This week in lessons, we’ll be choosing pieces for the Autumn Showcase and giving them a first run-through. Everyone should leave with something to work towards and a clear idea of what to practise.
We’ll also practise performing: making a confident start, keeping the music moving through any slips, and bringing the piece to a proper finish.
There isn’t one right way to choose a piece. It could be something a pupil has been learning in lessons, a tune they enjoy playing at home, or a piece they’ve created themselves. In our Autumn Leaves project, some pupils have been extending their ideas, writing them down, recording them or improvising together. These are all ways of discovering what music can become when we share it.
Over half term, I revisited Bach’s Two-Part Invention in D minor, BWV 775—a piece I learnt as a child and have enjoyed playing from memory ever since. The Yamaha U3 had recently been tuned by @deimantestuning, and it sounded wonderful for the recording. The new challenge was recording the piece from different angles and editing the footage to match one complete performance. It started simply with playing for enjoyment, then became a little project in sharing the music.
I’m looking forward to hearing what everyone chooses. If you’re planning to join us at the concert and haven’t registered yet, a quick registration will help me with the arrangements.