Pianimals Study Group

Pianimals Online Study Group: Continuing Bi-Weekly Sessions

The Pianimals study group is for those less lazy than Sleepy Bear (pictured below). Whether or not you have completed the Pianimals Online Institute if you want to hone this approach furhter, you are welome to sign up for the Pianimals Online Study Group, an Awareness Through Piano Movement/research group focused on one study piece per session.

Please note that we are returning to our old time of 16:00 CET. Please see the time zone adjustment table below.

• Group members prepare in advance by studying the piece, developing a list of possible Pianimals strategies that could address the technical and interpretative issues.
• Participants and particularly the designated performer present their conclusions.
• The designated performer plays the piece.
• Participants consider the issues raised by the discussion and the performance.
• Alan works with the performer applying the ideas of Pianimals and Piano Somatics to the interpretation.
• Alan creates an Awareness Through Piano Movement (ATPM) lesson that grows out of the performance issues raised in the study session.
• Closing discussion.

In this new format, many participants love being able to mute their microphones and practice the solutions being presented in real time. It's a new, effective way of delving into the nuts & bolts of the Pianimals language and learning to apply it in practical teaching situations.

90-minute format:

• The "guinea pig" participant plays the study piece receiving "bullet-style" tips on how to improve the performance by applying the Pianimals ideas.
• Fraser then creates a half hour ATPM that incorporates the techniques discussed in the lesson.

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.

There is no limit to improvement!

Schedule

For the schedule of the current Pianimals Study Group sessions, please return to the dropdown menu and pick "Study Group" from the list of online instiutes.

Time Zone Adjustment

• Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Finland: start time 17:00.
• United Kingdom: start time 15:00.
• Brazil, Argentina: start time 13:00.
• N. America East Coast: start time 10:00. (Atlantic Canada 11:00).
• N. America Central: start time 9:00.
• N. America Mountain: start time 8:00.
• N. America Pacific: start time 7:00.

All sessions are recorded so that participants from Australasia may watch without burning the midnight oil.

On March 23rd, North American participants will have an extra hour of sleep, because the US and Canada will already be on Daylight Savings, whereas Europe "springs forward" only the following day.

Topics

Repertoire to Be Covered

Up until now, participants have volunteered compositions more or less from the standard repertoire. We would like to make a concerted effort to focus on intermediate level pieces, the ones you often teach your pupils. To this end we have created a list of possible compositions to choose from when you are volunteering to be a "guinea pig."

We do not limit proposals to this list, but present it to suggest the type of repertoire for which we are looking. Select one or several pieces from the list below, or offer something in a similar vein.

• Bach: C minor prelude from the Little Preludes; something from the Anna Magdalena Bach book; C major prelude WTC I
• CPE Bach: Solfeggio in C minor
• Bartok: Mikrokosmos, especially #69 (The chord study from book 3)
• Beethoven: Sonatas Op.49 #1 & #2
• Burgmüller: Etudes, Op. 100, especially #1 Candour, #2 Arabesque, #5 Innocence, #12 Farewell, #15 Ballade, etc.
• Clementi: Sonatinas, Op. 36
• Cramer: Etudes, Opp. 30 & 40
• Czerny: The School of Velocity, Op. 299 or other etudes
• Debussy: 1er Arabesque, Le Petit Negre, Golliwog's Cakewalk, The Girl with the Flaxen Hair, The Little Shepherd
• Grieg: Lyric Pieces, Opuses 12, 38, 43, 47, 54, 57, 62, 65, 68 & 71... for instance Op. 71, #3 The Puck, etc.
• Kabalevsky: 30 Pieces for Children, Op.27; 24 Pieces for Children, Op. 39 (especially Ivan Sings or Toccatina); Sonatina in C
• Kuhlau: Sonatinas
• Mendelssohn: Venetian Boat Songs in F# minor and G minor
• Mozart: Sonata in C Major, KV 545 esp. the 2nd movement
• Schubert: Impromptus
• Schumann: Album for the Young, Op. 68
• Tschaikovsky: Album for the Young, Op .39
• Royal Conservatory Exam Books: anything from the first 8 grades.
• Hours with the Masters: anything from the first six books

Each session applies the Pianimals strategies to a piece from the repertoire to imrpove both technique and musicianship.

Register

Register

Fees & Registration

To join the study group, pay for as many weeks as you want. Session recordings are sent to all participants at no extra cost: only purchase them if you know in advance you will not be able to attend.

The payment table has links to our retail partner, Stripe.com where you can make a secure credit card payment.

