This is an opportunity for you to contribute some musical goals for the year. It might help you, and it might help someone else.
I will get the ball rolling:
Over the past year I have been somewhat overwhelmed by administrative tasks with CGC and I am slightly embarrassed to admit that I have spent far too little time with the guitar.
Whenever I do practice properly I feel like I am tapping back into a part of myself that I miss and I always finish feeling fulfilled and centered.
My goal for 2021 is to reconnect with my practice time and to prioritize my musical life more than my work life. – Simon
Although congenitally incapable of planning more than a week or so in advance, my 2021 goals will include achieving some level of competency with all 120 of Giuliani’s RH Studies. A stretch goal would be to make that proficiency. Mastery, I would think, is probably a lifetime goal.
My guitar goal this year is to bring out more melody part by learning to play the accompanying voices softer. Also I would like to learn various Latin American rhythms.
My life feels most centered, for lack of a better term, when three areas of my life are being practiced regularly: physical exercise (walking/cycling), musical expression (guitar), and spiritual development (bible study/teaching). Typically, when one or two of these are being practiced consistently, the other falls in line and life is good. My musical goal is to maintain a regular practice routine of 5 days a week. This past year, life got in the way in several ways and I lost that momentum. While there are no guarantees life will be different this year, that’s my goal and I’m sticking to it! 😊
My goal for 2021
A daily practice routine of 2 hours.
Have several practice sessions ready with a time stamp from 5 minutes to 10, 15min. etc with or without guitar depending on the situation to practice.
Covering from scales, pieces to singing and Harmony etc
This should lead to a 2 hour flexible ( in time) daily practice routine.
My goal is to complete my Grade 5 classical guitar studies and begin my Grade 6 Studies. To do this, my practice goal is to get two-six 25 minute practice sessions done, 6 days a week; keep up with my practice journal to continue with efficient practice by planning each session; and to continue with enjoying this musical journey alongside the wonderful members and faculty of Classical Guitar Corner Academy.
My music goals for the year are fairly simple. I hope to play 20-30 minutes of repertoire for a small group of friends and family, in person, at my home.
My major goal for 2021 is to focus on my health – in particular building my strength and stamina. In the past few weeks I have started a regular rotation of cardio, strength building, and yoga routines that I write on my calendar. Planning it out for the week is leading to success.
I accomplish the cardio with the treadmill or with walking outside, weather permitting. Strength building routines and yoga routines are guided with online instruction. While maintaining physical strength is important for a person of every age, I find it is even more important as I creep closer to age 70.
I believe my overall ability to focus will increase as my body gets stronger, resulting in raising the level of my practices and performances as well as more effective studying.
Many of us underestimate the physical and mental demands for learning classical guitar. It is one thing to avoid injury. It is another thing to simply have the strength and focus to practice and study long enough to accomplish the most basic of goals.
Oh Yes Martha!! I do agree with you…. I’m going on for 80…exercise is so important for us…Lulu
Work commitment had put my practice on hold since September…..but this month I have started 15 mins at a time 4 times a day on exercises to get back the flexibility I have lost…doesn’t it go quickly when you are older….when I regain some strength I plan to get back to 1+ hours a day 5 days a week
Happy New year to all and lets hope its better than the last one🎈✨Lulu
My 2021 guitar goals for this year include; (1) practice daily; (2) focus on playing slower and with more accuracy, (3) play old repertoire for fun and (4) learn new repertoire for continued growth and enrichment; AND (5) play in front of others whenever possible to overcome self-consiousness.
My guitar goals are to improve tone production, including muting and rhythmic accuracy, by really paying attention in the moment when I practice, and also by recording practices so I can recognize and remediate sections that need improving. I would like to polish existing repertoire and add new pieces that are developmentally appropriate for my level.
My goals are to play with gentler hands. Less force and greater relaxation. Also to continue playing with the Open Con Guitar Ensemble. Hopefully complete level 3 at Delcamp and in general continue with the joy that the sound and playing of the guitar brings.
