I disagree with this approach, but I wish you good luck. Different approaches work for different people.
I use to play hannon. Nowadays, I get a way with not being assigned scales and appeggios by my teacher (or any "technical" work not specific to the pieces I am learning). Although, I think some of her other students are asked to do these things. They are especially useful if you are a beginner and get lost easily within the key.
Anyway, I would like to say (again) why I disapprove of hannon. Perhaps try to say it in a more positive way then just trying to beat it down (again).
So, my story is this :-
I'm learning to sing as well as to play the piano. I have two teachers, one for each and I started both slightly more than two years back. Both are progressing really well. At first I thought that the basic principles one should adopt in learning how to sing, and learning to play the piano are different, but now realise that they are the same, and should be the same for any instrument. What I'm trying to say is that the technical difficultes are different but the approach to learning each instrument is the same.
I will tell you how it's done with singing, because it's easier to explain, and more obvious. A method that many teachers use is called bel canto. In bel canto, the teacher has to listen very carefully to how you sing, i.e. your tone production and decide where the problems might be -- breathing, approximation of your vocal chords, keeping the sound in the mask.
She then has to try to convey to you how to make the correct sound, but demonstaring or describing something or gesturing. My teacher used to make funny gesters during the lesson, and somehow this made sense, and was able to get me to make a better sound. This happens (and is still happening) every week and in the process I slowly start acquiring good habits. My sound tone production and support is getting more consistent. I have also realised that I now have a better idea of what a good sound should be.
The reason why singing is more difficult to convey is because the muscles and movments are internal, you cannot see how to do this, but instead have to hear and imagine the right thing, adjusting accordingly.
After learning for sometime, I realised that my piano teacher was doing the same thing.
1. Basically to study an instrument, no matter what instrument, the first thing you need to do is be able to identify the correct sound required for the piece. The most important thing is to listen -- understand the type of sound required.
2. The second thing to do is learn the technique to produce this sound consistently. In piano this is "easier" in that you can see the movements. Each piece is slightly different, each composer has different requirements and each period requires a completely different sound.
3. After doing this, and studying the musicality of the piece, the final step is to prepare yourself psycologically for a performance. To do so you have know the technique so well that you can forget about it and concentrate in bringing out and controlling the music.
These are the three things I concentrate on when practicing. I consider all of this technique, not just no. 2.
So how does hannon come in? The thing with hannon, is that it only address one part, if at all. The movement. Even so, it does not tell you what movement you require. In some sense, hannon has no specific sound -- they are just notes. For example, if you play appeggios in a bach piece, this requires a completely different movement from appeggios in a debussy piece.
Hannon basically teaches you where the notes are. That is important to know. It does not teach you how to produce the correct sound for each composer, period and piece. For that you will have to learn and practice the work of the composer. (A good teacher is essential.)
Apart from the danger with movement as you have mentioned, there are two other important things that you might want to worry about. Hannon encourages bad listening habits. That is because it is so boring, when I play hannon I stop listening to the kind of sound that I am making and just play the notes. In the first place, I don't even have a kind of sound in mind.
The final thing is that it encourages you to "switch off". I use to think that this is want you want to achieve -- "zen state" where your fingers just run about the keyboard, and you can think of some thing else... go on autopilot. Unfortunately, I have learnt that this is the total opposite of what I should be doing .
My teacher performs regularly and she says that the most important thing when performing is that you concentrate on bringing out the music, and not let your mind wonder. I complained about getting nervouse and distracted and thus not being about to concentrate and she said something that I think is very interesting. You have to use your will to convey the music, you have to want it so much that the music just flows out. It's very difficult to do that with hannon simply because what you are playing is so uninteresting.
I would also like to hear the outcome of this experiment and if you do end up think hannon does actually does you good, exactly why it does. I do believe that you know what you are doing, and are not just some kid who does this because their teacher asks them to. (with the teacher not know exactly why hannon works, except that they were taught using hannon and therefore must make their students do the same.) For you, at worst it could be an incredible waste of time.
Anyway, I have said my peace. At your level, you should know what you're doing. Good luck with it.
Topic: The Last Hanon Thread, Ever, Really (I mean it)