Category: Music

Hey Blog,

So, the time has come. Time to present the song that I have been working on all semester and I’m READY for it!

As you all know, I chose the song Prince of Heaven to play on the piano and my goal for this portion of the semester was to learn the left hand and implement it into the right so that I could play both hands together. With regards to staying on track with my musical growth plan, I was pretty on track. I learned the left hand by March 8 (2 days later than expected) but then was able to fluidly incorporate both hands by March 13 (which was a week early). Good thing I didn’t fall behind because this whole virus situation really messed up my practice schedule… and then finally, I filmed my video on March 24 which was right on time!

Here is the link for my video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tupsemqj7Fw

I feel as though I played my song very well. I was pleasantly surprised that incorporating both hands together was easier than I thought and I definitely didn’t need all the time that I had planned for that portion. I got my fingering right during the entire song but I did have to slow down in certain spots to ensure that I was pressing the right keys. Nonetheless, I’m very proud of how I did on this assignment and definitely want to keep practicing my piano skills. I guess I’ll have to wait until this virus situation is over so I can purchase a piano!

Maybe I’ll be posting more blogs about my music class next year… who knows!

Thanks for coming along with me on this music journey!

Logging off for good,

COordt 🙂

Hey Blog,

This past week has been absolutely crazy! In the span of one week, I have heard that classes are online for the rest of the semester, made plans to work in Victoria until April, decided to make plans to go home, packed up my life in Victoria, and travelled 8 hours to Vernon. I have been so overwhelmed with life stuff that it has been difficult staying on top of homework things (or even knowing what day it is), but I’m happy to be able to blog it out for a bit.

As you know from my prior blogs, I practice piano in either UVic’s piano lab or one of their practice rooms. With the whole practice of self-isolation, I haven’t been able to go in either and practice. And now that I’m home (and don’t have a piano here), I’ll have to figure out some options for practicing my song. Luckily, I did a lot of practicing right after reading break so I’m not feeling too worried. I have been looking at possibly practicing at my church but not sure if I’ll be allowed to enter the building while it’s closed (to keep germs out). I have also looked at possibly renting a piano but most businesses here are closed to promote social distancing. Even though it’s a bit stressful, I’m sure I’ll figure something out for the final check-in video next week!

It’s times like this, where I am not able to cram my learning, that I’m thankful that I was more on top of things before this whole virus situation hit.

Nonetheless, I’m looking forward to getting behind the piano again soon.

Stay healthy, everyone!

Logging off for now,

COordt 🙂

Hey Blog!

I’m back with another blog except this is my first blog after my midterm check-in! I cannot believe that the semester is more than half over and I’ve already learned the right hand portion of my song. It’s exciting stuff and I’m looking forward to getting back in the groove of things and practicing my song! 😛

My goal for the end of term is to be able to play the right and left hands together. I also want to play the song fluidly and use correct fingering (which was also apart of my goal for the midterm). In my Growth Plan, I wrote that I wanted to learn the left hand by March 6 (which was yesterday) and I’m proud to say that I have accomplished this goal. I learned how to play the notes of the left hand and since there is a lot of repetition, it was decently easy to pick up. I am, however, a bit nervous to begin incorporating the two together because the timing does not always match up. We will see though… I’m not afraid of a challenge. I can also always ask Aria for help because she is a bit of a piano prodigy.

One challenge I have had with learning the left hand is that my pinky gets a bit sore and tight. I think this has to do with it being quite weak but I’m hoping practice will help strengthen it. Obviously, I have to be mindful of it and not overdo it but so far, it seems fine.

I’m looking forward to incorporating my two hands together… this will really make me feel like a true pianist!

Logging off for now,

COordt 🙂

Hey Blog,

I am writing for my music midterm check-in and I’m super excited to tell you about my progress! I have been learning Prince of Heaven on the piano and last week I talked about some of the struggles I have been having with the piece. Despite these struggles, I spent this week really focusing on my piece.

