Week 12 videos

• Portnoff's Concerto for the Romantic music assessment 

• Portnoff's Concerto for the Romantic music assessment 

Week 11 videos

• Portnoff's Concerto for the Romantic music assessment 1

• Portnoff's Concerto for the Romantic music assessment 2

Week 12: Oct 15-19, 2012

Topic: Assessment day for Romantic music!

Reflection Question: - What have I learned?
                                - What kind of challenges did I face?
                                - How can I improve it next time?

• Theory Class:

1. Oct 16th- Today was the first day of Romantic music assessment. Guitar students went first, then piano students followed, and the violin students went for the last. Since there were many violin students, we made an order for who is going to go first. Eventually, I became the last one to go, however since we didn't have time, I had to do my assessment tomorrow.

2. Oct 17th- I went for the last one who did the assessment today. Since I've memorized the whole song, I was able to finish my song successfully, and I am satisfied with my result, because I got a full mark for my score.

3. Oct 18th- Since today is the last day of music for this term, we didn't do anything special, but just did the MDW by filling all reflections inside.

• Instrument Class:

1. Oct 16th- Since it was our assessment day, we didn't have time to do our instrument class, therefore we didn't have one today.

2. Oct 17th- There were only few students who performed today including me, so we had time to have instrument class, however we had free time, so we didn't play any songs with our instruments and just relaxed.

3. Oct 18th- It was the last day of music, so we had other free time, but this time we still did our MDW continued from our theory class, since it's last due date is next Monday. 

Week 11: Oct 8-12, 2012

Topic: Practice for the assessment of the Romantic music

Reflection Questions: - What have I learned?
                                 - What kind of challenges did I face?
                                 - How can I improve it next time?

• Theory Class:

1. Oct 9th- Since next week is the assessment week for us to perform the Romantic music with our instruments, each one of us practiced in front of our class. I didn't practice today in class, because we didn't have enough time for all of us to perform, however I listened to my friends performance and commented on their progress of practicing. 

2. Oct 10th- We practiced for the final time individually. We didn't particularly performed in front of the class, but we rather practiced all together with our friends, and commented whether we are well prepared or not. 

3. Oct 11th- We had a worksheet about G clefs and Bass clefs, so that we can fully understand the difference between the two of them. It was quite easy for me, because I've learnt it before, unlike I had to understand more about scales and chords.

• Instrument Class:

1. Oct 9th- During the instrument class, I practiced my Romantic song that i will be performing next week. Mr.Sadrakh told me to memorize my song, because he said I can get a better score if I can play as I memorize it. Therefore I will try memorizing the song during the week ends.

2. Oct 10th- Today other violin students finalized their song for their assessments, since I've already finalized my song with my teacher yesterday.

3. Oct 11th- I played the song for the last time, but I haven't memorized the song, therefore I have to practice for the whole week ends to memorize the whole song, and successfully perform next week. 

Week 10 videos

1. G major scale 3 octaves

2. Romantic music (Portnoff's Concerto)

Week 9 videos

1. Romantic music (Portnoff's Concerto)

2. Suzuki #5 No.1

Week 8 videos

1. Romantic Music (Portnoff's Concerto)

2. Suzuki #5 No.1

Week 7 videos

1. G major scale 3 octaves

2. Suzuki #5 No.1

Week 6 videos

1. G major scale 3 octaves

2. Suzuki #5 No.1

Week 4 no videos (holiday), Week 5 videos

1. G major scale 3 octaves

2. Suzuki #5 No.1

Week 3 videos

1. G major scale 3 octaves

2. Suzuki #5 No.1

Week 2 videos

1. G major Scale

2. Suzuki #5 No.1

Week 1 videos

1. A major Scale

2. Suzuki #5 No.1

Week 10: Oct 2nd~4th 2012

Topic: Practice assessment and Intervals

Research Questions: 1. What have I learned?
                                2. What kind of challenges did I face?
                                3. How can I improve it next time?

