Practice Journal 3: Final Goalsetting

After a few weeks of practice and experience with these pieces, I played the two excerpts again.

Appalachian Mountain Measures 11-26 :

Appalachian Mountain has some very difficult aspects and I specifically chose this excerpt because there are many things that I need to work on from it. I have improved in many aspects such as accuracy. I stay in the key signature now and do not miss any of the accidentals. The phrasing is getting a lot better than before and I can go longer without having to take a breath. I also know when the right times are to breathe so that the piece does not sound staggered and choppy. My intonation and tone quality is also improving, though I still have to practice to change them. To reach an artist level performance, I have to work on the dynamics because I did not change them at all during the recording. I did try to play softer on the long notes, but not as hard as I should have. I could work on style and musicality to have a more beautiful sound overall. I have been working towards using the correct articulation but I also should improve on that. There were some spots in my excerpt where i was not slurring where I was supposed to, or tonguing where I was supposed to. Finally, I still need to practice finding the correct tempo; the problem is not that I am too slow, I actually rush sometimes so the piece does not sound as pretty and flowing as it should.

Chorale and Shaker Dance Measures 163-177:

Since last time I recorded myself, I have improved a lot with the tempo and accuracy of notes. I do not miss accidentals anymore and I can play much much faster while still staying accurate. My tone quality has greatly improved and my intonation is getting better. My articulation is good; I play the slurs and staccato notes in the right places. I am also very happy about my phrasing and I am better at taking long breaths before the phrase starts. To play an artist level performance, there are still a lot of changes that I must make. I need to work on style, dynamics and tone. If I work on these aspects, I will be exactly on track for my goals for the next few weeks. I have been playing with one volume the whole excerpt, so I should start watching the dynamics to make the piece more musical. By paying closer attention to style, tone and musicality, the excerpt will sound more refined and ready for the concert.