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My goals for 2018

Five new pieces completed at performance standard
Informal recital(s) at one or more nursing homes or skilled facilities
Complete MOYD
Talk Santa Into good recording equipment for Christmas next year
Attend adult piano camp again

I’m exploring music. I’m embarking on a perhaps unconventional path to try to understand harmony and melody on my own terms, rather than within the boxes it’s often taught in. In addition, I’m working (for flute) on learning jazz music aurally. I’m also working on memorizing some pieces (from the score for piano and from recordings for flute).

Hopefully 2018 will be a milestone year for me. I will sit my ABRSM grade 8 in the fall of 2018, so that will be a primary focus for the year. So my goals are:
1. Pass ABRSM grade 8!
2. Learn at least six pieces from the syllabus, so I have choices for the exam.
3. Have a 30 minute repertoire that I can play from memory.
4. Do MOYD and the 40 piece challenge again, as well as the quarterly recitals.
5. Participate in my teacher's monthly performance workshops.
6. Have fun at the piano!

My 2018 goals:
1. Learn 3 Etudes (2 for the exam and 1 backup) - Chopin OP25-2 by1/27, Erno OP 13-10 by The end of Feb and Rach OP33-8 by April
2. Pass the audition for volunteering for cancer center (10 min of easy listening BGM)
3. Pass technical requirements for grade 10 for RCM.
4. Learn and maintain required 5 pieces + 1 back up piece for 2019 exam

Also I really need to find good recording device or come up with an easy way to upload iPhone recording.

I'm stealing a goal from a former frequent poster here:

Spend less time at this keyboard and more time at the other one.

Last year I finally achieved my goal for 1979. 2018 hasn't even entered my consciousness yet.

1. Look into starting wth another classical teacher. It's really heartbreaking, but my current teacher *so* needs to retire and just will not give up her teaching.
2. Continue with jazz lessons, which I started in November of this year (2017). Fun and mind-boggling all at once!
3. Get into certain repertoire that doesn't get covered in lessons, and hence gets neglected. Chopin nocturnes, Bach (anything), some Rachmaninoff preludes.
4. Sight reading. Moving out of "skill acquisition", and into just plain sight reading of lots of new stuff! I'm pleased with the progress I made in 2016.... kinda coasted through Sight Reading 2017.
5. Eat better for supper every day… No joke, it's no fun fighting off overwhelming sleepiness during my evening piano practice, because I had a bit too much rice, potatoes, bread, pasta, whatever. Need to make menu plans with lots of non-starchy vegetables. Over the last year I've met with my long estranged uncle, the last surviving member of my mom's side of the family, and to my surprise (and yet not surprise) found out that he has diabetes. He is definitely not the type for adult onset diabetes, but there it is.

Happy New Year & May we all reach our goals that have been set realistically and well before the champagne starts flowing!

Learn 12 Debussy preludes, and the 3rd movement of Bartok's 1st piano concerto at whatever tempo I can manage it, plus a mix and match of simpler stuff to take me up to 40 pieces for the year.

I've been listening to the Bartok for about 25 years so it's pretty much ingrained in me, and I've read through the sheet music a lot so I know what I'm up against. I think I'm going to find it easier than some Rachmaninov/Chopin out there though, just because of the way my musical mind works.

And the Debussy preludes I've never ever listened to, so it's going to be an exercise in interpreting sheet music, so looking forward to that a lot.

My goal is to graduate from a “method book” to “real music” pieces, no matter how simple. 📖🎹

Goals for 2018:
- Ditch the idea of diploma exam.
- Practise more efficiently and effectively.
- Spend less time on the piano and more time with my partner and having a life!

Pieces for 2018:
* Chopin Ballade No. 4 (Dec17 - Jun18)
* Revisit Chopin Ballade No. 1 (Jul18-Oct18)
* Revisit Rachmaninov Prelude No. 5 (Nov18-Dec18)
* Expand technical works for my regular exercises (Jan18-Dec18)

My 2018 Goals:

1) perfect "Prelude in C# Minor" - Rachmaninoff'
2) Learn "Impresiones Intimas I-IV" - Federico Mompou
3) Bach - an English Suite
4) Bill Evans - "Time Remembered" (Solo Version)
5) Bill Evans - "Peace Piece"
6) Chick Corea - another selection from "Children's Songs"

The should keep me more than busy. If I get through have of it I will be ecstatic!

