Piano practice

I mentioned in my above post that I am taking piano lessons.  I am booked in to do my grade one piano exam on the 13 Nov 09.  Its getting closer and I really need to knuckle down and practice.  You probably think, big whoop its only grade one, but it will be a big achievement for me.  Being a stay at home mum, I really wanted to keep my mind active and alert with something that might some day be a career thing.  Not sure how far I will go with that, but its a thought.

I decided it might be a good idea
to keep a log of how many hours that I have been practising. Yesterday I did around 50 minutes practice, but toward the end I had my son sitting on my lap and as much as I dont like to discourage him from playing the piano, it really is difficult to work with him there, but I got a good 50 mins straight without interuption.


The technical things I need to do are as follows:
Scales : C, D, G, A Majors
             C, D, G, A Harmonic Minors

Contrary motion C, A, G

Broken chords: C, A

Chromatics: C, G

I have to play three pieces as well.  The pieces that I have chosen to do are Skachka, Les plaintes d'une poupee (The complaints of a doll), and Light blue, from the AMEB series 15 booklet. 
I enjoy playing these pieces, when I get them right.  I must admit they are quite tricky even if they are only grade one pieces.  The one great hurdle that I am finding hard to overcome is the fact that I am only using a keyboard to practice on.  When I do my lessons, they are on a proper piano, and the exam will have to be done on a piano as well.  Playing keyboard and playing a piano are worlds apart.  I don't have anywhere that I can go to practice on a real piano, so that is a worry over my head, and the second hurdle is that when I get nervous my hands shake a lot.  I have no idea how I am going to control that when I am in the exam.  Hopefully I can find something that can calm the nerves or at least disguise them.  Praying perhaps.........anyway enough yapping, better get and do practicing for today.