Sight Reading 125 pieces Challenge - from 20/09/22 to 21/02/03. Reached 125 pieces on 21/01/26!

Hi everyone,

Waterton National Park turned 125 this year! I haven't Visited for at least 5 years now but I have such fond memories so I wanted to celebrate the park's birthday. I posted this on our FB page and challenged everyone to think of 125 things that they could do. I decided to take this challenge on when I posted. I am celebrating Wateron's birthday by sight reading 125 before the end of the year! If anyone knows me, I am a really bad sightreader however, I had some really insightful lessons from Kathleen Van Mourik this summer and am taking her advice. She told me to sightread as many pieces as I can. And not to go over and over it when you are sight reading. Just sight read and just keep going, play and you are done. The more you do, the better you will be at it. And I just wanted to give you an update. On July 18/19, I sight read all fourteen Level 2 RCM etudes and then moved on to Level 2 Repertoire and did 5 from that book. That was 19 that I did on those two days. I have sputtered since then and think that slow and steady is a much better pace so between Sept 4-8, I sight read 3 more -Ecossaise in G major (Beethoven) p 11(Sept 4), Soldier's March p 12 (Schumann) Sept 7, On a Quiet Lake (Gillock) p 13 Sept 8. On Sept 20, I sightread Fanfare (Perischetti) p 14 and on Sept 21, I played A Little Song (Kabelevsky) p 15 - I quite enjoyed this little piece. Anyway, I just wanted to post that I have now played 24 and have just 101 to go. I will be posting the pieces here. I actually have 102 days before the end of the year. So it is a totally achievable goal and if I miss a day, I know that I will have to sightread 2 pieces instead of one. So I will be posting whenever I have time so stay tuned and keep checking my post! In the comments, you can tell me if you are a good or bad sightreader and what you did to overcome it and if there was a pivotal moment when you knew that you were making progress. I welcome your comments, thoughts and stories. Please connect with me on Adults Learning Music FB page.

25. 09/22 Atacama Desert Wynn- Anne Rossi(b 1956) pg 16 &17 - this one was 2 pages - 100 to go

26. 09/24 Half Asleep C. Norton pg 18-19 - 2 pages

27. 09/24 Prelude O Pinto p.20 - 98 to go

28. 09/25 Little Red Wagon T Richert p21

29. 09/25 Quiet Lagoon j George p 22-23 -2 pages - 96 to go

30. 09/30 The Silent Moon N. Telfer pp 24-25 - 2 page

31 09/30 Little Piece No. 3 M Tajcevic 2 pages 26-27 94 to go

32 10/01 I Spy M. Bober 2 pages - p 28-29 93 to go

33 10/12 Turkish Bazaar M Mrozinski 2 pages - p 30-31 92 to go

34 10/12 The Sparkling Brook M Goldston - 2 pages -p 32-33 91 to go

35 10/12 Periwinkle Twinkle A Crosby Gaudet 1 page - p 34, 90 to go

36 10/12 The Waltz That Floated Away - D I McIntryre 1 page p 35, 89 to go

37 10/12 Invention R Christopher p36 1/2 page

38 10/12 Invention in A minor F Silvester p36 1/2 page

39 10/12 Canon C Gurlitt p 37, 1/2 page

40 10/12 Jazz Invention No. 2 P. Gallant p 37, 1/2 page

41 10/2 Courageous Cat T Richert p 38

42 10/12 Canon in F major K M Kunz p 39

43 10/12 Little Dance in Canon Form B BArtok p 40, 82 to go -this is the last one of the RCM level 2 repertoire

44 10/12 Chromatics A Tansman Conservatory Canada (CC) level 2 p 39

45 10/12 The Race D B Kabalevsky CC level 2 p 40, 80 to go

46 10/12 Rolling River C Miller 2 pages (sight reading from my teacher)

47 10/12 Alaskan Majesty C miller 2 pages (sight reading from my teacher)

48 10/12 More Fireflies C Miller 3 pages (sight reading from my teacher) 77 to go