Recordings

Purchase Recordings of Past Study Group Series

The Study Group has been meeting regularly now for several years. Recordings for each past 8-week series are available as a tutorial to be reviewed online. Purchase the series that interests you from the table below, or for a more detailed description of each series, visit the Pianimals Online Study Group Recordings page and make your purchase from there.

We offer discounts to

• students
• senior citizens 65 & over
• those in reduced financial circumstances.

Those of you who qualify for a discount should contact IvoIvona Despotovich to enquire about these discounted registration fees.

Before & After the Institute

Information Sheet & Followup Questionnaire

We'd like to get to know you better. After registration, please come back to fill out this PARTICIPANT INFORMATION FORM. Remember to note in the comments section which weeks you will be attending.

After you've completed your institute, we'd like to keep in touch. Please return here to fill out the INSTITUTE FOLLOWUP QUESTIONNAIRE. This helps you and us to evaluate your experience, plan your ongoing regime for further pianistic advances, and fine-tune the institute structure to better meet your needs.

Contact

About Us - Contact

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

• The Craft of Piano Playing (also in DVD),
• Honing the Pianistic Self-Image,
• All Thumbs: Well-Coordinated Piano Technique, and most recently,
• Pianimals

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

Concordance

Pianimals Study Group Repertoire/Exercise Concordance

Our secretary has been far less lazy than Sleepy Bear, diligently notating which Pianimals exercises we decide apply best to each of the pieces we study. We are finally creating a list of these. The table below charts our voyage of discovery - it is still in development, so if you remember what we came up with at some past session, please do not hesitate to send us an email about it.

Date Presented

Composition

Presenter

Relevant Exercises

ATPM

March 18 2023

Matteo Albeniz: Sonata in D

Grace

April 15 2023

Bach 3-Part Inventions #11 & #12

Hans

2023-04-19

Bach: Sinfonia (Three-Part Invention) #11

Hans

Termite Temerity Teetering Toucan ("rope fingers") Skating Sloth Singing Stork (l.h. m. 9) Floppy Flamingo

"Baroque Style"

2023-04-19

Bach: Sinfonia (Three-Part Invention) #12

Hans

Singing Stork, Strolling Stork Sauntering Sandpiper Rotating Rattlesnake Barmy Bunnies Skating Sloth (l.h.)

"Baroque Style"

Bach: C minor Prelude, WTC Book I BWV847

Alejandra

Bach: D major Prelude & Fugue, WTC I

Cristina F.

Bach: Ab+ major Prelude & Fugue WTC I

Grace

Beethoven: Bagatelle in G minor, Op. 119

Hans

Feb 18 2023

Beethoven: Pathetique Sonata, 2nd mvt.

Christine T.

Beethoven: Moonlight Sonata 1st mvt

Siri

Brahms: Ballade Op 10 #1 in D minor

Silvia

2023-04-01

Brahms: Waltz in A flat

Kathleen

Skating Sloth Floating Flamingo LH m. 9 Barmy Bunnies & Rotating Rattlesnake M. 36 Tai Chi Strolling Stork, Singing Stork

Sensitize the Wrist in Kangaroo Chords

April 29 2023

Brahms: Intermezzo in A minor Op. 76 #7

Christine T

April 1 2023

Brahms: Waltz in A flat

Kathleen

?

Burgmuller Tarantella Op 100 #20

Christine T

- Barmy Bunnies, Kangaroo Chords, Thumb Exeercises, Floating Flamingo - Teetering Toucan (middle section) - Sauntering Sandpiper, Tai Chi Walking (l. h. triplets)

Chopin: Waltz in C# minor, Op. 64 #2

Karolinka

Chopin: Waltz in E minor, op. posth. B. 56

Rene

March 4 2023

Clementi: Op 36, #4

Siri

2023-05-13

Heller: A Curious Story, Op 138 #9

Siri

RH: Yawning Alligator - Floating Flamingo - Chuckling Chicken - Snapping Scale LH m. 17 Skating Sloth LH m. 21: Kangaroo Chords - Teetering Toucan to thumb

Teetering Toucan expanded to arpeggio

May 13 2023

Heller: A Curious Story, Op 138 #9 Heller: Etude in A flat major, Op. 47 #23

Siri

2023-05-13

Heller: Etude in A flat major, Op. 47 #23

Siri

- Teetering Toucan - Bonging Bells RH thumb: Skating Sloth plus - OrangaThumb

Teetering Toucan expanded to arpeggio

MacDowell:To a Water Lily, Op 51 #3 An Old Love Story, Op 61 #1 May 27 2023

Grace

Mendelssohn: Frühlingslied op.62 n.6 (SWW)

Maria

Mendelssohn: Venetian Boat Song in F# minor

Robert

Mozart: Sonata in B flat major, K570 - 1st mvt.

