Progress Diaries for Amelia, 8 and Elliot, 5, USA

Hello from Lexington, Kentucky, USA! I've been sharing my SM training and teaching experience over in the other section, but thought it would be better-organized of me to document my own children's progress here.

Amelia has been really getting into a practice habit lately. Yesterday, I took pictures of her little journal where she writes her scores and times:





She writes "B" instead of "P" for both hands. Tonight, she had filled both of those pages with additional scores. She also decided that when she plays the music on the piano without the score it should be called level 7.

Here is a video of one of her earlier attempts at Cat Boogie right hand only:



Sorry about the clutter in the background! My teaching studio is always a mess after a week of lessons. I have the piano cleared off about one day a week.

I didn't get any screen shots this time, but will soon. Hoping to also find a time to record my son, Elliot, playing HCB hands together. He worked hard on it this weekend (and loves earning that music money).

Looking forward to seeing your posts! This is such a nice online community.

Big day for Elliot! He played HCB twice hands together, and I managed to record it -- only two sneezes and a little talking. Maybe next time he will want to sing, but not today. It's okay. All his energy was on playing with "grown-up" fingerings. I was amazed... had been showing him this, but today I didn't say anything to him and he did it all on his own.



Scores today for HCB:

P 1 34 131
P 1 33 88

French Song:

R 1 26 103

He also played Note Alphabet for about 4 minutes (first time he's played it). Here is the screen shot:

Well, this certainly is fast progress! So nice not to have to ask Amelia to play more than once. She does it on her own -- those numbers at the bottom of the screen are very motivating to her.

I hope I don't post too many videos. Here is "Cat Boogie" played hands together.



Her scores for the evening were:

P 1 94 73"
P 1 95 65"
P 1 94 70"
P 1 98 64"
P 1 91 53"
*P 1 98 48"*
P 1 90 54"
P 1 95 46"



So.... Time for the metronome/drum rhythm yet?

Also, here's the question that she and all my students are asking: What is the significance of those little red and purple flowers on the left-hand side of the screen? I am sure it is somewhere on this site... I have read almost every single article and the book... but must have somehow missed this detail.

Also -- I moved the laptop down onto the keyboard so it would be easier for the kids to see. We just have to be careful not to accidentally bump the laptop and turn on the keyboard rhythms! I need to get some tall LRFs (little rubber feet -- technical term) to put under the laptop.