dynamics and wonderful rhythm so I would suggest working on your phrasing. In general this is a difficult piece to follow so creating consistent phrases is important for your audience to grasp on to in order to follow along. Look into your notes and find your cadence points and structure your dynamic archs around those. Getting those down will create a smoothness and ease of listening to your piece.

Level 10 Goals:

In Level 10, you will begin to learn how to

• Transpose a melody from C Major to G and D Major

• Augmented and diminished intervals

• Draw chords to match given Roman numerals in minor (I, III, iv, V, VI)

• Identify key signatures 5 sharps, 5 flats