• Theory Class:

1. Oct 2nd- As I promised with my classmates and Mr.John last week, I played the Romantic song I chose and practice during the week ends. I'm still practicing for the half of the song, so I only played until there, but my friends said that it was nice, so I practiced more on the song today. 

2. Oct 3rd- Rilya, Matthew S and Darren played a song "Kiss Me" with their guitars, and RIlya sang the song for entertainment. It was very nice and all of was liked the song. We also had a review on intervals where Mr.John gave us a worksheet about intervals, inversions and scales, so Me, Rilya and Pinka became one group to answer those questions.

3. Oct 4th- We reviewed on intervals for the last time with the bass clefs. It was not as familiar as it was for the G clefs for me, because violin only have G clefs for all notes. 

• Instrument Class:

1. Oct 2nd- I practiced the half part of the Romantic Song, without legato. I was able to play it quite well since I practiced a lot during the week ends, so I decided to try practicing with legato from now on. 

2. Oct 3rd- I didn't do much today, because Mr.Sadrakh checked the other students who were not checked yesterday, but since I was checked already, I just practiced the song by myself.

3. Oct 4th- I did the G major scale since I didn't play it for a long time. And while playing the song, I also tried using legato, but for some of them I had wrong legatos, so I decided to practice more that that during the week ends. 

Week 9: Sept 23rd~27th 2012

Topic: Intervals and practice for the assessment

Research Questions: 1. What have I learned?
                                2. What kind of challenges did I face?
                                3. How can I improve it next time?

• Theory Class:

1. Sept 25th- Mr.John taught us about the intervals in basic scales such as the C major scale. We learned from the 1st interval until the 7th interval. However it was quite challenging for me to do the other intervals with different scales that has flats and sharps, because the notes change in the intervals for those scales. Therefore I think I need more practice, which I think it will help me to review all the other scales and chords I've learnt previously.

2. Sept 26th- The piano students and the guitar students played their songs for assessments, even though some of them were not fully prepare, therefore I think I also have to practice my song faster, because Mr.John informed the violin students that we are also going to perform tomorrow just for practice.

3. Sept 27th- We reviewed about the intervals with Mr.John and Mr.Herry. Since Mr.Herry wanted to know if all of us understood about the intervals, he tested each one of us just for fun, and taught us the hard part of the intervals that we usually get confused with. Also, Mr.Herry explained us about the blog reflection, so the violin students had no time to perform, and we had to perform next week.

• Instrument Class:

1. Sept 25th- I tried practicing the Beethoven's concerto, however the melody was not familiar with me. So I asked Mr.Sadrakh to suggest me a familiar song, so that it will be not too challenging for me to understand the melody.

2. Sept 26th- My friend from violin class gave me a song made by Portnoff. He was also one of the famous composers during the Romantic time, and since it was quite short, I decided to play his concerto for my assessment. 

3. Sept 27th- The song was quite familiar, so I was able to practice the half part of the song, even though I got some mistakes in few notes, and didn't use legato yet, since I'm still getting to understand the whole melody of the song. 

Week 8: Sept 17th~21st 2012

Topic: Review for the scales and chords test

Reflection Question: 1. What have I learned?
                               2. What kind of challenges did I face?
                               3. How can I improve it next time?

• Theory Class:

1. Sept 18th- After we've done with our test about scales and chords, we firstly reviewed on scales and chords, and Mr.John called use one by one and taught us again the ones that we got mistakes during the test. I had a silly mistake in putting the sharps and the flats in the scales, since I put them in the first note where it is necessary, but forgot to put them again in the last note. I was careless with that part, so from now on I am going to be more careful with the small mistakes, and check my answers again before submitting the paper.

2. Sept 19th- Mr.John told us our scores for the quiz we did last week. I think I got a 9.6 for my final score, so I was happy because even though I had few small mistakes, Mr.John still gave me a good score. Also, he informed us that we have to choose a song to prepare for out next assessment, which is playing a Romantic music with out instruments.

3. Sept 20th- While explaining to us again about the scales and chords, Mr.John also taught us how to draw a G clef properly, since some of us were not able to draw it in the proper line.

