Munich

May 28-31 2025

ARTETONAL SCHULE FÜR MUSIK

Munich VI will again be FOUR FULL DAYS, Wednesday May 31 to Saturday May 31 with Sunday reserved for another workshop at the Christian Graf private studio. We look forward to seeing you at this institute held in the beer capital of Europe. Register for our newsletter to receive logistical updates.

This Piano Somatics Institute takes place in the beautiful facilities of the Artetonal Schule für Musik. There are many comfortable practice rooms on site. The school's director, Antonio Estupiñán is a luthier as well as guitar teacher - the school is even home to his atelier!

This institute is organized by Mario de la Vega, a longtime student of Alan who has completed a Feldenkrais Practitioner professional training program as well as his Piano Somatics Practitioner Certification. Mario will be available to give Feldenkrais Functional Integration lessons to those whom Alan's schedule will not accomodate. Alan will be teaching mainly in English, but he is also fluent in Serbian & French. Mario will be providing German & Spanish translation where needed.



Conservatoire
   
The Recital/Teaching space

OPEN TO ALL INTERESTED PIANISTS

Are you hesitant to attend? Feel you are not advanced enough? Not well-enough prepared? Don't worry; Alan welcomes all, no matter what your ability, no matter what the state of your program. The Institute really is open to all interested pianists:

  • students who wish to improve their sound and agility
  • adult amateurs who wish to feel more in command of the instrument
  • teachers who want new ways of teaching technique to their students
  • professionals who wish to hone their skills to the highest possible level.

He also welcomes instrumentalists and vocalists, who find that their sound, their agility and their sense of ease and freedom from tension improve dramatically with Alan's Performance Somatics approach. There is no limit to improvement!


PIANO SOMATICS FOR THE YOUNG PIANIST

The Christian Graf studio event on Sunday is especially tuned to the young pianist - how can Piano Somatics quickly help resolve long-standing technical impediments to advancement? Bring your child along to this event if you cannot attend our regular institute.

Conservatoire
   
Teaching on Christian Graf's Concert Steinway D

SCHEDULE




STRUCTURE OF THE DAY

The institute is a mixture of piano lessons, Feldenkrais lessons and lectures on piano technique from the Piano Somatics viewpoint. On Wednesday morning we come together over coffee to meet each other and discuss our goals for the week. Coffee and donuts at 8:30 Wednesday morning, opening session at 9.

Although the full institute runs for 4 days, partial attendance is completely acceptable. Even if you attend the full four days, you are not obliged to take four lessons. You can tailor-make your participation to your own needs. See the registration procedure for details.

DAILY SCHEDULE
9:00-11:15 3 lessons
11:15-12:30 Group Awareness Through Movement (ATM)™ lesson
(If possible, please bring your own yoga mat or blanket for this class.)
12:30-14:30 Lunch
14:30-16:00 2 lessons
16:00-16:45 Seminar & Group Awareness Through Piano Movement (ATPM)™ lesson
16:45-18:15 2 lessons
18:15... Evening meal & chill out time

In the seminar-ATPM format, 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.


Conservatoire
   
Plenty of ATM space

You can attend the entire day but of course you are also free to take a break from watching the lessons, to rest, or to do a little bit of practicing. All sessions are video recorded and offered to you free of charge for future reference.



21:00 Closing session... & party!
4-DAY SCHEDULE
Wednesday 8:30 - Informal meetup, registration confirmation, coffee; introductory session.
9:15 - Seminar - ATPM: Connect the Periphery (The Hand) to the Core (The Body).
10:00 - Daily Schedule
Thursday 9:00 - Daily Schedule
15:30 - Seminar - ATPM: The Four Cardinal Directions of Arm Movement.
Friday 9:00 - Daily Schedule
15:30 - Seminar - ATPM: The Hand as an Organic, Breathing, Heart/Lung/Bellows.
Saturday 9:00 - Daily Schedule
14:00 - Seminar - ATPM: Linking the body to particular musical situations &
                 develop the playing of younger pupils.