My goals are focused practice such as Noa Kageyama talks about! I have a section in a piece I’m working on that I need to do focused practice. Forget the easy stuff that makes you feel good when you are playing it and stop and work on the hard stuff. It’s the first ending on Julia Florida.
Plus I need to start a progress journal as My Good Friend Heidi Wert and I promised each other!
My goals for 2021 are to prioritize spending time on things that are really important to me, like getting healthier and more fit, learning and playing music, and reading, and to not obsess so much about work. Specifically for classical guitar, I plan to review the CGC Grades 3 and 4, and submit an exam in 2021. For fitness, I have begun daily spin bike cycling for 45-60 minutes a day, at least 6 days a week, and starting to supplement that with 3 days/week of weight training with dumbells. I am 3 weeks into this and already feel stronger and more energetic, and am sleeping better. I have arthritis starting to develop in some of my hand joints, and I feel that more regular playing will help keep that manageable, at least for a while. Looking forward to a more relaxed and sane 2021. Thanks to all of you for being my companions in my musical journey.
My 2021 Guitar journey goals are to maintain my hourly practice session and to sit for (after three years in grade three), my grade three exam.
Also, to continue to improve and enjoy the journey.
I have 2 goals – no 3-
1) relearn old repertoire so I can actually play a few pieces (hopefully in person) for friends this year
2) learn the fretboard (ie common chord progressions used in CG) all over the neck
3) work on pieces for grade 7
My goals are to accomplish Grades 3 & 4 this year.
The major techniques I want to become proficient at include fingering, fixed fingers, and slurs.
Play the practice routines 7, 8, 9, & 10 comfortably.
Play repertoire pieces of Grades 3 & 4 fluently in time.
Review left and right positions regularly and learn to play with less hand (both left & right) movement.
To play “Chaconne” Violin Partita No 2 in D minor just like Petra Palackova…all joking aside, I know it took her many many years of practice routine and gradual repertoire to accomplish any piece at her level. She has inspired me to focus on practice, exercise, routine and be the best I can be this year and what I play to play well. Happy New Year may all of you reach your goals.
My goal for this year is that in the end of 2021 I will play on a high level and feel really comfortable on that level.
My goal is the get good enough to even have a specific goal.
Right now I’m meeting my goal of practicing for 5 minutes most days.
I haven’t done that all year.
By the end of the year I’d like to be able to read and play (I have no idea when that lesson is supposed to happen). I don’t know how long it takes to get through these lessons, so I have no goals that involve lessons.
I would like to be able to play a Christmas carol that I like next December.
I have no idea how long that will take. I might not be able to play in 12 months.
I guess I can shoot for being half way there by June? So where should I be by March? So where should I be right now?
You made me laugh!!! How humble you are!
Many Thanks to you all of you at CGC for keeping me motivated.
I was going to do all sorts of things during my retirement ( 74 yrs old).
However, Progressive health issues, limitations of Coronavirus and limited amount of income now dictate my daily activities.
I am gradually losing hand dexterity, but most days I can practice simple tunes eg twinkle twinkle little star etc. So I have a purpose to get out of bed on a morning, pick up my guitar and play music I can enjoy. For those in a similar situation to myself I would suggest you make goals you can achieve. Music plus Life itself will then create some degree of contentment.
Take care,
Bob
Having identified that my playing stumbling blocks are mental rather than technical, my goal is to practise with mindful attention and take my ABRSM Diploma (UK) – having taken my last exam 40 years ago.
My music goal in 2020 is to complete Grade 4 and 5 CGC exams.
I know if I do this, I will have made progress towards improving my guitar skills.
My longer term goal is to be ready for when I retire and to be able to use music as a way of making every day so much more enjoyable.
Thanks to all at CGC for your dedication to us as students.
My first goal is to be able to present a short concert to friends or family of about half an hour. The level of the pieces will be around grade 4.
My second goal is to improve my technique so that I am able to perform with a better quality of sound.
My third goal is be able to play the grade 5 repertoire properly.
My goal is to be able to play mom’s favorite song “Halleluja” and to reach grade 4 by the end of the year.
