In 2026 Sessions I & II are not contiguous. A specially extended Session I will have seven full teaching days for nine days in total. After the 1-week break, Session II will have the usual five full teaching days, seven days in total.
Come work with Alan Fraser on a variety of fine Steinway pianos:
Each institute has:
Although attending an entire session offers you the best chance of obtaining maximum results, you are not obliged to attend all days. Our new streamlined registration process allows you to specify exactly what days, and in what capacity, you will attend.
Please bring all the repertoire you are working on at the moment. As a minimum we suggest you bring at least one piece in each of these three categories:
The Institute promises a breakthrough in your piano playing. Piano Somatics offers new insights into possible "technical upgrades" no matter what your past pianistic experience. If you are hesitant to attend, or feel that you may not be advanced enough, or not well-enough prepared, fear not! Alan works effectively with all pianists, no matter what their background, their ability, or the state of their program. Working on a relatively new and un-seasoned program, for instance, offers the chance to develop new practice habits before old ones have been firmly entrenched. The Institute really is open to all interested pianists:
There is no limit to improvement!
OPEN TO NON-PIANISTS
Instrumentalists and vocalists are also welcome to attend the institute: Fraser's application of Feldenkrais ideas to musical performance works equally well no matter what your instrument.
MIAMI U & OTHER DISCOUNTS
Students and staff of the Miami U. Faculty of Music are welcome to audit the institute at no charge, and receive a 40% discount on individual lesson fees.
ARRIVAL & ONSITE REGISTRATION
Your registration packets will be distributed at the opening gathering Sunday evening when we will meet in the MacCracken Hall lounge for refreshments (6 pm), a meal together (7 pm) and the opening session (8 pm). In a pre-institute email we will be asking you for the name and number of a person to contact in case of an emergency, and if you are driving to the institute, we will be giving you instructions on booking on-campus parking.
This typical schedule will be modified according to the makeup and needs of the group.
In the seminar-ATPM, Alan begins by lecturing on a topic, then fields some questions about the material, and then creates an Awareness Through Piano Movement lesson that grows out of that lecture's focus.
Each day can be attended in its entirety, but also also free to take a break, rest or practice. All sessions are recorded and made available for future reference.
Please note that the air conditioning in Room 222 sometimes works rather too well. We try our best to get the adminstration to regulate it, but bring a sweater just in case - be prepared for a rather cold room.
The question period in each seminar is a chance to take the discussion in a whole new direction, for instance, to a topic covered in some past institute. Is there a topic in the chart below of special concern to you? Make a note to bring it up with Alan in one of the seminars.
Located in south west Ohio in between Cincinnati and Dayton, Oxford is well within driving distance of several Midwest cities.
Here is the location of Presser Hall at Miami University, Oxford: Note: Parking passes are available for all dormitory and conference center residents at no cost.
NEAREST AIRPORTS: DAYTON, CINCINNATI
The two nearest airports, each about an hour away, are Dayton International Airport and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. There are several shuttle services available.
Uber
Uber is also a reasonable option, and convenient if you already run the app.
Private Shuttle Services
Several private residents of Oxford drive people to and from the airport for a fee somewhat more affordable than these commercial alternatives. Contact Kathleen Carels to explore this option.
ROOMS IN STUDENT HOUSING
Each year we reserve several reasonably-priced dormitory rooms for participants attending the entire week. We hope that this year we will again be in MacCracken Hall, one of the most prestigious of the STUDENT RESIDENCES, and one of the most photographed buildings in all of Ohio. Situated at 500 Center Drive, MacCracken Hall is just a few minutes' walk from Presser Hall, and even closer to Souers Hall. There is a large communal kitchen & dining area, and the lounge features a Petrov baby grand piano, a billiards table and a ping pong table. Residents can practice at all hours of the day or night, but temptations to do otherwise have been strewn in their path! Each room at MacCracken includes:
Availability of these rooms is limited, so please reserve them as soon as you register to assure yourself a place.
As of late November we have yet to confirm McCracken Hall. If by chance it is unavailable, the other dormitory spaces such as Scott Hall or Elliot Hall are comparable. You can go ahead and reserve your room in confidence that you will be well-situated.
Dining rooms around campus and the Armstrong Student Center serve a variety of food options. Single meals may be purchased. There will be no meal plan for just one week. The summer schedule is not yet available naming which dining halls will be open, but one will surely be nearby. Armstrong will also be open with several restaurant/food court style options. As soon as the summer schedule becomes available we will post it on this page.
Note: The entire Miami U. campus is completely cash free. Bring a credit card for all around “cash” needs on campus.
Uptown is within easy walking distance of campus, with several dining options in addition to many bar food choices. Kofenya is a typical, comfortable shop with the best coffee in town. Enjoy Oxford lists many other great restaurant choices. The two main grocery sources about a mile away are:
To register for this institute, click on the link immediately below the table. The price list in the table is purely informative and is no longer responsive.
