Pianimals Institute Recordings
The Pianimals Online Institute was developed to give teachers hands-on experience of the Pianimals exercises. Participants learned to give their pupils the exercises by first doing them under Alan's watchful guidance. Covering the eight sections of Pianimals, these eight sessions are an excellent introduction to the Pianimals world, with detailed explanations of the purpose of each exercise, plus actual Awareness Through Piano Movement (ATPM) lessons giving a visceral experience of the hand developing new abilities. The opening lecture and ATPM lesson offers a palpable sensory experience of the Pianimals exercises; the individual lessons that follow show how the ideas apply to the repertoire.
Alan taught several iterations of the Institute over the years, each taking on its own particular form to adapt to that particular group. Please note that the designations "Pianimals I, Pianimals II, Pianimals III etc" do not indicate different levels of ability. Each is a different version of the same course, covering the same eight sections of the Teachers' Manual, that is, the Pupils Books 1 & 2 complete.
Earlier Iterations: Standard ATPM, Many Individual Lessons
Purchase Pianimals I or Pianimals II for iterations with many individual lessons after the ATPM, for a rich impression of how the strategies apply to the repertoire.
Later Iterations: Expanded Atpms, Fewer Individual Lessons
Purchase Pianimals III, Pianimals IV or Pianimals V for iterations with fewer individual lessons. Here Fraser had time to expand the ATPM lesson itself, exploring new aspects of the basic exercises and introducing new details in an ever-evolving examination of the fundamental principles.
Workshop Recording Quality
These sessions took place on Zoom, so the recorded quality is "workshop level," that is, less than fully professional. However, the quality of the teaching is second-to-none!
Purchase Recordings
Recordings include all the Awareness Through Piano Movement (ATPM) lessons, all individual piano lessons and discussions, and sometimes a Q & A video which was occasionally sent out the Thursday following the Saturday session.
Purchase a complete set of recordings for the:
Pianimals I Sessions
Pianimals I: February 20 - April 10, 2021
The first Pianimals Online Institute ran for eleven weeks, with a large group of participants and two or three individual lessons each week after the group lecture/ATPM.
| SESSION | TOPIC | LESSON 1 | LESSON 2 | LESSON 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| INTRO 1 | Floating the Arm | |||
| INTRO 2 | Floating the Arm | |||
| WEEK 1 | Lay Hand Down (I) | Balakirev: Islamey | Mozart: Rondo alla Turca | |
| WEEK 2 | Clamp the Thumb (II) | Beethoven: Pathetique Sonata, 2nd Mvt. | Rachmaninoff: 2nd Concerto, 2nd Mvt. | Dustin O´Halloran: Prelude #2; Horace Silver: Opus de Funk |
| WEEK 3 | Activate Thumb (II) | Beethoven: Tempest Sonata 3rd Mvt | Scriabin: Etudes Op. 8, #!0; Op. 42, #4 | |
| WEEK 4 | Stand on Key (III) | Chopin: Nocturne in Eb Major Op. 9, #2 | Scriabin: Etude Op. 42, #5 | Debussy: Children's Corner Jimbo's Lullaby, Snowflakes are Dancing |
| WEEK 5 | Walk on Key (IV) | Scarlatti: K. 476 in G minor | Scriabin: Etude in Bb minor, Op. 8, #11 | Schubert: Gb major Impromptu D90 #3 |
| WEEK 6 | Running, Rotating, Leaping (V-VI) | Odeon: Tango Brasileira by Ernesto Nazareth | Scriabin: Op. 8, No. 10 Double Thirds Etude | Schubert: Bb major Scherzo |
| WEEK 7 | "Internal Leaping," Flexible 8ves (VI-VII) | Clara Schumann: Romance Op. 5, #3 | Beethoven: nel cor piu Variations | |
| WEEK 8 | From Fingertip to Whole Body (VII-VIII) | Scriabin: Etudes Op. 8, #10; Op. 42, #5 | Beethoven: nel cor piu Variations 4 & 6 | |
| BONUS WEEK 9 | General Review | Bach: C minor Fantasia BWV 906 Chopin: Harp Etude Op. 25 #1 | Debussy: Preludes Book II, 5 & 6 | Scriabin: Bb minor Etude Op. 8, #11 |
Click here to PURCHASE THE PIANIMALS ONLINE INSTITUTE I SESSIONS.
Pianimals II Sessions
Pianimals II: April 24 - June 12, 2021
The second Pianimals Online Institute ran for nine weeks, with a fairly large group of participants and two or three individual lessons each week after the group lecture/ATPM.
