Professional Development
The Creativity at the Piano course in Vienna encourages you to join as a teacher participant-observer. Sessions will be together with students every morning at Musikquartier, June 24-28.
Here are some questions you may have about exploring Creativity with students, and we will provide ideas and resources:
• Where to start? How do I include composition in my piano teaching?
• Do I have the skills to teach composition?
• What else can I offer besides composition?
• How do I help students find their creative voice?
• What am I expecting from students when they start composing?
It's important to remember that encouraging students to compose is not the same as a theory lesson. Most of these sessions will provide you with ideas for guiding and encouraging students to follow their own ideas at the piano. So much can be learned about how a student relates to the piano with these activities, and the student often finds a renewed interest in playing piano in the process.
Improvisation/Composition sessions will be at 10:00 am each morning. As with any creative endeavor there may be overlap, jumping ahead, and retracing of steps in each session, but this provides a general structure for what will be introduced.
Monday - Improvisation with movement patterns
Tuesday - Improvisation with intervals (building on movement patterns)
Wednesday - Transitioning to composition: pitfalls and strategies
Thursday - Working with forms: when is the piece finished?
Friday - Showcasing our work, final questions and new ideas
In the 11:00 am sessions Kathryn Woodard will introduce movement topics that relate to performance, attention and creativity.
Monday - Finding a sitting stance, understanding core support
Tuesday - Mapping and using the whole arm
Wednesday - Identifying further mapping issues specific to each participant
Thursday - Applying these lessons to practice: retraining attention for practice and performance
Friday - Showcasing our work, resources for further study
The cost of each hour-long session for teachers is €20. Pay for individual sessions each day or €160 in advance for the week (a 20% discount). You will end the week with numerous new strategies and resources to apply in your teaching!
If you are familiar with the city of Vienna, you will have plenty of time to explore on your own. If this is your first time traveling to the city or to Central Europe, we will help you plan your trip and you are welcome to join the planned excursions and guided tours. You will also have the opportunity to book practice rooms at Musikquartier.
Whether you are accompanying your students or traveling on your own, please fill out the interest form below to reserve a spot in these special sessions. the interest form below. We look forward to hosting you in Vienna!
The photos below show the results of working with a student exactly as described in the video clip.
