Rhythmic Integrity

It goes without saying that rhythm is one of the few 'non-negotiable' concepts in music...(the other being the actual pitches themselves). The composer expects us to execute the patterns exactly as he indicated. Working with a metronome is an expected standard, but many students unwittingly ignore that pulse. It really helps to record yourself without a metronome and then listen back WITH a metronome to see if your 'internal metronome' is up to par. Subdivision is your best friend: feeling the middle of the beat is essential to exact placement of faster figures. Students frequently rush when they are nervous, which causes a whole cascade of technical issues.  Subdivision can give added technical security which will curb the tendency to rush.