J. S. Bach's Little Preludes: The Gateway to Baroque Mastery
New for 2020-2021
Bach’s 18 Little Preludes, too rarely taught and performed, offer an unparalleled window into Bach’s own pedagogy. Each one concerns itself with a specific challenge of technique, touch, style, or character – in a setting so beautiful that the students are meant to enjoy the struggle, as they prepare to tackle the great masterpieces of the Baroque Era. This talk will present the Preludes and discuss their stylistic and technical features, as well as offering suggestions for teaching them. Period performance practice, ornamentation, improvisation and pedaling with be considered.
Decoding the Bach Inventions
While we teachers often treat the Inventions as mere finger exercises, they are much more than that. Bach wrote them for his own sons to teach, yes, finger independence, but, above all, compositional and contrapuntal techniques. Each one is a little gem, with surprises, puzzles and jokes just waiting to be discovered.
Ferruccio Busoni's Bach: The Birth of Modern Performance Practice
This talk explores Busoni's influence on how we play and teach the works of J. S. Bach from several perspectives by comparing the various transcriptions of Bach's Chaconne in D Minor; discussing Busoni's understanding of trochaic vs. iambic rhythms and how these shape interpretations; looking at Busoni's editions of Inventions, Sinfonias and the Well-Tempered Clavier, which are still relevant and immensely helpful to today's teachers and students.
UPCOMING LECTURES
10/06/2020 Lecture and Masterclass, The Piano League
10/2020 "J. S. Bach's Little Preludes: The Gateway to Baroque Mastery.", ISMTA State Convention
10/26/2020 "J. S. Bach's Little Preludes: The Gateway to Baroque Mastery.", SSMTA
11/12/2020 "J. S. Bach's Little Preludes: The Gateway to Baroque Mastery.", Naperville MTA
11/13/2020 Teaching the Roberta Savler Competition Repertoir, CAMTA
11/19/2020 "J. S. Bach's Little Preludes: The Gateway to Baroque Mastery.", Salk Creek MTA
01/18/202` "J. S. Bach's Little Preludes: The Gateway to Baroque Mastery.", Fox Hills MTA
02/22/2021 "J. S. Bach's Little Preludes: The Gateway to Baroque Mastery.", North Shore MTA
03/12/2021 "J. S. Bach's Little Preludes: The Gateway to Baroque Mastery.", Chicago Area MTA
03/22/2021 "J. S. Bach's Little Preludes: The Gateway to Baroque Mastery.", SS MTA
RECENT LECTURES
7/20/2020 "Decoding the Inventions" and "J. S. Bach's Little Preludes: The Gateway to Baroque Mastery." The Children's Academy/Lake Michigan Music
01/18/2020 "Psychology of Practice and Performance", Sala Bellini, Catania, Italy
11/25/2019 "Decoding the Inventions" , NWSMTA, Rolling Meadows, IL
11/08/2019 "Teaching the Savler Competition Repertoire", CAMTA, PianoForte Studios
11/21/2019 "Teaching the Competition Repertoire", NWSMTA, Rolling Meadows
03/25/2019 "Decoding the Inventions" , North Shore MTA, Winnetka
11/26/2018 "Decoding the Inventions" , South Suburban MTA, South Holland
11/15/2018 "Decoding the Inventions" , Salt Creek MTA, Elmhurst
11/09/2018 "Decoding the Inventions" , Naperville MTA
10/26/2018 "Decoding the Inventions" , Illinois State Conference, ISMTA, De Kalb
10/12/2018 "Decoding the Inventions" , Chicago Area MTA
10/08/2018 "Decoding the Inventions" , Fox Hills MTA , Crystal Lake, IL
11/26/2018 "Decoding the Inventions" , Wheaton MTA
02/19/2018 "Ferruccio Busoni's Bach" , NWSMTA. Rolling Meadows
02/08/2018 "Psychology of Practice and Performance" , Naperville MTA
11/27/2017 "Ferruccio Busoni's Bach" , North Shore MTA
11/03/2017 "Ferruccio Busoni's Bach" , ISMTA State Convention
09/21/2017 "Ferruccio Busoni's Bach" , West Suburban MTA
12/03/2016 "Ferruccio Busoni' as Pianist" BBC Radio
01/07/2016 "Psychology of Practice and Performance", West SuburbanMTA
12/13/2015 "Teaching the Savler Competition Repertoire", CAMTA,
10/19/2015 "Psychology of Practice and Performance", NWSMTA
01/15/2015 " Fairy Godmothers, Mysterious Rites, and Irresistible fruit: Russian 20th century ballet music", Salt Creek MTA
01/08/2015 " Fairy Godmothers, Mysterious Rites, and Irresistible fruit: Russian 20th century ballet music", Naperville MTA
03/26/2014 " Fairy Godmothers, Mysterious Rites, and Irresistible fruit: Russian 20th century ballet music", MTNA National Convention
11/26/2012 "Psychology of Practice and Performance", Tainan Music Teachers Association, Taiwan
11/03/2012 "Psychology of Practice and Performance", Mississippi Music Teachers Association Convention