Hello everyone!
For some reason, several of you thought Competition Week was this week. No! It’s the week beginning Monday 15th June.
Be ready to play “Cycling Home” in your lesson during that week. I will be recording you (audio only) so that Kit and I can listen to all the performances and choose our winners.
If you have a remote lesson with me, over WhatsApp or FaceTime, please arrange to record your performance as you play to me during your lesson. This means you’ll need to be online to me (video, with camera, as usual) and also record your audio as you play. It wouldn’t be fair if you record your performance separately, so it must be done this way, during your lesson. Then you can send me the audio using WhatsApp. You may be able to get a family member to do the recording for you.
Good luck with getting “Cycling Home” ready! If you’re not sure which Category you’re in, please just ask, but here’s a reminder:
Category 1 is for beginners up to and including Grade 1. Learn the song as it’s written. You can print it out, or use the digital score on your device.
Category 2 is for Grades 2 and 3. Learn the song, and then learn it off by heart. Can you think of any way to make it more fun? Use your imagination! Experiment!
Category 3 is for Grades 4 and 5. I want you to add some extra music in the pause. Is the cyclist out of breath? Or enjoying the view from the top of the hill? How can you show this, musically? Try different ideas and find out what sounds right to you. And maybe, when you do the “D.C. al Fine”, you can change the music a little bit, so it’s different from the first time through? Try to tell the story. Use your imagination! Experiment!
Category 4 is for Grade 6 and above. Extemporise, using this song as your basic framework. What can you add? How can you develop the music? Can you vary the rhythms, the harmonies, the style and the vibe? Can you make a jazz version, a romantic version, or a baroque one? How creative can you get with “Cycling Home”? Try to tell the story. Use your imagination! Experiment!
Remember, the competition is for everyone! You are included, whether you play piano or keyboard. All my pupils and all Kit’s pupils will be taking part.
If you have any questions, just get in touch. If you’re not sure what to do, please ask me. Although this piece is for you to learn by yourself, if you’re struggling, bring it along to your lesson and I will help you.
I’d love to know what you think of this Humoresque. You can put a comment in the box below this post, or you can email me directly. I read and respond to everything.
Humoresque is available to anyone who might be interested. You don’t have to be one of my pupils, or even learning music. If you know anyone who might be interested in subscribing to Humoresque, please let me know. I will only need their name and their email address. Thanks.
Humoresque = a whimsical or fanciful piece of music. Be whimsical, be fanciful, but play in time!
This is Humoresque Number 40