• Instrument Class:

1. Sept 18th- I didn't do much today, because for today Mr.Sadrakh only checked other students, who he didn't check last week. So I just practiced myself with my song and the G major scale.

2. Sept 19th- I played the Suzuki No.1 the full song. Now I think I can finalize playing this song, since I've practiced this song for a long time. Therefore, I'm going to start practicing the song of the Romantic Era by researching them first.

3. Sept 20th- I've chosen my song as one of the Beethoven's Concertos, however I am not yet familiar with it, so I think I will need much time to prepare them all until October 17th. 

Week 7: Sept 10th~14th 2012

Topic: Quiz about scales and chords!

Reflection Questions: 1. What have I learned?
                                 2. What kind of challenges did I face?
                                 3. How can I improve it next time?

• Theory Class:

1. Sept 11th- Mr.John was absent today, so the test was postponed to tomorrow. With Mr.Herry, we reviewed our lessons on major, minor, harmonic and melodic scales with dominant 7th, 1st and 2nd inversions, to make sure we understand everything that we learned previously. From today, I was able to understand better about the scales, and was able to memorize most of the sharps and the flats, but I think I need to practice more, so that I can fully memorize and will not get confused for the quiz tomorrow.

2. Sept 12th- We had our test on scales and chords today. It was quite challenging, because there were lots of relative scales of major and minor. If I can improve it next time, I will study more on the relatives, so that I can understand the relationship between the major and the minor scales.

3. Sept 13th- After the exam, we had our free time on our music theory class, so I played piano with my friends with the classic book that was placed on top of the grad piano, and also played a Western Song that I could play, and my friends sand the song for me.

• Instrument Class:

1. Sept 11th- I reviewed the G major scale, and finalized with Suzuki no.1 part 1 until part 2. Now I'm able to play the scale faster, and used legato for the song.

2. Sept 12th- We didn't have instrument class today because we had our test on scales and chords for both sessions.

3. Sept 13th- I haven't chose the song for Romantic song, but Mr.Sadrakh suggested me to pick one of Beethoven's violin concertos, so I'm going to research on his music pieces during the week ends. 

Week 6: Sept 3rd~7th 2012

Topic: Submission of a booklet about a composer.

Reflection Questions: 1. What have I learned?
                                 2. What kind of challenges did I face?
                                 3. How can I improve it next time?

• Theory Class:

1. Sept 4th- Actually we had to submit our booklet about a famous composer today, however Mr.John postponed the due date into tomorrow, so I was able to design my work with more colors and different fonts of titles and contents. Since we had to make a booklet about a composer that we chose for the power point presentation, I had to make a booklet about him again. It was easier for me to finish the work, because almost all of the information about Chopin was already cited in my presentation. However, even though I'm done with my information, and finished summarizing all of them, I still needed to decorate my work, and gather all papers to make a book. Since I have one more day to prepare the project, I will do it today, and submit it on time tomorrow.

2. Sept 5th- I submitted the booklet today on time so I was relieved. Also, Mr.John taught us about dominant 7, 1st inversion and the second inversion of a scale. It helped me to review all the scales we've learnt before, because to make dominant 7, 1st inversion and 2nd inversion, we have to know the first, third, fifth and the seventh note to make a chord. 

3. Sept 6th- We did the practice quiz on scales and chords, because Mr.John announced that we are going to have a test on scales next week. Even though I know how to write a scale with inversions and chords, I still need to practice more on the scales of sharps and flats, because I don't remember all the places where sharps and flats should be place in.

• Instrument Class:

1. Sept 4th- I played the Suzuki #5 no.1 part 1 until part 2 today. Since there were only few classes i attended on the instrument class due to many assessments, I had to practice more because I had lots of mistakes.

2. Sept 5th- I practiced the song again, so I was able to play the song better than yesterday, however I haven't practiced with legato, so I will practice with it again today.

3. Sept 6th- Mr.Sadrakh asked me to research on either Schubert of Beethoven's Concertos on violin, because we have an assessment on playing one of the Romantic Music on October.