This price list refers to Week I of the Oxford Institute, whose teaching days run from June 28-July 4.
This price list refers to Week II of the Oxford Institute, whose teaching days run from July 14-18.
MATERIAL CONSTRAINTS
Our policy is never to turn someone away because of financial need, and we do our very best to honor that policy. If you wish to attend the institute and cannot afford the full fee, please contact Nina Nikolich and we will explore the options. Senior or student discounts are also offered on a case by case basis. If you qualify for a discount, please verify your scholarship status with us beforehand, then make a full initial payment after which you will receive a partial refund.
MIAMI U. STAFF & STUDENTS AUDIT FOR FREE
Miami U. Music Faculty students and staff are invited to attend the institute for free, and are offered a 25% discount for individual lessons.
After registering, please return here to fill out the PARTICIPANT REGISTRATION FORM, indicating which institute you will be attending, what days, and what type of accommodation.
After you have completed your institute, please come back to fill out this FOLLOWUP QUESTIONNAIRE. This helps us evaluate your experience, tailor your ongoing regime to facilitate further progress, and fine-tune the structure of future institutes to better meet participants' needs.
KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH WHATSAPP
To keep in touch with each other through the week, we all install the WhatsApp app on our phones and exchange phone numbers. Thus last-minute changes to lesson or lecture times can be communicated easily and effectively.
If we have an active lesson, can we watch the other students or are we off somewhere preparing our lesson in the practice rooms?
Of course, many would find attending absolutely every lesson, lecture and ATM lesson overwhelming, so people tend to come and go, observing some lessons and then skipping out on others to either practise or just chill. Everybody is really free to pace themselves according to their own needs. Some people, amazingly, stay for every single event every day and just drink it all in. Our hats are raised to them in appreciation!
How long are the individual lessons?
If it is a very full Institute, 45 minutes. If the Institute is not completely full, then 50 minutes. If the Institute is rather empty, the lessons can even go on to the full 60-minute hour.
Are we supposed to be bringing music we are working on, or are the classes mostly movement-based?
Please bring all the repertoire you are interested in working on. The Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lessons are useful in themselves, but especially useful when they are applied to your current repertoire. You are encouraged to bring pieces which you know well, pieces which you are just learning, and pieces which present specific technical challenges. You can also bring pieces you are teaching to your students. All this can be grist for the the learning mill.
One part of me thinks, this is my one chance to work with Alan Fraser; I should do it all (5 active days) and sleep all next week. But then I think no, mixing and matching passive and active would be better so as not to keel over with exhaustion.
If this is a concern for you, why don't you register for 3 active and 2 passive days, and then if you find that you could use more active lessons, we can arrange it (time constraints allowing) on the spot.
All lessons are video recorded (unless the participant requests otherwise), and are stored at
If you are not already an active member at PianoTechniqe.org, to watch your lessons you must first subscribe. We run our piano somatics video library more or less on the Netflix model: your initial subscription fee gives you automatic access to
Access to all this, and to the recordings of the Ahun 2026 institute, is included in the initial pt.org subscription fee which is separate from your institute registration fee.
ALAN FRASER
Canadian pianist Alan Fraser gives master classes and recitals worldwide and conducts ongoing research and refinement on the ideas put forth in his books:
If you would like to discuss your participation in an institute directly with Alan, feel free to send him an email.
KATHLEEN CARELS
Kathleen and her husband Peter are retired members of the community and have been associated with Miami U. for several decades. After a 40-year hiatus, Kathleen returned to the piano a few years ago and began using the Pianimals exercises to enrich her physical relationship to the piano. This led to an musical blossoming so profound as to move her to organize this institute, and she is now in her second year as person-on-the-ground for the N. American Piano Somatics Institute. We are grateful for Kathleen's initiative in approaching the folks at Miami U. late in 2022 to get the the ball rolling. A lot of research and legwork was involved!
Kathleen is here to answer your questions. Send her an email or call her at 513-476-1192.
JOYCE CAMERON
Joyce Cameron had a long career as a pianist and pedagogue until an illness curtailed her playing. She came to the Pianimals Online Institute to gain help in recovering her piano abilitites, and gained so much that she contined as a treasured member of our ongoing Study Group. She always had an insightful comment and her smiling presence was a real blessing to the group. Sadly, she passed away in December 2022, and she is sorely missed in our sessions now.
The Oxford Ohio Institute of Piano Somatics is held in memory of Joyce Cameron, a Pianimalist of the first rank.
Cancellation Policy
If you must cancel your registration, reimbursement will be as follows: Cancellations more than two months before Institute opening date: 100% reimbursement. Cancellations more than one month before Institute opening date: 75% reimbursement. Cancellations more than two weeks before Institute opening date: 50% reimbursement. Cancellations more than one week before Institute opening date: 25% reimbursement. Cancellations less than one week before Institute opening date: no reimbursement except in cases of doctor-certified illness or acts of God. We reserve the right to cancel the institute due to insufficient enrolment; in this event, all registration fees are fully refundable.
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