Intermediate
Suitable for students who have completed the foundation course, or have piano playing experience
In our intermediate course, in addition to your regular lessons, you will have the opportunity to choose from a list of electives. They will be delivered in 15-minute increments to your lesson. Our 60-minute lesson will include one elective (45 minutes core piano lesson + 15 minutes elective), and our 90-minute lesson will include two electives (60 minutes core piano lesson + 15 minutes elective 1 + 15 minutes elective 2).
The course for students who have completed the fundamental course or are proficient in reading notation. In your first intermediate lesson, we will discuss your interests and goals and together decide which electives are best suited for you.
This is where the fun begins, where you decide your favourite electives and forge your musical path. Of course, this will be in addition to the following components delivered through regular lessons.
There are two elements to technique: Physical and Musical. Physical Technique is the mechanical side of music-making, which revolves around the physics of how your body is utilised to deliver speed, efficiency, accuracy, agility, strength, and coordination in your piano playing.
Musical Technique involves elements such as tonal control and colour, balance, finesse, and subtlety.
How you use your body ultimately defines the sound you produce. Therefore Physical and Musical techniques are inseparable to delivering a stylistic - or, musically appropriate to its era - performance.
You have completed your Sight-Reading I from the Foundation curriculum, which means you have been trained to read pieces in keys of C Major, G Major, F Major, A minor, E minor, and D minor. Sight- Reading II will focus on excerpts in keys of D Major, A Major, Bb Major, Eb Major, E minor, G minor and B minor.
Why does this matter, learning to sight-read in different keys?
C Major Completely pure. Simplicity and naivety. The key of children. Free of burden, full of imagination. Powerful resolve. Earnestness. Can feel religious.
C minor Declarations of love and lamenting lost love or unhappy relationships. It is languishing and full of longing, a soul in search of something different.
Db Major Rapture in sadness. A grimacing key of choking back tears. It is capable of a laugh or smile to pacify those around, but the truth is in despair. Fullness of tone, sonority, and euphony.
C# minor A passionate expression of sorrow and deep grief. Full of penance and self-punishment. An intimate conversation with God about recognition of wrongdoing and atonement.
D Major Rejoicing in conquering obstacles. War marches, holiday songs, invitations to join the winning team.
D minor Melancholy, brooding worries, contemplation of negativity.
Eb Major Love, Devotion, Intimacy, Openness, Honest Communion. Conversations with God.
Eb minor Dealing with anxiety and existential terror, deep distress, dark depression. The dark night of the soul. Fear, hesitation, shuddering, goose bumps. The language of ghosts.
E Major Shouts of Joy, Complete Delight, yet Bickering, Short-fused, Ready to Fight.
E minor This key can carry grief, mournfulness, restlessness. Like a princess locked in a tower longing for her rescuer and future lover.
F Major Complaisance, Controlled calmness over the readiness to explode. Deeply angry but composed and sociable still. Religious sentiment.
F minor Deepest depression, lament over death and loss, groans of misery, ready to expire. Harrowing. Melancholic.
F# Major Triumph over evil, obstacles, hurdles. Surmounting foes and finally finding rest in victory. Brilliant clarity of thought and feeling.
F# minor Tearing at your hair and shirt, discontentment, long periods of lamentation and crying. Still capable of fighting this feeling.
G Major Rustic, Idyllic, Poetic, Lyrical. Calm and satisfied. Tenderness and Gratitude. Friendship and Faith. It is a gentle key full of peace.
G minor Worry of the future, of a failed plan, gnashing of teeth. Concern over a failed plan. Struggling with dislike and malcontent.
Ab Major Expansive viewpoints of a dark cosmos and existence. Ghosts, Ghouls, Goblins, Graveyards. Haunting and Lingering.
Ab minor Suffocation of the Heart, Lamentations, Life-Long Struggles. A negative look at the experiences of life, competition, growth.
A Major Innocent Love, Satisfaction with the current state of affairs. Optimistic. Belief in Heaven and reuniting with lost loved ones. Youthful and cheerful. Trusting in the spirit of the divine.
A minor Graceful in character. Capable of soothing.
Bb Major Love, Clear Conscience, Hopeful Aspirations for the future and a better world. Optimistic and able to take control in order to ensure peace.
Bb minor Blasphemous, Turning away the world and the divine. Preparations for the end. Pessimism and giving up. Belief in darkness.
B Major Uncontrolled passions. Angry, Jealous, Fury, Despair, Burdened with negative energy. Prepared to fight.
B minor Calmly waiting for fate, destiny, and the submission to providence and karma.
As you can see above, each key possesses a unique character and evokes a distinct emotion. We didn't make it up ourselves, it is translated from A History of Key Characteristics in the 18th and Early 19th Centuries (1713), written by John Mattheson in 1713, a German theorist and composer.
With access to various sound colours and emotions, composers will choose different keys to compose their music depending on the feeling they wish to convey. This means your dream pieces are most probably not composed in C Major and therefore crucial to learn sight-reading in different keys. Our long-term goal is to help you master sight-reading in all keys eventually so you will have unlimited pieces under your fingertips!
The course for students who have completed the fundamental course or are proficient in reading notation. In your first intermediate lesson, we will discuss your interests and goals and together decide which electives are best suited for you.
