Artistic Practicing™ Intensive
6-week intensive, intermediate piano repertoire
A practicing framework for intermediate to advanced lifelong learners and
piano teachers.
"Hsing-ay Hsu has developed a unique blend of approaches to thinking about musicianship, interpretation and technical mastery, all the while attending to one’s emotional, spiritual and intellectual mindset. A prodigious artist in her own right, among her generation’s most compelling pianists, she has insights to share that can enlighten just about anyone interested in an enjoyable and satisfying journey at the keyboard."
Daniel Sher, Professor and Dean Emeritus, University of Colorado-Boulder, College of Music
5 Assigned Excerpts + 1 of Your Choice:
VIDEO LESSONS & HOMEWORK + LIVE ZOOM
Level up on 24 topics in CONCEPTS/ANALYSIS, MIND-BODY CONNECTION, and PERSONAL EXPRESSION!
Supported by social learning and mentorship on the Flipgrid platform and Zoom.
Are you ready for advanced challenges? Thrilled by learning new concepts? Want to perform effortlessly? In this intensive, I lay out my Artistic Practicing Process, a masterplan grid on which to organize all of your discoveries and customize a practicing strategy to actualize your artistic vision. Register Now!
The Challenge
Knowing assorted practicing concepts is not enough; the key is to organize knowledge into one effective and cohesive process that you can apply and adapt. Playing the notes is not enough to move an audience; communications require a compelling multidimensional execution. During lesson hours, time limits dictate that we prioritize what is most urgent. At home, chasing red herrings and making interpretive decisions by convenience and habit can often obscure the artistic vision. These challenges are what motivated me to create space here for a more expansive view and a deeper reflection, to scale up on how you get the lay of the land and determine your route forward.
The Transformation
1) LEARN TO INTERPRET THE SCORE TO CREATE YOUR ARTISTIC VISION, AND FOLLOW IT THROUGH TO PERSONAL EXPRESSION.
2) DEVELOP MIND-BODY CONNECTION TO PLAY MORE EFFORTLESSLY, ALWAYS IN CONTEXT FOR YOUR ARTISTIC VISION.
3) ORGANIZE PRACTICE GOALS in the context of a COHERENT BIG PICTURE with 24 PRACTICE TOPICS.
*If you are a piano teacher yourself, you will find loads of useful ideas and techniques to enhance your teaching toolkit and your students’ experiences.
Three Formats
1) 6-week Independent Study: Video lessons/homework + 1-hour Private Zoom Coaching
2) 6-week Independent Study: Video lessons/homework + 1 Email Evaluation of Homework
3) 6-week Online Group Intensive & Contest. Next date TBA. Limited spots.
Video lessons/homework + 6 Live Zoom Masterclasses + Contest + Mini-Coaching
The Syllabus
Level up on the quality of your skills! 24 topics include:
Basics of Performance Analysis
Time Management
Structures
Intentional Fingering
Expressions
Practicing Scales and Arpeggios to Improve
Breath marking for phrasing
Final Touches
Integrating Mental Practicing/Planning
Increasing the Flow by Warming Up Your Body
Using Dance Effort Elements to Approach Space/Weight/Time/Flow
Thinking 5 Steps Ahead
Project Planning and Intermediary Steps - Working with a Timeline
"Communicating the emotional essence of a work is paramount in Hsing-ay Hsu’s performances as a pianist. That’s what makes her such a compelling musician. Her students learn not only how to develop a personal artistic vision for a work, but also how to express it. Hsu has created a highly effective way of using technology as an enhancement to the learning process. Students gather online from various locales to explore the process of interpreting a score and finding what makes it emotionally compelling."
Lois Svard, D.M.A., Professor of Music Emerita, Bucknell University
The Strategy
TRANSFORMATION-DRIVEN SYSTEMATIC Artistic Practicing™ PROCESS
*Build a planning grid on which to hang all of your musical discoveries, thereby grasping all the glorious complexities quickly, and paving a clear pathway to your artistic vision.
*See Musical Prerequisite below
AN ADAPTABLE FRAMEWORK/FORMAT
*Six Weekly Challenge modules start and end on your own with video lessons and score study assignments
*Flexibility to learn at your own pace. Submit the weekly 1-2 minute video homework online.
*Six live Zoom masterclasses on SATURDAY mornings to make sure you are gaining mastery [drills + masterclass + Q&A + peer discussion]. Additional one-on-one time with me.