| SESSION | TOPIC | LESSON 1 | LESSON 2 | LESSON 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| INTRO 1 | The Hand as a Mini-Body Review | Bach: E+ Prelude, WTC I | Bach: Italian Concerto, 2nd mvt. | |
| WEEK 1 | Float the Arm & Lay the Hand Down (I) | Schubert: Bb major Scherzo | Bach: Goldberg Variation #25 | |
| WEEK 2 | Individuate Thumb (II) | Join Hand to Body. | Scriabin: Poème Op. 32, #2 | |
| WEEK 3 | Integrate Thumb (II) | Bach: C minor Partita: Allemande, Courante Haydn Sonata | Beethoven: Nel piu cor Variations 3, 5; Rocherelle: Interludes | Bach: Prelude in F# minor, WTC Book I |
| WEEK 4 | Standing on Key (III) | Brahms: A+ Intermezzo Op. 118, #2 | Jazz Improv; Jazz Standard | Scriabin: Ab+ Etude Op. 8 #8 |
| WEEK 5 | Walking on Key (IV) | Schumann: Kinderszenen #1, #8 | Scriabin: Etude Op. 8, #9 Alla Ballata | Beethoven: Nel piu cor Variations |
| WEEK 6 | Running on Key (V) | Bach: 2nd Partita, Sinfonia | Scales & Arpeggios | Mozart: A+ Concerto K.488, 1st mvt. |
| WEEK 7 | Forte and Leaping (VI) | Nyman: The Heart Knows | Schumann: Knderszenen #1, #9 (Bach: A- English Suite, Prelude | Scriabin: E+ Etude Op. 8, #5 |
| WEEK 8 | Integrate the Mini-Body & the Whole Body (VII-VIII) | Scriabin: Bb minor Etude Op. 8, #11 | Bach: Italian Concerto, 1st Mvt. | Debussy: 1er Arabesque |
Click here to PURCHASE THE PIANIMALS ONLINE INSTITUTE II SESSIONS.
Pianimals III Sessions
Pianimals III: June 3 - September 25, 2021
The third Pianimals Online Institute ran for eight weeks, with a medium large group of participants and one or two individual lessons each week after the group lecture/ATPM.
| SESSION | TOPIC | LESSON 1 | LESSON 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| WEEK 1 | Float & Lie Down (I) | Schubert: Ab+ Impromptu | |
| WEEK 2 | Individuate Thumb (II) | ||
| WEEK 3 | Integrate Thumb (II) | ||
| WEEK 4 | Standing on Key (III) | Bach: D+ Fugue, WTC I | Mozart: C minor Fantasy, K.475 |
| WEEK 5 | Walking on Key (IV) | Bach: D- sinfonia Bartok: Rumanian Dances | Scriabin: Prelude, Op. 16, #1 |
| WEEK 6 | Running on Key (V) | Bach: D major Prelude, WTC I | |
| WEEK 7 | Forte and Leaping (VI) | Scriabin: Preludes, Op. 16 | |
| WEEK 8 | Integrate the Mini-Body & the Whole Body (VII-VIII) | Scriabin: Prelude, Op. 16 #5 Rahmaninov: B- prelude, Op. 32, #10 | |
| WEEK 9 | Dozen a Day Sessions | Part I | Part 2 |
Click here to PURCHASE THE PIANIMALS ONLINE INSTITUTE III SESSIONS.
Pianimals IV Sessions
Pianimals IV: February 5 - March 26, 2022
The fourth Pianimals Online Institute ran for eight weeks, with a medium-sized group of participants and an occasional lesson after the group lecture/ATPM.
| SESSION | TOPIC | LESSON 1 | LESSON 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| INTRO 1 | Lecture, ATPM: Float the Arm | Chopin: E minor prelude | |
| INTRO 2 | Lecture | ATPM | |
| INTRO 3 | Lecture, ATPM: Float the Arm | Tchaikowsky: Morning Prayer, Op. 39 | |
| WEEK 1 | ATPM: Lie Down (I) | Couperin: Les Barricades… | |
| WEEK 2 | Individuate Thumb (II) | Sibelius: Romance | |
| WEEK 3 | Integrate Thumb (II) | ||
| WEEK 4 | Standing on Key (III) | ||
| WEEK 5 | Walking on Key (IV) | ||
| WEEK 6 | Running on Key (V) | Bach: D major Prelude, WTC I | |
| WEEK 7 | Forte and Leaping (VI) | Debussy: 1er Arabesque | |
| WEEK 8 | Integrate the Mini-Body & the Whole Body (VII-VIII) | Scriabin: Prelude, Op. 16 #5 Rahmaninov: B- prelude, Op. 32, #10 |
Click here to PURCHASE THE PIANIMALS ONLINE INSTITUTE IV SESSIONS.
Pianimals V Sessions
Pianimals V: October 1 - November 26, 2022
The fifth Pianimals Online Institute ran for nine weeks, with a small group of participants and only two individual lessons over the entire eight weeks. The group lecture/ATPMs were extended to fill in the empty time space.
| SESSION | TOPIC | ATPM |
|---|---|---|
| INTRO 1 | Summary of the 8 Sections | An ATPM for the Shoulder |
| WEEK 1 | The Hand's Pre-Standing Apprenticeship | ATPM: FLoat the Arm; Lay the Hand Down (I) |
| WEEK 2 | Standing the Thumb (II) | ATPM: Individuate the Thumb |
| WEEK 3 | ATPM: Integrate the Thumb (II) | Lesson: Chopin, Debussy |
| WEEK 4 | ATPM: Standing on Key (III) | |
| WEEK 5 | ATPM: Walking on Key (IV) | |
| WEEK 6 | ATPM: Running on Key (V) | |
| WEEK 7 | ATPM: Forte and Leaping (VI) | |
| WEEK 8 | ATPM: Integrate the Whole Body (VII-VIII) | Lesson: Debussy - 1er Arabesque |
Click here to PURCHASE THE PIANIMALS ONLINE INSTITUTE V SESSIONS.
If you would like to know more about this cutting edge piano method that brings the transformational influence of the Feldenkrais Method to a developing piano technique, visit our page on
Pianimals: 28 Feldenkrais Lessons for the Young Pianist's Hand.