Northwest Music Academy
Ranchlands Calgary, AB, Canada

Hello everyone, and welcome to this week's challenge! Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to harmonize this simple melody. You can use your I, IV, and V7 chords or incorporate some more fun, interesting ones! Check out our stories (or instagram highlights) for a quick lesson on how to do this if you're feeling a bit unsure. The bass can be simple whole note chords or you can mix it up by changing the rhythm or breaking the chord up. Be creative; this is totally up to you! Submit your recording via comment section or dm's by Friday, May 1st to be entered to win a starbucks giftcard. Have fun!

April 13-16th This week’s challenge is all about gestures; the movements we make with our arms, wrists, and hands while playing the piano. These motions are vital to both creating the correct character (or mood) in the piece, and to reducing tension. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to choose a piece which uses 2-4 of the motions which we talk about in our lessons, and demonstrate them by playing through the piece. For example, we know that staccatos need to ...have a loose, bouncing-wrist motion so that we don’t get tense. Or we know that we must float our wrists at the end of slurs to create a little breath before the next section of music. Another instance of correct motion is when we transfer our arm weight from finger to finger to create a full, rich tone in legato sections. Don’t forget to play musically, with all the dynamics! Be creative in your use of these motions, and don’t be afraid to be dramatic! If you have any questions, feel free to message/email us

Welcome to your next weekly challenge! Dynamics and stylistic devices are essential features of any performance. Choose and perform one piece of your choice. It should contain significant dynamic variation (i.e., some sections with p, mf, and f ) and some stylistic devices (i.e., slurs, staccato sections, accents, etcetera). We want to really hear the difference, for instance, between p and mf in your performance. The winner will receive a $5.00 Starbucks card! Check out www.nwmusicacademy.com/resources for more information.

Remember to submit your "Weekly Challenge: Melody" before the end of the day for a chance to win a gift card! Submit via email, Instagram, or Facebook. https://www.nwmusicacademy.com/resources

Welcome to your first weekly challenge! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to clap (or play) one of the rhythms in the file on our website https://www.nwmusicacademy.com/resources, while counting out loud. Use whatever counting method is comfortable for you (i.e., "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and" or "ta, ti ti, ta, ta"). Use your discretion in choosing a level that is appropriate for you. If you need help, we will happily assist you during your next weekly lesson. When... you're ready, submit a video by March 26th via Facebook or Instagram! The winner will receive a Starbucks gift card! P.S. Students who submit entries for consecutive weekly challenges will receive bonus points. The more entries you submit in a row, the more bonus points you accumulate!