Monthly Checkpoints
Month 1 End Checkpoint — Stabilize
Anchor song: Sweet Home Chicago / Early Blues 12-Bar Laboratory
Monthly question: Can I stay grounded, hear the form, feel the groove, and contribute one clear thing?
Definitions of Done — Month 1:
Primary instrument:
- Can navigate the 12-bar form at 60–80 BPM without losing place, three times in a row
- Has a stable groove — tempo does not rush at chord changes
- Can use one triad texture as support (not just a memorized chord shape — as a support function)
- Has one motif (two to four notes) that fits in a natural pause without disrupting the groove
- Can map one chorus with Aim, Route, and Complete before playing it
- Has a recorded Month 1 study version
Secondary instrument:
- Can play through the 12-bar form with the simplest available texture (roots only or muted pulse)
- Does not lose the form under normal practice conditions
Month 1 readiness check before proceeding to Month 2:
If the following are true, proceed to Month 2:
- You can play through 12 bars at slow tempo three consecutive times without major disruption
- You know by feel whether you are in bars 1–4, 5–8, or 9–12
- Your Month 1 recording shows at least one clear deliberate choice (a space, a motif, a specific texture)
If the following are true, spend one or two more weeks in Stabilize:
- Every chorus still surprises you with where the changes land
- You can only finish a chorus by counting every bar aloud
- Adding any second element (e.g., a fill) immediately disrupts your time
Month 2 End Checkpoint — Vary
Anchor song: Blue Monk / Jazz-Blues Variation Laboratory
Monthly question: Can I change one dimension at a time without losing groove, form, or purpose?
Definitions of Done — Month 2:
Primary instrument:
- Can execute support role and answer role as distinct and audible choices in the same session
- Can place a rhythm cell in three positions: on-beat, anticipated, stopped
- Can voice-lead between I, IV, and V chord shells (piano) or functional triads (guitar)
- Has one motif developed in three rhythmic variations
- Can record a two- or three-chorus route with an audible energy progression
- Has a recorded Month 2 study version
Secondary instrument:
- Can execute the simplest Month 2 variation task: one role change within a chorus
Month 3 End Checkpoint — Adapt
Anchor song: The Thrill Is Gone / Minor Blues and Arranged Electric-Blues Laboratory
Monthly question: Can I choose what the music needs and shape a full performance or arrangement arc?
Definitions of Done — Month 3:
Primary instrument:
- Can navigate a minor blues form with stable feel and form
- Can make PDC-level arrangement decisions (which Internal Band member leads each section) and explain them
- Can play three density levels (sparse, medium, full) as intentional choices, not accidents
- Can design a fill as a composition — beginning, development, landing — and execute it
- Has a complete capstone recording (Capstone A and Capstone B)
- Has a written capstone reflection (Capstone C — one page minimum)
Spaced Repetition Schedule
Every skill in this tracker should return for review. This schedule prevents skills from being learned once and then forgotten.
| Timeline | Action |
|---|---|
| End of each week | Mark current levels for all skills practiced that week |
| Day 3 after first exposure to a new skill | Try it again from memory, without the drill description |
| End of Month 1 | Review all Month 1 skills — anything below Level 3 gets additional sessions in Month 2 |
| End of Month 2 | Review all Month 1 and Month 2 skills — check for regression |
| Week 12 | Complete the full semester skill table — this is your Semester 2 starting point |
| First week of Semester 2 | Revisit the Month 3 capstone recordings with fresh ears |
Semester 1 Completion Criteria
Semester 1 is complete when all of the following are true:
Recordings:
- Twelve weekly recordings exist (one per week, minimum)
- Month 1 anchor-song study version recorded
- Month 2 anchor-song study version recorded
- Month 3 anchor-song study version recorded
- Capstone A (primary instrument) recorded
- Capstone B (secondary instrument) recorded
Skill levels:
- Form navigation (primary instrument): Level 4 or above
- Blues Root as felt foundation: Level 4 or above
- One rhythm cell in musical use: Level 4 or above
- PDC role choice and explanation: Level 3 or above
- TPS major triad as support: Level 4 or above
- SHAPE: one motif in musical use: Level 3 or above
- CAS-ARC: one chorus mapped: Level 3 or above
Reflection:
- Capstone C (written reflection) complete — at least one page
- Semester 2 seed notes written (ideas, goals, and questions for next semester)
Semester 2 Seed Notes
At the end of each month, write ideas that are interesting but intentionally deferred. This protects Semester 1 focus while preserving creative curiosity. Semester 2 planning starts here.
Month 1 deferrals:
Month 2 deferrals:
Month 3 deferrals:
Top three Semester 2 priorities (fill in at end of Week 12):