Workshops

Learn what I think are the most important things to keep in mind when practicing any instrument. Hint: it's not time spent in the practice room! And it doesn't involve metronomes. This workshop will focus on manageable goal setting and using goals accomplished as a measure of success for any practice session. We'll also be talking about un-layering and layering in order to make problem solving easier. Participants will discover how smart and capable they are at solving any problem in the practice room.

Most musicians do not have an organized way to learn a new piece of music. Learn about my 3 stage method which gets you through the note-learning stage quickly and encourages musicians at all stages to make musical decisions earlier on in the process. This process provides a way to feel in control of the whole process rather than feeling like you're at the mercy of the music or of your technical abilities.

​Once the notes for a piece of music is learned there are lots of specific ways we can practice to keep improving that goes beyond mindless repetition. Learn some ways to inject curiosity and musicality into repetitions to keep the brain, ears, and body engaged and discover how you can bring pieces up to speed easily and musically without using the one-notch-up-on the metronome method. 

Many people think that either you can or can't sightread and that there's no way to improve. And if you do want to improve you're told to "just do it" everyday. I'll share with you a set of skills that you can work on within your regular practicing and playing that can improve not only your sightreading but also your overall musicianship. I often equate this sneaky maneuver to teachers like the one parents do to get their kids to eat more fruits and veggies. Brownies, anyone?

Understanding rhythm and meter is the skill that makes most musicians feel insecure but it's one of the most important skills to keep developing, especially if you want to make music with others. Learn or brush up on the basics of rhythm and meter and learn some strategies for becoming your own rhythm section without relying on metronomes as the only solution. 

After all the hard work we put into learning music, we want our performances to feel good and to be enjoyable for audience yet so often our anxiety can overshadow our time on stage. Learn some tips on how to prepare for performances in the weeks prior, how to deal with the day of a performance, and how to walk on stage with more confidence, ready to deliver music and ourselves to the audience.

So often pianists don't think they are good enough to accompany or collaborate with other musicians but I believe more pianists can do it than are currently. Or they think they need a collaborative piano degree to engage in this work. I don't believe either are true. Accompanying is a really important skill and gift pianists can use to support musicians in the community, whether it's playing for a church or school choir, music theater productions, dance classes, or studio recitals. I'll give curious pianists some tips and skills to work on to open up this field of music-making which can open the door for pianists to use those skills in a social setting and as another way to make some money at the same time.