And:
Continue to enjoy my retirement, continue to swim (started to learn in October - on the bucket list) at least 4 times a week, Find my new best friend (English Bulldog). Geez, I have a full life! So grateful!

My goals for 2018 are very similar to last year's, but a bit more specific.

1. Practice 90 minutes a day on average (never reached yet! Let's see if this will finally be the right year).
2. Learn at least: 1 Bach Invention & 1 Sinfonia, 1 Chopin Prelude and 1 Waltz or Mazurka, 2 Scenes from Childhood by Schumann, 1 movement from a Beethoven sonata.
3. Practice scales/technique twice a week (2 x 30 minutes).
4. Practice sight-reading twice a week (2 x 30 minutes; incl. pop/folk).
5. Practice ear training once a week (30 minutes).
6. Recording session once a week (30 minutes).
7. Maintain a small performance-ready repertoire (about 30 minutes) and find chances to play in front of people.

Okay, I'll play

- Consolidate my current repertoire so I can play all the piece I learned this year at any time without having to relearn them.
- Maintain a repertoire of 30 minutes (seems to be a popular number here)
- Memorize some of the above
- Learn a new piece every month; or at least begin something new every month
- Take on the minor scales (having completed major scales)
- Take on the chromatic scales (shouldn't be too hard)
- Learn some pop/rock that my wife will enjoy (we're both products of the 70's and 80's)
- Improve chord progressions in all keys / include ability to play IV-V-I, and iii-vi-ii-V-I in several keys
- Improve sight reading with a method/book/series

I don't think I can tackle all of these in one year while continuing to work, but if I can make an impact on some, I'll really be making progress!

My goal is to complete grade two RCM by next December. It will be my first piano exam and I’m really looking forward to it. I also hope to complete preliminary rudiments this year. I think over the span of a year I probably could reach grade three but since it will be my first exam my teacher wants to keep the bar within a comfortable reach. The greatest challenge will be memorizing my three pieces which terrifies me.

I didn't post 2017 goals except in the 40 pcs thread, but here's 2018 -

3 hours/day at the piano - band stuff (playing for contra dances - some solos, listening better to coordinate with the guitar player, better comps overall), current repertoire stuff (improving current repertoire for memory care folks - more improvising and/or arrangements, better phrasing/techniques/musicality, bring more back in to memory), more tunes overall (both band and gig tunes, by ear melody/simple arrangements - I think this will help with being able to do more both with band tunes and gig tunes and spontaneity in playing both, and the others will feed in to this).

Hahahahahahahah But I certainly have enough to do to fill that goal!

Remembering to open the fallboard before I start playing.

I tried a couple college music classes last semester. Fun, but a little disappointing--too little content for time spent, so will experiment with self-study. Maybe my goals are a little too ambitious. See how it goes.

2018 Goals

1. Do whatever my teacher tells me and:

2. Stick with MOYD.

3. Practice 10 minutes either sight reading or playing-by-ear every practice.

4. Do ear training, sight-singing exercises at least 3 times per week.

5. Do more memorization, especially troublesome sections. I'm too phobic about memory. Can't quantify this one.

6. Perform-play more for friends and family, participate in more PWF recitals (been bad the last year).

7. Learn a few pieces that my husband will especially love...(3rd year in a row)

8. Increase reading / listening to learn more about music history and interpretation. And overall, just listen to more music.


I think the ear-training may help with memory. It's just an intuition.


Oh, and I started classical guitar this year, so for this year:

9. Practice guitar everyday, including a little playing by ear.

10. Do whatever my guitar teacher says.....

PianoStudent88,

I relate to your musical quest. Not quite the same--I love jazz but most want to work up classical pieces as best I can and sight read lots of other music off the page, like reading from a book . Still, I recognize the search for the "something missing." It would be great to be able to improvise even the tiniest bit off all that great music. Theory has to be less abstract and the ear has to be better connected to the notation.

I looked up Musical U and recognized a good deal of what I was looking in my "Program of Study" thread query. Will first try going it alone based on their suggestions and curriculum and see where I get.

Good luck with your goals and am very interested in your progress.