My goal is to practice regularly and get to Grade 2 standard by the end of 2021. I need to work to improve my physical fitness as well in order to achieve this.
My musical goal for this year is to achieve a good grade five guitar standard by autumn and to be able to honestly call myself an ‘intermediate player’.
That is, someone who can play, preferably perform, a short (15-20 min) repertoire of pieces with some confidence and artistry.
The main stumbling blocks (or objectives) and areas for development are:
A. Mindful practice – regular and consistent, covering all important techniques, accurately identifying areas of weakness. Slow practice.
B. Music theory – enough to analyse and interpret pieces effectively.
C. Knowledge of the whole fretboard.
D. Overcoming performance anxiety.
E. Ensemble play – this will be impossible through the pandemic, but at least work on some duets, virtual or just overdubbing both parts.
F. General musical development – listening to a broader guitar repertoire (across musical periods, composers and performers). This year it will probably be mainly baroque – Bach, Sanz, Weiss etc. Period instruments vs. guitar; different arrangements and performers, appreciating the style, historical context etc.
I have seen this motto somewhere:
‘Don’t practice until you get it right, practice until you can’t get it wrong’
(I would love to be in that place with a handful of pieces! :-))
Happy New Year, Everyone!
Let it be C19-free soon…
Guitar goal for the year: a good 3-finger cross-string trill, and the ability to do other things with my thumb while I’m trilling it. That, and being able to turn on a video recorder without forgetting which hand the neck of the guitar belongs in.
My goal for 2021 is to complete Grade 4! + enjoy playing the repertoire learned so far.
My goals for this year are to stay focused on grade exam repertoire and improving my overall technique and tone production. I also plan to get into the habit of recording myself more often for practice purposes. I also plan to dabble more in composing and I would like to learn a piece or two by Estanislao Marco, a recently discovered composer/guitarist who was a student of F. Tarrega.
My goal is a nice tremolo technique and play “Recuerdos de la Alhambra”.
Goals, what a strange word for these changing times. All the ambitious, specific and measurable ones for 2020 in the end came down to only one, Stay healthy.
And that, my friends, will remain my main goal for 2021. This means in particular a focus on well-being where the self-time I am allowed will have to be spent wisely. Realistically, guitar will unfortunately not be a first priority in the juggle between chores at work and home, physical exercise and rest and the need to prioritise family and friends when possible in this new time of lockdowns and social distancing.
Anyway, some sort of guiding star for my musical journey is needed. For 2021 I would like to take the steps towards confident playing at grade 3 level. For now, I feel like I am halfway there, more or less, looking at the material I have studied. Probably, I even could get a passable but very nervous program together for the February submission, but, I’ll wait. This is meant to be for fun. Stressing it is not fun at all.
I also hope to be able to contribute in the forums with progress reports and videos and to participate to most if not all challenges during the year. That should help me in my quest of confidence on the instrument at my current level.
With that,
I wish all a happy and healthy 2021
Mats
My main goals are as follows:
1.Complete grade 8.
2. Focus on playing more expressively/creatively
3. Get into the habit of regularly composing/arranging
Good luck, everyone!
My goals are:
1. Practice composition and improvisation to develop a kinesthetic ability to apply music theory on the guitar in real time. Concepts will need to be very simple at first, but I hope to add a little complexity each day.
2. Learn and polish 4 of the Grade 8 pieces.
3. Continue working through duets with Armando.
4. Play in-person once this COVID madness finally ends (hopeful for 2021!).
This is a great topic. I put the guitar down for way too many years, to focus on my primary instrument, flute. Now I am thrilled to return and eager to start in a more structured and time-efficient way.
My major goal is to get enough “stability” and fluency to perform a few level 3-5 guitar/voice or other duos (my wife is a fine violinist). I want to be rock solid and able to support the other person! So I went back to the beginning (Level 1) and I am finding the exercises great to settle in and control those unruly fingers. Thanks to Simon, Dave and the others for putting this together!
