Music Olympics Tips General tips for Scales, Chords, and Arpeggios -Chart your progress! This will help you use your practice time more efficiently since you can clearly see which areas need the most work. Print off the chart for your level, below: Novice Progress Chart Primary Progress Chart Elementary Progress Chart Lower Intermediate Progress Chart Intermediate Progress Chart -Each day when you play your scales, chords, or arpeggios for the first time, think of it as a practice performance for the Music Olympics. The ultimate test is to see if you can get them perfect on the first try, not after having warmed up and practiced them! At the Music Olympics you won't get to do any warming up. -Study first, then play. -Don't rush! Go slow enough that you don't make mistakes. -Drill hard spots a minimum of 10 times, starting slow and working up to a fast tempo. Scales
-In every scale there is a group of 4 and a group of 3 notes. 4 gets you over the big group and 3 gets you over the small group) -Notice the tuck or cross over pattern after a black note. 3. Look at left hand going up and right hand going down Chords and Cadences
Arpeggios
Rhythm -Use flash cards Theory -Make sure you really understand each term and don't just have a bunch of words memorized. (if you have questions, ask me!) Speedy Notes and Intervals Here are several ideas of ways to practice: -Use flash cards (notes, intervals, and key signatures if applicable) -Use the note and interval worksheets below. (Time how long it takes you to do each line.) -Use www.teoria.com Here are a few shortcut links: Sight Reading -Choose music that is slightly lower than your level -Practice 2-3 lines at a time (that's about how long the test will be) -Practice 30 sec. study (time yourself so you have a good idea of exactly how long 30 sec. is.)
-Don't rush! In less you go really slow you won't have points taken off for speed. But even if you do go so slow that they take off points, better to have a few points taken off for speed than a whole lot more points taken off for all the wrong notes, etc, from going to fast. -Don't go back for mistakes. Going back to fix a mistake won't put the point back on. It will do the reverse, the judge will take off a point for restarting the measure. -Better to pause than to hit wrong notes. If you pause... take advantage of it! Make sure you don't rush into the next notes and hit them all wrong. Better to have 1 point taken off for a pause than 2 or more points taken off for a pause and the wrong notes following. |