This is where the fun begins, where you decide your favourite electives and forge your musical path. Of course, this will be in addition to the following components delivered through regular lessons.
COURSE OVERVIEW
1. Improve your technique
In this programme, you will be learning a series of short etudes, which are designed to help you perfect a particular musical skill. They will help you gain proficiency in both physical and musical technique.There are two elements to technique: Physical and Musical. Physical Technique is the mechanical side of music-making, which revolves around the physics of how your body is utilised to deliver speed, efficiency, accuracy, agility, strength, and coordination in your piano playing.
Musical Technique involves elements such as tonal control and colour, balance, finesse, and subtlety.
How you use your body ultimately defines the sound you produce. Therefore Physical and Musical techniques are inseparable to delivering a stylistic - or, musically appropriate to its era - performance.
2. Expand your repertoire
That piece you've been dreaming of playing? Now you finally get to play them! After working hard to build the foundations of technique and music reading in our Foundation curriculum, you will now start playing your favourite pieces from your favourite composers from different periods including baroque, classical, romantic, 20th century. Your repertoire will encompass pieces from famed composers like Bach, Scarlatti, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Bartok and the list goes on!3. Refine your Sight-Reading Skills
Now that pieces become more challenging, this is when your sight-reading skills matter most. The goal is to give you the tools to help you learn your new repertoire as quickly and easily as possible. Increased sight-reading skills can dramatically improve the speed and enjoyment with which you approach new pieces.You have completed your Sight-Reading I from the Foundation curriculum, which means you have been trained to read pieces in keys of C Major, G Major, F Major, A minor, E minor, and D minor. Sight- Reading II will focus on excerpts in keys of D Major, A Major, Bb Major, Eb Major, E minor, G minor and B minor.
Why does this matter, learning to sight-read in different keys?
C Major Completely pure. Simplicity and naivety. The key of children. Free of burden, full of imagination. Powerful resolve. Earnestness. Can feel religious.
C minor Declarations of love and lamenting lost love or unhappy relationships. It is languishing and full of longing, a soul in search of something different.
Db Major Rapture in sadness. A grimacing key of choking back tears. It is capable of a laugh or smile to pacify those around, but the truth is in despair. Fullness of tone, sonority, and euphony.
C# minor A passionate expression of sorrow and deep grief. Full of penance and self-punishment. An intimate conversation with God about recognition of wrongdoing and atonement.
D Major Rejoicing in conquering obstacles. War marches, holiday songs, invitations to join the winning team.
D minor Melancholy, brooding worries, contemplation of negativity.
Eb Major Love, Devotion, Intimacy, Openness, Honest Communion. Conversations with God.
Eb minor Dealing with anxiety and existential terror, deep distress, dark depression. The dark night of the soul. Fear, hesitation, shuddering, goose bumps. The language of ghosts.
E Major Shouts of Joy, Complete Delight, yet Bickering, Short-fused, Ready to Fight.
E minor This key can carry grief, mournfulness, restlessness. Like a princess locked in a tower longing for her rescuer and future lover.
F Major Complaisance, Controlled calmness over the readiness to explode. Deeply angry but composed and sociable still. Religious sentiment.
F minor Deepest depression, lament over death and loss, groans of misery, ready to expire. Harrowing. Melancholic.
F# Major Triumph over evil, obstacles, hurdles. Surmounting foes and finally finding rest in victory. Brilliant clarity of thought and feeling.
F# minor Tearing at your hair and shirt, discontentment, long periods of lamentation and crying. Still capable of fighting this feeling.
G Major Rustic, Idyllic, Poetic, Lyrical. Calm and satisfied. Tenderness and Gratitude. Friendship and Faith. It is a gentle key full of peace.
G minor Worry of the future, of a failed plan, gnashing of teeth. Concern over a failed plan. Struggling with dislike and malcontent.
Ab Major Expansive viewpoints of a dark cosmos and existence. Ghosts, Ghouls, Goblins, Graveyards. Haunting and Lingering.
Ab minor Suffocation of the Heart, Lamentations, Life-Long Struggles. A negative look at the experiences of life, competition, growth.
A Major Innocent Love, Satisfaction with the current state of affairs. Optimistic. Belief in Heaven and reuniting with lost loved ones. Youthful and cheerful. Trusting in the spirit of the divine.
A minor Graceful in character. Capable of soothing.
Bb Major Love, Clear Conscience, Hopeful Aspirations for the future and a better world. Optimistic and able to take control in order to ensure peace.
Bb minor Blasphemous, Turning away the world and the divine. Preparations for the end. Pessimism and giving up. Belief in darkness.
B Major Uncontrolled passions. Angry, Jealous, Fury, Despair, Burdened with negative energy. Prepared to fight.
B minor Calmly waiting for fate, destiny, and the submission to providence and karma.
As you can see above, each key possesses a unique character and evokes a distinct emotion. We didn't make it up ourselves, it is translated from A History of Key Characteristics in the 18th and Early 19th Centuries (1713), written by John Mattheson in 1713, a German theorist and composer.
With access to various sound colours and emotions, composers will choose different keys to compose their music depending on the feeling they wish to convey. This means your dream pieces are most probably not composed in C Major and therefore crucial to learn sight-reading in different keys. Our long-term goal is to help you master sight-reading in all keys eventually so you will have unlimited pieces under your fingertips!