I have three musical goals this year:
1. To complete the Music Theory Class from Udemy in which I enrolled.
2. To focus on improving my technique, the achievement of this goal will be measure by the passing of the Level 4 exam.
3. In addition to the pieces as part of the level 4 Exam, add the following songs to my repertoire –
— Bella Ciao as arranged by Giuseppe Torrisi
— Farewell by Sergio Assad
— Air BMV 1068 by Bach
I am really hoping and aiming to do at least one hour of practice everyday and my goal is to pass grade 1 and 2 exams. I am currently at the very beginning of grade 1 but as an absolute beginner I have no idea how realistic this goal is!
My 2021 musical goal would be to achieve CGCA Grade 2 submission and proceed onto Grade 3. Additionally, to gain as much finger independence in both hands would be good.
Ultimately, practicing 4-6 hours a day on both piano and guitar is also an achievable goal which I would like to pursue.
Goals for next 6 months
1. Maintain what technique I have, with 15-20 min practice 5 times per week. Using exercises from the CGC Practice Routines 16-18.
2. Learn and play 3 new pieces a) Home by Andrew York, b) Arrangement of Sinfonia 1st movement by Bach, c) TBD
3. Refresh memory of my favourites, 20-30 min 2 times per week
4. Spend 1 hour per week listening.
5. Spend 1 hour per week on the CGC web site…poking around.
Goals are so great! I sure do have a list, but I will keep it to five…
1. Learn two pieces out of the Grade 6 repertoire selections. Complete Practice Routine 14. Learn one Sagreras piece each month.
2. Continue teaching my daughter classical guitar and guide her through her first exam at a local guitar society (exam in May).
3. Learn a second duet with my daughter
4. Fingers crossed, play in-person for others once this year.
5. Reread three music books (Berg, Greene, and Klickstein)
I will also be adding a few extra disciplines to my daily practice regiment (mental practice, reflective practice, and performance practice).
OK, that should be plenty for me to chew on =)
Happy New Year!
I have simple goals this year…or difficult ones. I’m not sure.
1. Submit my grade 6 exam and play it with panache, élan and a deep and abiding sense of fun.
2. To internalize (in my fingers) the ability to play chords and scalar runs and play them without stopping to think what’s next.
3. To learn 1-7 of the Tisserand pieces that Dave is publishing.
That should keep me busy ;-)
Richard
As a new student, I hope to be able to finish the first grade in 2021. Since I like to hear the music of Léo Brouwer, I would like to practice on the Etude Simples nr 1, but at the pace of a beginning guitarist ;-)
My musical goal for 2021 is to establish weekly practice that will aid in playing scales, chords, and practice routines with fluidity.
This will be achieved by practicing a minimum of 4 days per week with each session lasting 1-2 hours.
OK, so here goes. Basically 2020 knocked me backwards and forced a total reset on every aspect of my life. So it forced me to put guitar playing on the backburner. I will revisit guitar practice with focused , short interval practice in 10 minute segments to achieve the following:
1) complete memorization of the Segovia scales(mostly done) and learn all modal scales in all positions (partly done)
2) memorization of all chords in all positions (partly done)
3) finish Juan Serrano’s Systematic flamenco studies book(halfway through)
4) finish Juan Serrano’s Concert Selections (previously completed, just revise)
5) complete Oscar Herrero’s book Flamenco Harmonies vol 1
6) improve picado to achieve at least 200bpm speed without errors
7) improve flamenco tremolo to play at a fast speed fluidly
8) Enroll in CGC and begin the program
I think that’s all for now. Thanks for reading!
Over recent months I recognise that I am not reaching the level of performance I would like with my repertoire. So my overall aim this year is to choose pieces that are stretching but not out of reach and to be able to play them exactly the way I want to.
To support this aim, I’ve so far set 4 main objectives (each is supported by specific goals and strategies):
– Improve basic techniques
– Learn new techniques and ways of problem solving
– Develop a better understanding of music (about styles, theory, analysis)
– Learn how to better ‘shape’ the pieces I play (e.g. with phrasing, voicing, dynamics, tone palette, vibrato)
I’m sure these will evolve as I review progress and set specific goals each week!
