• Most programs that help us become better musicians do not help us become better pianists. Much of what is known about developing healthy and efficient technical skills is not available at many music departments or summer programs.
• Some programs help with technical skills but not with beautiful and tasteful playing.
• Most programs do not help musicians perform according to their potential. As a matter of fact, both crippling performance anxiety and lack of technical ability are often seen as indications that a pianist is not capable of surviving the "real world."
• Many programs that help people become good pianists (or at least good musicians) do not help them become effective teachers.
• Most programs ignore the role of awareness of one's posture and body movement in playing the piano.

• In lessons, we help you achieve your musical goals by analyzing whether the impediment is musical or physical. Instructors draw upon their considerable education and experience to provide musical instruction. If you understand the idea but cannot produce the sound for technical reasons, we have the expertise to help you with that.
• If your practice or performance mindset is getting in the way of you fulfilling your potential, we give you assignments to help address that. Anonymous evaluations reveal that some participants feel that scheduled mindset readings and discussions are sometimes — to their surprise! — the most helpful aspects of the entire program.
• We use our knowledge of learning styles not only to try to reach you well, but also to help you teach yourself well when you practice. Then we use that knowledge to help you process information better.
• Scheduled bodywork helps you learn how to sit and move well at the piano — and the tools you learn in bodywork sessions is reinforced in your lessons.

SKILLS

In The Well-Balanced Pianist programs, participants learn

• a balance between ebb and flow in musical expression.
• the ability to make many different sounds, to evoke the whole range of human emotion.
• a toned, lively balance in movement between tension and relaxation.
• a way of practicing that takes cues from the body's best movement and alignment in order to connect with the piano and the music.
• a happy, contented mental balance that doesn't veer from feeling driven on one extreme, and not caring on the other.
• a focused, peaceful concentration in practice and focused, energized concentration in performance.
• how to best teach themselves and their students

• replacing the desire to interpret a piece of music "right" with the desire to bring that piece of music to life.
• replacing the need to be technically "good" with the desire to experience free, toned, flowing movement.
• replacing the desire for "perfection" with the desire for honesty in movement, listening, and communication.
• replacing competition between students with supportive, interactive learning in partner groups.
• replacing the need to whip ourselves into shape with learning to cooperate with our bodies and minds in the way they work best.
• replacing the need to whip our students into shape with the desire to teach them in the way their bodies and minds work best.
• replacing participants' fear of their teachers with supportive feedback and compassion.

"The interactive joining of minds in the partner groups greatly increases the speed of learning."

"The Performance Mindset master class was great, extremely creative."

"The Memory and Learning Styles workshop was a near-epiphany."

"I really appreciate the positive, energetic environment that you have created."

"I feel so much more aware of my body and my hands, and I also have grown in confidence!"

"This program showed me I could learn in a different, more fun way, gave me specific tools to change to a positive mindset, that I was getting in the way of my own progress."