Week 5: Aug 27th~31st 2012

Topic: Presentation about the Romantic Era

Reflection Questions: 1. What have I learned?
                                 2. What kind of challenges did I face?
                                 3. How will I improve it next time?

• Theory Class:

1. Aug 28th- It was the Lebaran Holiday pass 2 weeks, therefore we didn't have music class during the time. After the Lebaran Holiday, we did a presentation about the Romantic era, and a famous composer at that time. We were divided into 4 groups, 2 with 3 people, and another 2 with 2 people. I was grouped with Rilya and Pinka. We decided to present about Chopin, since he was one of the greatest musician and composer during the Romantic Era. We didn't have time preparing after the holiday, so we had to prepare during the holiday. I think we did great with our presentation, because we were able to answer all the questions that Mr.Herry and Mr.John asked, and we were able to convey all information we researched on about both history of Romantic Era and the biography of Frederic Chopin. 

2. Aug 29th- Other students who didn't have time to present yesterday presented today. They had a presentation about Tchaikovsky and Schubert. From my classmates, I've learnt lots of information about composers during the Romantic Period, and also learned what kind of music were composed during the Romantic Era.

3. Aug 30th- After all of us were done with our presentation about the history of Romantic Era and different composers during that time, Mr.John informed us about the other assessment we have to submit next week, which is the similar topic as the previous assessment about the famous composers during the Romantic Era. This time it will be individual work, therefore I think I will need more effort on my project.

• Instrument Class:

1. Aug 28th- We didn't have instrument class today, because we used our whole session on the presentation.

2. Aug 29th- I reviewed the G major scale, and I was able to do it with correct notes, even though I was not able to play it fast. Also, Mr.Sadrakh told me to practice the Suzuki book until the second part, because I was able to play the first part as I practiced. 

3. Aug 30th- I played the whole part of the Suzuki book #5 no.1, but since part 1 and 2 have different melodies, I think I need more practice on the second part. 

Week 4: Aug 14th 2012

Topic: Assessment for the Western Song

Reflection Question: 1. What have I learned?
                                2. What kind of challenges did I face?
                                3. How can I improve it next time?

• Theory Class:

1. Aug 14th= We had our assessment for the Western song, where I sang Ne-yo's 'So Sick'. My friend Rilya helped me with the chords on guitar instead of Mr.John for the background music, so I think I got less nervous, since there was my friend beside me. The song was quite long, so it was quite challenging for myself with memorizing the whole lyrics. Overall, I think I did well with my assessment. If I have this kind of assessment again next time, I will improve in preparing the song by practicing for more times. And all of us had to do the assessment today, because from tomorrow, it is the Lebaran Holiday, which will last for 2 weeks. 

• Instrument Class:

1. Aug 14th= We didn't have instrument class today because we continued having assessment of the Western Song for two sessions, since we don't have time to continue them tomorrow,because it's the Lebaran holiday.

Week 3: Aug 6th~ Aug 10th 2012

Topic: Rehearsal for the Western Song.

Reflection Question: 1. What have I learned?
                                2. What kind of challenges did I face?
                                3. How can I improve it next time?

• Theory Class:

1. Aug 7th= From this week, Mr.John cam back, so he became our music theory teacher. Since he wanted to know what we learned until now, we reviewed all scales- the major sharps, major flats, minor, minor harmonic and melodic- that we learned with Mr.Herry for last 2 weeks. He also informed us that we are going to have an assessment on solo singing of a western song next week, so I think I'm going to have another challenge as I had during the Indonesian traditional song assessment.

2. Aug 8th= Mr.John asked us about what song we are going to sing, and if we're going to use our own instrument or the karaoke version. From last night I was thinking which song I'm going to sing for my next assessment, and I decided to sing Ne-yo's 'So Sick', because I liked the singer and the song since 2 years ago. And I think the melody is not that hard, and it's rhythmic though it's not a very fast song, so if I practice a lot, I will be able to conclude this assessment with good performance.