For this term check-in, my goal was to be able to play the right hand smoothly and all the way through without stopping. And I did it! I spent a lot of time practicing this week in preparation for my personal deadline. Rather than simply trying to find a piano around campus, I booked the individual practice room several times; booking it guaranteed that I would have a space to practice and forced me to be there to practice.

The link to the video is here: https://youtu.be/735NxA4EoKM

I had a friend film the video for me because I realized that I wouldn’t be able to play and hold my phone to film and I don’t have a tripod. The song has three verses and goes through the chorus twice.

I found it easy to play (especially since I had just come off a week of daily practice). However, I found that the timing was the hardest thing to keep steady. Without my left hand or a recording of the song playing in the background, I was worried I would speed up the song. There are some points in the song where there is solely the left hand playing; this forced me to count the beats out in my head to make sure I did not get off beat. In the video, you can sometimes see me bopping my head and hands up and down – this is how I kept a steady beat.

I wanted to self-evaluate my work so here are “two stars and a wish” about my video:

Star – I played it all the way through without hesitations or stopping.

Star – I played it with correct fingering and correct timing.

Wish – I played one note early and had to play it twice because of this mishap; next time, I should make certain it’s the correct time to play.

I have really enjoyed diving into this piece and I can’t wait to learn the left hand!

Logging off for now,

COordt 🙂

Hey Blog!

I’m back with another music blog. As you know, I’ve been learning the song Prince of Heaven on the piano. So far, I’ve had some ups and downs with this experience. I’ll start with the positives!

First of all, I have absolutely loved learning the piano and getting to express creativity through music. It has been such a delight to get to hear one of my favourite songs come together into music – music that I am playing MYSELF! I have also loved how this project has given me the opportunity to work with friends who know the piano in and out. I have the opportunity to learn from my peers and comprehend things better with their explanations. This has also allowed us to simply play piano together and enjoy each other’s music. This individual project has, in reality, almost turned into a group one because of all the opportunity that there is for collaborative work, and it is so wonderful.

Nonetheless, there are also negative emotions that I have had with regards to this assignment. I have found that the piece I chose to play is a lot harder than I had expected and although I have found the right hand easy to play, the left hand (and playing both in unison) has risen to be a bit of a challenge. However, at the same time, I know I picked a trickier piece because I want to be challenged. To continue, I have also found it hard to stay motivated to practice. Although I throughly enjoy practicing, trying to find an open room with a piano on campus has been harder than I thought it would be. I just have to remember to keep booking the individual piano room so I can continue to practice my piece (or maybe I should just invest in a piano… hmm might be a little out of my budget at this point :P).

The final note that I have already taken away from this assignment is that I definitely want to purchase a piano to have in my future classroom. The opportunity to have students be able to experiment with music, just like I am able to for this project, is a must for me. I know the students and I will both love it.

Logging off for now,

COordt 🙂

Hey Blog!

For my music class, I have been challenged to learn a piece on a musical instrument. The piece should exhibit an understanding of the instrument and the music I decide to play.

So… I will be learning a song on the PIANO! Since I have limited knowledge of musical instruments and music in general, I have decided to learn just one song, but one that is learned through sheet music as well as has roles for both hands. It is called Prince of Heaven and sounds super beautiful on the piano (so far haha).

Obviously, learning a song on the piano doesn’t happen overnight. That’s why I have set aside 1 hour 4 times a week for me to work on the song. My goal is to learn to play the song fluidly with the lower bass clef option (there’s two). I ordered my sheet music yesterday and started playing it, and although it will be difficult, I can honestly say that this is the first time in a while that I have felt truly excited to work on an assignment for school.

I created a growth plan to organize the steps I have to follow to meet my goals for this assignment. As is shown, I’d like the master the right hand by February 14 and the left (with the right) by March 20. These dates are earlier than the due date because I want to make sure I have time to upload my videos, especially since there is a possibility of technology not working properly and me needing extra help to upload it. I believe that writing this due date a bit earlier on my calendar will ensure that I finish on time and reduce stress regarding due dates.

With all this being said, I am excited to start learning Prince of Heaven on the piano and dive into creating music.

Logging off for now,

COordt 🙂