49 10/18 The 3-1 Bounce D Kraehenbuehl CC level 2, p 41

50 10/18 A Little March : Canon C Elliott CC level 2 p 42

51 10/18 Chinese Kites G Fitch p 43 (this was the study I did when I did my level 2 practical piano exam) - I love it! 74 to go

52 10/24 Long and Short from First Term at the Piano, Sz.53 No.8 by B. Bartok (Become a Better Sight-Reader in 5 Days-Day 1)

53 10/24 Moderato in A minor from The first steps of the young pianist Op.82 No,37 by C. Gurlitt (Become a Better Sight-Reader in 5 Days - Day 1)

54 10/24 Moderato in C major from Ecole Primaire Op. 176 No.3 by J. Duvernoy (Become a Better Sight-Reader in 5 Days-Day 1)

55 10/25 Play Sz. 42 No. 5 by B. Bartok 2 pages (Become a Better Sight-Reader in 5 Days - Day 2)

56 10/25 Ruffs and Rhees 12 Country Dances by I. Sancho (Become a Better Sight-Reader in 5 Days - Day 2)

57 10/25 Con moto Opus 205 No. 4 C. Gurlitt 2 pages (Become a Better Sight-Reader in 5 Days - Day 2) 68 to go

58 10/28 Children's Party in C Major from 25 Progressive Studies Op. 100 No.4 F. Burgmuller (Become a Better Sight-Reader in 5 Days - Day 3)

59 10/28 Ecossaise Opus 52 No.5 J.N. Hummel (Become a Better Sight-Reader in 5 Days - Day 3) 66 to go

60 11/10 Ecossaise woO23 LV Beethoven (Become a Better Sight-Reader in 5 Days - Day 4)

61 11/10 Study No. 7 Opus 63 by J L Gobbaerts (Become a Better Sight-Reader in 5 Days - Day 4) 64 to go

I realize, my dear readers, that there are only 39 days left as today is Nov 23 so I have to sightread at least two pieces everyday to make sure I complete this goal.

62. 11/23 Little Melody in Eb major R. Price (Become a Better Sight-Reader in 5 Days - Day 5)

63. 11/23 At an old Trysting-place in Ab Major from Woodland Sketches Opus 51 No.3 E. MacDowell (Become a Better Sight-Reader in 5 Days - Day 5) 62 to go

64 11/25 Butterflies from Fancy Free L, Niamath CC level 2, p 44

65 11/25 Adults J Snowdon CC level 2, p. 45 60 to go

66. 11/28 Just Stutting Along M Mier CC level 2, p 46,47

67 11/28 Robots A Crosby CC level 2 p 48, 58 to go

68 11/29 Hungarian March Anon CC level2 p 2

69 11/29 Fanfare F Couperin CC level 2 p 3 56 to go

70, 12/20-12/26 Dance of the Hours, Gypsy Love Song, Meet Me in St. Louis, Louiis, Italian Street Song, Sweet Rosie O'Grady, Home on the Range, Now is the Hour, I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now pg 3-17 Alfred's basic Adult All-Time Favorites - 8 pieces from this book - Level 2; Jingle Bells, Silent Night, O Christmas Tree, Deck the Halls, God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Night Before Christmas Song, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Carol of the Bells, Angels we Have Heard on High, O Come, All Ye Faithful, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, Let it Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! The Most Wonderful Day of the Year, We Wish You a Merry Christmas - 16 songs (8 +16 = 24)

32 to go _ I don't know if I can sightread and play 32 songs in the 5 days left in December but maybe. I was surprised that I did these 24 in 6 days so maybe

No I did not do any more sightreading in the waning days of 2020 so I did not complete my challenge but from July 18 - Dec 26th, I sightread 93 pieces of music so I am happy about that.