*Record your video with a button on Flipgrid - it's easy!
MULTIPLYING MOTIVATION
*Accountability by having scheduled meetings and homework deadlines
*Peer-to-peer Learning - compare how others approach the same piece
*Win the GRAND PRIZE! Read on...
COMPASSIONATE MENTORSHIP
*15-min private Zoom coaching with Hsing-ay to polish your final presentation
*Personal support - email Hsing-ay for a response within 24 hours (TUE-SAT's)
PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE CREATIVITY!
*You will learn how to improve the quality of your skills, and use this creative process with six pieces so that you can retain it and use it consistently with any piece in the future. Then come back once a year to refresh your skills.
TRANSFORMATION-DRIVEN SYSTEMATIC Artistic Practicing™ PROCESS
*Build a planning grid on which to hang all of your musical discoveries, thereby grasping all the glorious complexities quickly, and paving a clear pathway to your artistic vision.
*See Musical Prerequisite below
AN ADAPTABLE FRAMEWORK/FORMAT
*Six Weekly Challenge modules start and end on your own with video lessons and score study assignments
*Flexibility to learn at your own pace. Submit the weekly 1-2 minute video homework online.
*Six live Zoom masterclasses on SATURDAY mornings to make sure you are gaining mastery [drills + masterclass + Q&A + peer discussion]. Additional one-on-one time with me.
*Record your video with a button on Flipgrid - it's easy!
MULTIPLYING MOTIVATION
*Accountability by having scheduled meetings and homework deadlines
*Peer-to-peer Learning - compare how others approach the same piece
*Win the GRAND PRIZE! Read on...
COMPASSIONATE MENTORSHIP
*15-min private Zoom coaching with Hsing-ay to polish your final presentation
*Personal support - email Hsing-ay for a response within 24 hours (TUE-SAT's)
PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE CREATIVITY!
*You will learn how to improve the quality of your skills, and use this creative process with six pieces so that you can retain it and use it consistently with any piece in the future. Then come back once a year to refresh your skills.
FOCUS YOUR PRODUCTIVITY!
This intensive is Transformation-Driven. It is not a comprehensive "memorize-everything" preparation towards an exam; it is about helping you pinpoint exactly what YOU need to do practically, at this moment in your journey, to be more creative!
*NO mindless repetition
*NO rabbit holes trying to do your own DIY diagnosis
*NO wasted time reinforcing the wrong habits
*NO procrastination for getting this important work done
ESTIMATED WORK TIME weekly:
1/2 to 3 1/2 hours homework per weekly assignment, depending on your personal preference
For Group Intensive:
60-minute Live Zoom Masterclass
15-minute private Zoom coaching with Hsing-ay to polish your final presentation
ELIGIBILITY:
For Inquisitive and Self-motivated Lifelong Learners & Music Teachers
who play and/or teach the piano and love a challenge. Age 14+.
Intermediate to Advanced Level. Knowledge of some ear training and music theory is required. Some of the participants were former piano majors; others started later in life. If you are not sure how you will fit, schedule a free consultation with me.
MUSICAL PREREQUISITE:
Ability to read music and play (or sing) comfortably from treble & bass clefs, sing a major/minor triad and scale, and find the dominant chord aurally and visually. We will use piano scores for studying and playing.
GROUP INTENSIVE: A FRIENDLY CONTEST
*During Week 5, each participant will vote for another participant other than themselves.
THE GRAND PRIZE:
1. $250 Scholarship to study with me at Rocky Ridge Music Center Adult Piano Seminar in Estes Park, CO, August 2-6, 2022.
2. "Performance & Analysis One-hour Private Session" with Hsing-ay at Aeyons Global Online Music Studio (Value $160)
3. Interview on Youtube Channel "HsingayHsu"
4. Champion T-Shirt (Value $30)
$197 for the Independent Study Course with 1-hour Live Coaching
$97 for the Independent Study Course with 1 Email Evaluation of Homework
*Group Intensive Next Date TBA. Please email me to be notified.
1. Fill out "Registration Form" below.
2. Watch your email for an invoice from me through Paypal or Zelle. Snail mail check if requested. Email theNutmegStudio@gmail.com to confirm or to ask questions!*For piano teachers, partial scholarship will be considered if finance is preventing you from making a positive impact - please make a proposal (including how your impact will be measured) by email.