Absolutely Pallas! I'm sorry if I caused you some discomfort. All in good jest I assure you!
The Sight Reading Progress Thread
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All right, my last video was somewhat tongue in cheek. But this time I decided to get a little more serious about it and use material that I can handle - somewhat 
The sheet music is freely available so here's a link.
I'm not sure if the 3rd exercise is considered cheating, but usually with a new rhythm I need to get the feel for it before I am able to count properly... so I included that in the video. It's also the first time I used a tablet - and... ok. First time I actually practised sight-reading as such 
BartK Maybe I should try to clarify what I meant by not always prioritising steady tempo when reading. We all have different backgrounds and struggle with different things. My point was to keep the practice material at a level where you are slightly challenged and out of your comfort zone regarding your weakest skill. Something else will probably have to give a little if you are really trying to be at that optimum challenge point that requires almost all your focus. If it is difficult to clap the rhythm along with a slowly ticking metronome disregarding pitch, that should definitely be practiced. If it is difficult to read pitches or chords disregarding rhythm, that should likewise be practiced in my mind. Same with articulation and dynamics. The material where you can do it all will naturally have to be easier than the practice material that more effectively grows your abilities.
If you are playing with others or in an examination / performance situation the priorities are of course different. Thus practicing sight-reading for those situations would also be different than practicing to read piano music at all. Like you, in that case I would absolutely prioritise timing, dynamics and articulation way over getting every single note in and, when applicable, with good intonation. But knowing how to simplify is an art in itself and requires being able to read the "big picture". A beginner will first have to learn to read at all.
Many adult beginners have played other instruments or sang in choirs before starting piano and are already relatively experienced music readers. For me personally, after decades of playing the clarinet, my rhythm reading is many levels more solid than say my instant chord recognition. Looking at your example, I don't need to analyse the rhythms, like "Oh that's an eighth note on the downbeat followed by a triplet during the next eighth." As children where I grew up we were taught to read rhythms using some variant of the takedimi approach and I still often think in similar terms. That means that for me the rhythm of the first beat would already be chunked into a "daa-di-di-di" unit in my brain and it would take a minimum amount of effort to read it and leave plenty of head space to add the pitches of the monophonic melodies in the (also already chunked) keys of a minor or d major.
Mathematically there is only a limited number of ways you could subdivide a beat into tones and rests, assuming the classical musical standard of dividing primarily at the halves, quarters, eighths, thirds or sixths and sometimes fifths, sevenths, ninths or twelves. Other subdivisions will be much more rare. With enough practice or exposure, all the common ones (including everything in your example) will be chunked in your memory and read effortlessly. At least that is my experience. But add some harmony or polyphony to your example and I would struggle a lot to keep in time without skipping anything because of the sheer number of notes and that I don't yet have all chords chunked in my mind to nearly the same level as I do rhythms, and might have to actually read individual pitches. And I don't yet hear most chords in my inner ear the way I do melodies and rhythms just by looking at the sheet music. If reading the simultaneous pitches is my biggest struggle, that is where I'll focus my attention for now. And that is the reason I'd slow down the tempo if it gets tricky, even when I have no problem clapping the rhythm on its own.
If I were reading as a first step of actually learning the piece, not to practice reading per se on "discardable" material, I would normally divide the piece into such short segments that I could make sure to be able to practice them each correctly in rhythm - if necessary at a very slow tempo to begin with. Not saying that I would then always practice in correct rhythm. There could be times when I would deliberately alter the rhythm in order to work e g on speed bursts with the goal of eventually being able to perform at a faster tempo.
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Pallas I wish I could
sight-read at all in kindergarten!
I could spell my name though... I was adamant it was spelled O I A.
But yeah I definitely wish sometimes that people were a little less harsh or judgmental. There is no reason why anyone's piano journey should be less enjoyable or more stressful than it needs to be! Even if you consider making it your career someday!
candela A beginner will first have to learn to read at all.
That is basically where I place myself at this stage 
Lol right on, my girl!
Okay, my next take.
The first attempt was a disaster, the second one a bit better.
Twelve days of practice and still feeling like a toddler. 
Actually, I'm impressed... Even my Alfred book hasn't introduced three flats yet - though it's only two pieces away now. And we're talking the last part of the second book... not really "super beginner's" stuff any longer. I was mentally reading along with you and I don't think I could have played that as "well" as you did.
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Sophia Thank you very much. The problem is that my sight-reading book is going forward too quickly. I started with grade 2, and now I am at grade 3 (last third of book). I can only repeat the easier stuff again and again. Or going forward. The problem about repeating: it isn't sight-reading anymore if you repeat it too often.
Maybe I should get some more books at the easier grade.
Anyway, I am done with sight-reading for today. There is a lot of blues to discover. I am done with the first half of the first lesson of the easy course. And it is more fun than sight-reading, tbh.
Edit: You proposed this John Thompson's EASIEST PIANO COURSE. (I like it if the title says "easy"). I guess I will print and bind it now. Thank you for the link 
Edit 2 (15 minutes later 
):
Looks weird with landscape binding but it is what it is. And it sits niceky on the music rest.
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Haha those are the one I just recorded! I'm trying it with a tablet... which is a new experience for me but seemed to work well. I think because of the landscape format!
Off topic to this thread:
I started lesson 5 of the blues course today. I'm liking the sixths! Weirdly enough I assumed that was some grueling rhythm to learn, but it turns out it's just keeping your hands so far apart and bong bong bong, away you go. ! Yeah, I'll continue this conversation in the blues thread but you mentioned it first <
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I can read through beginner pieces with few mistakes.
Referring to the example above, looks like it’s coming from a more advance piece but an “intermediate” learner like myself can learn it. Reading the first time NO but after a repeats isn’t too bad. Here the LH plays repeated C-chord with the octave note on top which isn’t too bad. The RH plays 2 lines together can throw some people off. I’d learn when notes come in and which ones need to hold longer whiles others are playing. Having some suggested fingerings is helpful.
Playing is not only reading notes but getting through awkward fingerings. Beginner pieces the LH & RH parts tend to be more predictable & simpler. The fingerprints are straightforward.
I’m sure some can read advance pieces the first time with very few mistakes.
WieWaldi Especially the 2nd half of the book was really nice to play.
Wow, good for you!!!! I haven't even proceeded to the next piece yet ^_^ But then again I never promised to sight-read DAILY, lol. I'm sure glad I made a start with it though and I look forward to proceed in the book even more now!
No, I never did any exams. I'm terrible at taking exams and don't want the stress.
This is from the RCM Four Star Sight Reading book, level 10. They have these rhythm exercises that you have to tap while keeping a steady beat. I tap along the metronome and once I got the rhythm then I play the actual notes.