Sylvia

Mozart: D-minor Fantasie

Christine T

Mussorgsky: A Tear

Christine T

Michael Nyman: The Heart Asks Pleasure First

Kathleen

Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives #10, Op. 22

Grace

Debussy: 1er Arabesque

Christine O

Bach: Little D minor prelude

Alejandra

Grieg: Lyric Piece, Op. 57 #2 - Gade

Hans

Einaud: Elegy for the Arctic

Sinden

Schumann: Op.68 (Mignon, May, Sweet May!)

Silvia

Czerny: Etudes Op. 139, #75 (Gm) and #76 (Bm)

Kathleen

Mozart: A major Sonata, K331, 1st mvt, theme & Var. 4

Kathleen

Mozart: A major Sonata, K331, 1st mvt.

Siri

Burgmüller Etudes: "The Pearls," Op. 109, #2 Chordal etude in D minor, Op. 45, #15

Grace

Stephen Heller: L’Avalanche Op. 45 #2 Kabalevsky: Etude in a minor Op. 27 #3

Christine T

Schumann: Traumerei

Siri

Chopin: Prelude in Db major

Kathleen

Debussy: Golliwog's Cakewalk Little Shepherd

Christine O

Kabalevsky: Morning Exercises Op.3/86, #2 Drummer Op 14, #1

Grace

Kabalevsky: Short Pieces, Op. 27 #3 — Etude in A minor #12 — Toccatina #13 — A Little Joke #20 — A Short Story

- Grace

Burgmüller: Etudes, Op. 100 #2 Arabesque #12 Farewell #15 Ballade #5 Innocence)

Christine T

Oct 7 2023

Burgmüller: Tarantella, Op. 100 #20

Christine Thomas

Oct 28

Pythagoras: The Scale of E Major

Kathleen Carels

The thumb in scales: - a slinky 'Pacman' move between thumb and hand- activates the 1st dorsal interosseous while keeping it soft, almost 'ampty'

Nov 4

Chopin: Prelude Op.28 #4 e-minor Chopin: Prelude Op. 28 #6 b-minor

Christine Thomas

e- l.h.: Floating Flamingo (chords) Kangaroo Chords (thumb) Skating Sloth (chords) Rocking the Body e- r.h.: Sauntering Sandpiper Teetering Toucan b- r.h.: Tai Chi Empty Step (orchestration) b- l.h.: Barmy Bunnies Rock the body

- Enhance Skating Sloth, Floating Flamingo for e minor chords - Enhanced Teetering Toucan for e minor melody - Ultra-Slow Motion Barmy Bunnies for b minor melody

Nov 11

Manuel Ponce: Intermezzo

Alejandra Ramirez

- Whole Body (l.h. page 1) - Floating Flamingo (page 2 r.h.) - Possums, Mozart Monkeys, Teetering Toucan - OranguThumb (l.h.) - Stretching Spider (glide palm Barmy Bunnies, FLoating FLamingo. Chuckling Chicken (cadenza)

Nov 25

Berkovich: Paganini Variations (var. 7)

Astrid Lauenstein

Floating Flamingo Floppy Flamingo Kangaroo Chords Forte Flying Fox Tamara Tiger (leaping springboard) Skating Sloth (horizontality) Rocking the Body Cockatoo Carol Barmy Bunnies for rippled l.h. chords at end

8ves: Growing and 'disintegrating' the hand arch to bring 8ves to life

Dec 2

Mozart: Viennese Sonatina C dur K439b

Astrid Lauenstein

Dec 9

Debussy: Dr. Gradus ad Parnassum

Christine Olson

Barmy Bunnies + Teetering Toucan Chuckling Chicken (r.h.) Most Beautiful Sound Thumbs: 6 OranguThumb, 10 Alligator Yawn, 11 Thumb Troll Tromp Lazy Lion (l.h. low Bb) Pogo Stick (l.h. coda)

Bringing the thumb to life in an empty, skeletal way: internalizng the extrenal hand movements of Debussy's Dr. Gradus

Dec 16

Maykapar: Toccatina Op 8, #1

Grace Asquith

Barmy Bunnies r.h. Chuckling Chicken both hands Tightrope Walker Pogo Stick Oranguthumb FLoating Flamingo l.h. opening

Combining Chuckling Chicken and Barmy Bunnies; sensing the participation of the sitz bone muscles

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.
We reserve the right to cancel the institute due to insufficient enrolment; in this event, all registration fees are fully refundable.