My goal is to work very hard this year, put in more hours of practice and hopefully continue to see results. Many best wishes to all in their endeavors.
For 2020 I said I’d practice every day for at least 20 minutes. For the first part of the year it went really well. I missed a handful of days and felt I was making progress towards submitting Grade 3. By the time the summer came it went completely pair shaped and my Grade 3 wasn’t good enough to submit. Let’s blame covid!
For 2021 I’m doing the same but tweaked.
1) Practice every day.
2) Make notes when I practice on what to work on during my next session.
3) Pass Grade 3.
4) Be on track to submit Grade 4 at start of 2022.
Happy New Year
I’ll be working on Grade 5 but probably won’t be ready to test this October. And a big list of refinements on my material.
Also I want to re-learn Dos Temas Populares Cubanos by Brouwer.
Being a college professor/administrator dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic has not increased my time with the guitar but has decimated most of this past year. I am set on getting back into regular practice again with this new year and, due to the past months, I am going back through the basics again to reestablish good habits before moving on.
2020 started out strong guitar-wise, but after Grade 2 submission and Guitoberfest, it went off the rails. I haven’t had much time to pick up the guitar since October. My only goal for now is to at least practice/play for 10 minutes a day.
Here is to a New and Better Year!!
My goals are:
– Submit for Grade 4 this Spring or Fall
– Play the Bach Largo BWV 1056 in a guitar/cello duet
– Attend 2021 Summer School (if it happens)
– Do all the challenges
– Continue with the Classical Guitar Performance Workshop I attend (online) weekly.
I have been a member of CGC for quite a while, but have been start/stop with regards to the curriculum and also have not taken advantage of the many amazing features of this site, namely the strong community and teaching staff.
My goals in 2021 are to engage more fully with the community, try to focus my playing and practice every day, try to make real progress by committing to the curriculum with exam submission starting at level I, and taking advantage of the expertise of the teachers by utilizing coaching calls, workshops, and participating in member challenges.
I’m very excited to see what 2021 brings on CGC!
Happy New Year to all…sorry it’s a bit late but better late than never. My musical goals for this year are as follows:
1. Learn the fret board.
2. Make sure to practice sight-reading as much as I can.
3. And most important of all, I love practicing and pushing myself. But recently I realized that I’m practicing and pushing myself constantly but not playing the pieces that I know how to play and enjoy. To put it succinctly make sure to spend time playing music and not just practicing music.
Stay healthy, stay positive, regards, to all. JR
Goals are tough….eat better, exercise more, drink less wine (that’s tough) but learn to accept that we live in “gift”.
I will submit Grade 1 in March. Build a repertoire which I know by heart. Finish the book “The Natural Classical Guitar” by Lee Ryan and continue to enjoy CGCA and my new guitar teacher.
Cheers everyone.
Tom
My 2021 goals:
1. Really (and I mean really) develop my listening skills being mindful of everything I do that is CG related.
2. Work through Grade 4 material with rigor and discipline – with emphasis on learning and being thorough.
3. Go back and refine (re-learn) Grade 2 and Grade 3 pieces so I can play them comfortably and confidently.
And most importantly, to enjoy the journey, and this wonderful community I am part of. I know I will be at a different place with my playing than I am at now.
My musical goals are as follow:
1. To continue practicing as I have for the last nine months
2. To improve my fingering and continue learning to read music. I had no prior training in this area and it has been an eye opening experience for me.
3. To play my first piece
4. To improve my practice time.
Olá a todos,meus objetivos para esse ano:1-decorar mais o repertório
2-trabalhar a técnica de modo a concertar vícios.
3-ler música melhor
4-fazer meus arranjos e melhorar os que já fiz
5-ter uma prática constante e organizada.
Grades 4 and 5
My 2021 goal is to graduate Grade 1. and get deep into Grade 2. Thank you all for your comments. My career work load doubled in 2020 so it has been hard to keep up.