Today is January 9th and I sightread an additional 3 pieces from

94. CC level 2 KIng William's March J Clarke p 4

95 CC level 2 Bouree JS Bach, p 5

96 CC level 2 Minuet GF Handel p 6

and I will continue to sightread multiple pieces a day until my mock exam sometime in March 2021 and will document them here as an accountable record. I received advice from my sometime in-house tutor, my 14 year old daughter, who has been taking piano for over 10 years now, and who is a whiz at sightreading. She told me to take note of the key signature and identifiy if it is either minor and major. And then she says that she can hear the melody in her head - this is something I can not do but would love to be able to. I have taken her advice so that when I have identified the key signature then I play that scale before I tackle the piece so I can listen for it while I am playing. This advice has helped me in sightreading these last 3 pieces. So I will doggedly continue as practicing sightreading is the only thing that leads to better fluency...

97 01/10 CC level 2 Sixieme Ordre: Les Moissonneurs F Couperin p 7

98 01/10 CC level 2 The 'Pipe' Aria JS Bach p 8

99 01/11 CC level 2 Minuet J Clarke p 9

100 01/11 CC level 2 Gavotte GP Telemann p 10

101 01/11 CC level 2 Intrata JS Bach p 11

102 01/13 CC level 2 Polomaise L Mozart p 12

103 01/13 CC level 2 Jig j Hook p14

104 01/13 CC level 2 Capriccio p 13

105 01/17 CC level 2 Canzonet CG Neefe p 15

106 01/17 CC level 2 Little Suite No.2 DG Turk p 16, 17

107 01/17 CC level 2 Minuet K.2 WA Mozart p 18

108 01/18 CC level 2 German Dance LV Beethoven p 19

109 01/18 CC level 2Ecossaise p 20 JN Hummel p 20

110 01/18 CC level 2 Sonatina Op 151, No.2 A Diabelli p 21

111 01/19 CC level 2 Cradle Song CM von Weber p22

112 01/19 CC level 2 Slumber Song FP Schubert p 23

113 01/19 CC level 2 Sheltering in the Wood W Carroll p 24,25

114 01/19 CC level 2 The Fishermaident's Song TF Dunjill p 26

115 01/19 CC level 2 Popcorn the Peacock A Melecci p27

116 01/19 CC level 2 Bemused Oboe G Brandon p 30 - I played this for my level 2 exam - I remember really loving this piece back then and it makes me think again of how beautiful this piece is - it's really amazing to be able to sightread this piece now . It took me ages to learn and play it when I was learning level 2 - way back in the year Setpt 2015 - Jan 2016 when Kevin Ngo was my piano teacher

117 01/20 CC level 2 Spooks Galore H Kasschau p 28,29

118 01/20 CC level 2 Pop Corn W Lea p 31

119 01/20 CC level 2 Shadows of the Night D Wanless p 32

120 01/23 CC level 2 Ragtime C Norton p 33

121 01/23 CC level 2 Summertime Waltz H Labertie p34

122 01/23 CC level 2 The Cathedral in the Snow D Duke p 35

123 01/24 CC level 2 Little Elves and Pixies A Crosby p 36,37

124 01/24 CC level 2 Alouette arranged by N Telfer p 38

125 01/26 CC level 2 Chromatics A Tansman p 39 - I really like this piece - it sounds awesome and it really isn't that hard - also we have to give pause here as I have finally reached my 125th piece - Here's to you, Waterton National Park - I hope I get to come back and hike and stay there again

126 01/26 CC level 2 The Race DB Kablevsky p 40

127 01/27 CC level 2 The 3-1 Bounce D Kraehenbuehl p 41

128 01/29 CC level 2 A Little March: Canon C Elliott p 42

129 01/30 CC level 2 Chinese Kites G Fitch p 43

130 01/31 CC level 2 Butterflies L Niamath p 44

131 02/01 CC level 2 Adults j Snowdon p 45

132 02/02 CC level 2 Just Strutting Along M Mier p 46, 47 - I did this for my level 2 exam - it is a really jazzy piece and it gets me grooving - I love it!

133 02/03 CC level 2 Robots A Crosby p 48 - this is the end of the level 2 CC book