Journal

Awadagin Pratt CCM Master Courses

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 01:17:06 -0500

Awadagin Pratt has put together a fabulous homage to Franz Liszt during this 200th anniversary of his birth: a 2-week immersion course in advanced piano studies.
As part of this Master Course, I will be presenting a modified version of the DPS workshop Level I, including Learning with a Keyboard, discussions about Stage Fright and Meditation and Mental/Emotional Practicing.
For those who attend this session, they will be considered having attended a Level I DPS, and will be eligible to attend DPS Level II.

More information can be requested for the moment by writing to Pratt at awadagin.pratt@uc.edu. Or by contacting me (click on Apply/Contact above).

Downers Grove, IL October 8-11, 2010

Fri, 8 Oct 2010 13:53:22 -0400

Thanks to everyone who made the DPS in Downers Grove possible - Sung Hoon Mo, who helped coordinate the various resources, and sent a student; Steinway of Downers Grove for opening their space for us for the entire weekend; Cornelius and Inah Chiu for opening up their home so that we could cook in a residential setting.
The group was very diverse, which is how I really like it: Professors, Amateurs and Undergrad students. All have their perspective to share, beyond just their personal differences.
As usual, a Scarlatti Sonata served as the piece to learn without using the keyboard. The work provided great mental stimulus and challenges, and also brought out the real benefit of working in a group for the first time doing this kind of exercise - peer pressure keeps you focused and on track!
The cooking was particularly good this time, as we had a couple of experienced “chefs” in the mix. Personal culinary secrets were shared and sometimes hidden, but all had an excellent meal in the end, on both nights.
Despite all the driving, due to a last minute change of venue, the group had a good time and did good work. Thanks so all of you for throwing yourself into the experience, with good humor and enthusiasm.

Butler University Pedagogy Seminar

Sat, 18 Sep 2010 13:57:30 -0400

The opportunity to combine teaching and performing should occur more often, but it doesn’t. The Pedagogy Seminar at Butler University was one of these occasions, and I enjoyed fully the chance to play a full recital, give a masterclass and present a lecture on Emotional Practicing, drawn from the work done at DPS workshops.
Emotional Practicing can take place at any moment, which is one of the most liberating aspects of the DPS approach to working. Exploring this topic and defining the terms of Emotional Practicing requires first understanding that practicing is an activity that can and should be divided generally into three separate areas - Body, Mind and Heart.

MTNA Conference Albuquerque, NM

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 14:02:15 -0400

Even though it was the very end of the Conference, with the bulk of the attendees having already left the evening before or taking off to the airport early in the morning, the attendance at the Presentation on “Stage Fright: A different approach” was packed - standing room only!
Stage Fright is obviously a topic that touches everyone. It requires a special kind of practicing - Emotional Practicing - that is not done at the keyboard, are not even done with the score. It is a delicate process that feeds on itself. The key is understanding the difference between doing and observing.
Yamaha generously offered a scholarship to an upcoming DPS workshop, based on a blind drawing. Thank you to all who attended and who participated in the drawing!

Préfailles, France July 18-20, 2010

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:01:54 -0500

I’m very excited to be putting together a DPS in France, with the help of friends who run a summer music festival, the Musicales de Préfailles. This is a beautiful little village on the Atlantic coast in the Loire-Atlantique region. I’ve spent many summers in this region, having organized and played in a chamber music festival across the delta in St. Nazaire.
The workshop will take simultaneously to the festival, so participants will be able to do the Deeper Piano Studies work during the day, make dinner, and attend the many concerts of the festival.
The festival itself starts on Saturday July 17, and runs through the following weekend. I will be performing a recital myself on Tuesday July 20, after a long day of DPS and possibly 3 days without practicing. This will be the ultimate test of the DPS method!

Please follow the Calendar link above to get more information.