Imagine practice like browned butter on warm toast: slow, fragrant, purposeful. This 12‑month course for a curious 14‑year‑old pairs Piano Adventures repertoire with Hanon‑Faber healthy gesture and the Scale & Chord Books progressive patterns. Each week tastes of technique, repertoire, aural work and playful creation.
Daily practice (30–45 minutes)
- Warm‑up 10 minutes: Hanon‑Faber New Virtuoso Pianist routines (focus on relaxed gesture, wrist motion, and efficiency).
- Scales & chords 8–10 minutes: Piano Adventures Scale & Chord Books (progress through Books 1–3 across the year; hands separate then together).
- Repertoire 12–18 minutes: two assigned pieces (one technical/etude, one expressive) from Piano Adventures Level 3A, broken into measured, ACE steps: Aim, Connect, Express.
- Sight‑reading / aural / improvisation 5 minutes: short sight snippets, modal ear practice, and 1–2 minute improvisation over a chord family.
Termly focus and progression
Months 1–3: Establish healthy gesture and basic scales (major/minor up to two octaves), introduce simple arpeggios and one medieval modal listening unit (Dorian/Phrygian exposure). Months 4–6: Expand arpeggios, inversions, triad families, broaden repertoire with lyrical and rhythmic pieces; start simple transposition tasks. Months 7–9: Three‑octave scales, seventh chords from Scale & Chord Book 3, advanced Hanon‑Faber endurance routines, compose short modal arrangements. Months 10–12: Consolidate, polish three contrasting recital pieces, prepare a recorded recital and reflective portfolio.
ACARA v9 alignment
- Creating: improvise and compose short modal/tonal pieces, arrange a medieval melody for piano.
- Performing: demonstrate technical control (scales, arpeggios), expressive shaping, and ensemble or recorded performance skills.
- Responding: analyse pieces, describe stylistic features (including modal sources), and reflect in a practice journal.
- Understanding: build theoretical knowledge of scales, chord progressions and form; aural identification of intervals and modes.
Assessment and evidence
Weekly: practice log and short video clip. Termly: teacher assessment rubric (accuracy, tempo, tone, expression, stylistic awareness). Year‑end: 10–15 minute recorded recital with three contrasting pieces, a brief written or recorded reflection, and a portfolio of scale/chord targets achieved.
Teacher notes and differentiation
Use the Faber Teacher Atlas to map technique pages to repertoire. Tailor Hanon‑Faber intensity to prevent tension: shorter, focused sets rather than long repetition. Scaffold theory tasks and provide transposition support. Encourage peer sharing and low‑stakes studio performances to build confidence.
Finish each session like melting chocolate: a small improvisation or musical doodle that makes practice feel delicious. Slow, repeated, mindful work will build a resilient technique, informed musicality and genuine joy.