19:00 - Participant Recital (Optional Participation)

This schedule may be subject to modification depending on the size and the needs of the group.

The question period in each seminar is a chance to take the discussion in a whole new direction. For instance, the conversation could veer towards one of the topics below that was covered in a past institute. Which of these topics is of special concern to you? Make note of it, and make sure you bring it up with Alan in a seminar.

LECTURE TOPICS
Hand Structure & Function The Celestial Hand Arch - The Voice of the Piano
Weight Technique Arm Weight, the Anti-Gravity Function, Elasticity and Biotensegrity Update
The Thumb I Pass And Do Not Pass The Thumb Under: It's Complicated!
Rotation Rotation at the Micro and Macro Levels
Musicianship & Technique Physical Strategies to Enhance Phrase, Polyphony & Orchestration
Feldenkrais & Piano Expressively Directed Micro-Timing: A New Musical Aesthetic
Pianimals Use The Pianimals Exercises & Compositions in your Teaching and your Playing
Q & A Which Aspects of Piano Somatics Intrigue You... Frustrate You... Mystify You... Satisfy You?

GETTING THERE




HOW TO FIND THE ARTETONAL SCHULE FÜR MUSIK

The Music School is located at
Linprunstraße 35 / Rgb

D–80335 München
Telephone: +41 89 / 12 00 12 02,
due south of the Olympic Stadium and due west of the English Garden, Munich's central park.


Conservatoire
   
Part of the November 2024 group

LODGING




ACCOMMODATIONS NEAR THE SCHOOL

There are plenty of hotels in the area, and we also recommend airbnb.

MEALS

No shortage of excellent restaurants in Munich. We generally eat at the incomparable Trattoria San Benno, only a two-minute walk from the school.

REGISTER




FEES & REGISTRATION

  • The active participation fee covers a daily individual lesson, daily group ATM and ATPM lessons, daily seminar lectures, and observation of all other lessons.
  • The passive participation fee covers full participation in all activities but with no individual lesson.

Click on your preferred option below to pay by credit card at our secure retail partner, Stripe.com.

Munich Institute one day two days three days four days
Active Participation $157 $308 $457 $598
Passive Participation $45 $90 $132 $172

COMBINING ACTIVE AND PASSIVE DAYS

To combine active and passive registrations, hit the back button on your browser to add another purchase item to the same payment procedure. For instance, if you want to attend for four days but only have two individual lessons, purchase two Active Participant days and two Passive Participant days for a total of four.

At completion of your registration, please return here to fill out the PARTICIPANT QUESTIONNAIRE, indicating which days you will be attending the Munich Institute.

Discounts

Artetonal Schule für Musik students and staff are welcome to audit the institute free of charge, and receive a 50% discount to take an active individual lesson. There are also discounts for senior citizens, students up to 25 years of age, and those in reduced financial circumstances.

To receive your discount, purchase your registration at the full price and then contact Ivona Despotovich, letting her know your status. You will receive the appropriate refund on your initial payment.



Conservatoire
   
The school entrance is at the back of a long couryard

BEFORE & AFTER THE INSTITUTE




INFORMATION SHEET & FOLLOWUP QUESTIONNAIRE

After registering, please return here to fill out the REGISTRATION QUESTIONNAIRE.

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.



Conservatoire
   
A Practice Room

CONTACT




GET IN TOUCH WITH US

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:

He is at work on several new volumes. Visit here for more on Alan Fraser. If you have questions about your participation in the institute and would like to address them directly to Alan Fraser, please feel free to send him an email.

MARIO DE LA VEGA - ORGANIZER

Mario hails from Spain but has lived in Germany for many years. He teaches piano at the Artetonal Schule für Musik, and has been attending the Alan Fraser Piano Institute since 2012. He is a certfied Feldenkrais practitioner as well as a certified Piano Kinematics practitioner.

Mario
   Mario

For questions about the Institute, please email Mario



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.