3. Aug 9th= We did the rehearsal for our song, and I asked help from Mr.John to play the chords for my song, because I thought it's too simple if I only use the karaoke version. So I copied the chords of the song and asked Mr.John if he can help me to play it for me for the real assessment. He agreed and played the song for me. However since I'm not used to singing with guitar as the background sound, I think I need to practice more with my friend, who can play the guitar.

• Instrument Class:

1. Aug 7th= During the weekends, I practiced the G major scale 2 octaves and the first song of Suzuki #5 no.1. Now I can play Suzuki well with legatos, so Mr.sadrakh asked me to play with legato. However I think I need to practice more for G major scale 2 octaves, because I always get the wrong notes. At least I think I got better in my position, because I feel more comfortable now without feeling any pressure when I tried reaching the highest note. 

2. Aug 8th= I think I've improved with the G major scale 2 octaves, because I practiced mainly on scales yesterday. Even though I had to play for each notes, I think I got the correct sound. Therefore, from now on, I am going to practice little bit faster with the correct notes I got when played each one of them.

3 Aug 9th= We didn't have our instrument class today because we had our rehearsal on the Western Song for the whole session. 

Week 2: July 30th~Aug 2nd 2012

Topic: Minor Sharp (harmonic and melodic) and Rayuan Pulau Kelapa

Reflection Questions: 1. What have I learned?
                                 2. What kind of challenges did I face?
                                 3. How can I improve it next time?

• Theory Class:

1. July 31st= Mr.Herry taught us about the minor sharp, natural, harmonic and melodic. Harmonic and Melodic are part of the minor sharp scales, however there are few differences from the normal scales. Harmonics are the same minor sharp scales, except that there's a flat added in the 6th note. While, Melodics are the scales with 6th and 7th notes added with flats when rising, and having the natural notes only for them again when it goes down. Therefore, minor, harmonic, and melodic all have different sounds, where I had to challenge myself to remember where to put the flats. To improve it, I think I need to try playing them with either piano or violin.

2. Aug 1st= We practiced the Indonesian traditional song called 'Rayuan Pulau Kelapa', because tomorrow is our assessment for this song. Since it was just a practice, Mr.Herry allowed us to sing it with a partner, so I sang with my friend, Rilya. It was quite challenging for me to memorize the lyrics since it was in Indonesian language, but as my friends and teachers gave me some advises on understanding the meaning of the lyrics, so that it is easier for me to memorize them.

3. Aug 2nd= We did the assessment on the song "Rayuan Pulau Kelapa". It took quite a time for me to memorize the lyrics last night, but luckily I memorized them all, and I think I was able to finish my assessment successfully, because I sang with loud voice, and I think my pronunciation was also not bad. Therefore Mr.Herry also complemented that even though I'm not Indonesian, I was able to sing the song very well.

• Instrument Class:

1. July 31st= I played the G major scale 1 octave during the instrument class, and tried playing the song from Suzuki #5 no.1. Actually Mr.Sadrakh offered me to do the G major scale 2 octaves, however I never learned how to play the 2 octave scales, so for today I only played the 1 octave G major scale. Also, the song was still quite hard for me, because there are many legatos for some notes. At first when I tried practicing without the legato, I was able to play it well, but then when I tried playing with legato, I got many wrong notes, and the sequence of the bow was wrong for many times.

2. Aug 1st= I practiced the Suzuki song yesterday night, so I was able to play it quite better, but I didn't use the legato yet, because I thought it would be messier and harder to perform if I use the legato from the first time. However I will try to practice tonight with the legato, even if the bowing sequence is not really accurate.

3. Aug 2nd= Mr.Sadrakh taught me about the G major scale 2 octaves. However I was not able to do it well with right note or right position, because it was the first time for me to do the 2 octaves. And since, I had to reach really high for the highest note in E string, it was hard for me to get the right note, and I think I put too much pressure on my shoulder because I was stressed with the position. Therefore I need to practice more on that and try to get relaxing position while doing the scale.