Congratulations to the winner of our competition, Nataly Sanderson who gets two tickets to attend our forthcoming Piano-Yoga® Classical Chillout Night.

The answer to the question ‘Which founder of a major yoga movement was also a pianist?’ is Vanda Scaravelli:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Gutlessyogi/Vanda_scaravelli

Piano-Yoga® Chillout Night

Piano-Yoga® Chillout Night

To win 2 tickets to the Piano-Yoga® Chillout Night on the 17th of May, email your answer to the question below to info@piano-yoga.com.

Which founder of a major yoga movement was also a pianist?

The winner will be selected randomly and notified by 11 May 2012.

Piano-Yoga® Classical Chillout Night

Click on the image above or HERE to book your tickets.
Click HERE to view the PDF version.

Skype Piano Lessons

I have been giving piano lessons for almost 20 years and when I first came across the idea of Skype Piano lessons, I admit, I was quite skeptical about it: doesn’t the student need to be in the same room with the teacher in order to really experience the full benefits of the tuition? Would not this be a bit artificial (particularly for us, the Piano-Yoga® Music School, since Piano-Yoga® promotes an holistic approach to piano playing) to rely so much on technology and the limitations of the computer screen?

However, due to my curiosity and inclination to explore new things, I decided to try this way of teaching by launching a Skype Piano-Yoga® Clinic. The result was better than I anticipated: people were ringing from all over the world, some asking about the piano repertoire that they needed to focus on, some on the details of the Piano-Yoga® method and some simply wanted specific technical help with their pieces. For example, with one student we spent quite a long time working on various trills and mordents, exploring the fingering that would work especially for her and at the end I was amazed with the efficiency of the whole process.

This is how Piano Skype Lessons were launched. This tuition method, which originally started as 10-minute online piano consultation sessions, has now been transformed into a well-established Skype Piano Lessons Online Practice as another branch of the Piano-Yoga® School. My students come from all over the world: Japan, Australia, USA, France and Germany. The feeling that you can communicate and work with someone on the other side of the world is absolutely amazing and rewarding and I guess, for those who like to study playing the piano through the Piano-Yoga® method, there is no longer the need to travel to London or follow my travel schedule.

Piano Skype Lessons can sometimes be even more focused than traditional piano lessons because all the communication is happening through the camera and therefore the direction of the camera and the size of the screen very much dictates the points that are discussed during the lesson. Somehow, talking about the weather and other pleasantries becomes less appropriate!

Sometimes we aim the camera at the particular hand in question, or at the student’s posture or face. On my side I am often adjusting the camera to show either my hands or do work on particular passages, or to discuss the whole posture issue. Because of this the process appears more intense (in a good way) and far more efficient.

Another plus of these lessons is that they usually start and finish exactly on time, without wasting time on getting ready for the lesson and leaving the room, which can sometimes take up to 10 minutes on each side!

Are Piano Skype Lessons for you? Test yourself against the checklist below:

Many of my students, who I teach at Steinway Hall and Schott Music in London, are still apprehensive about Skype online piano tuition and think that Piano Skype Lessons could never provide an adequate substitute for a normal lesson. Therefore, I created this checklist that will help you decide whether Skype Piano Lessons are for you:

1. Do you want to study with a particular teacher but find hard to travel to see them regularly?
2. Do you have a limited amount of time and therefore can not study regularly, due to the amount of time it takes to travel to see your teacher?
3. Would you like to have shorter sessions rather than the one-hour lessons which many traditional piano schools provide?
4. If you said yes to question 3 (above), do you think that piano lessons shorter than 60 minutes are not worth your travel time?
5. Do you find that when you are on holiday and finally have the time to practise, as well as greater inspiration, your teacher is in another country?

If you sad yes to ANY of the questions above then Skype Piano Lessons are for you!

What you need in order to start Skype Piano Lessons:

Before committing to Skype Piano Lessons you need to make sure that:

1. You chose your teacher because you really want to study them specifically, and not just because they provide Skype Piano Lessons.
2. You have a good, fast internet connection at the address your lesson is due to take place (at least 2mb download and 0.5mb upload).
3. You have a good and workable computer with a decent screen resolution (see below).
4. You have a good quality microphone and good speakers.
5. You have an adjustable camera (either built into the computer – I usually use my laptop – or external), so you can direct it towards specific perspectives during the lesson.
6. Your computer can face the piano keyboard (this is why laptops are generally more practical and functional)
7. You can install the latest version of Skype and check that you can see yourself and the piano keyboard in the camera.

Computer Requirements:
Windows (XP – Win 7) or Mac OSX (Leopard, Snow Leopard and Lion)
Minimum 1GHz Processor
Minimum 256mb of RAM
DirectX 9 or above

Screen Requirements:
Minimum of 1280×1024 resolution.

Choosing a Skype Piano Lesson Teacher:

At the end of the day, the efficiency of your lesson will very much depend on the teacher. The market is big and you need to find a teacher who is right for you (A separate blog on this will be coming soon!) Needles to say that the teacher needs to be well qualified, have good teaching ethics and, in general, suit your temperament, as well as share your goals and beliefs.

At our Piano-Yoga® Music School we offer many classes and lessons ranging from 20 minute individual sessions to full three-month courses (‘A’ and ‘B’):
http://www.piano-yoga.com/e-shop/lessons/skype-lessons.php
You can always give us a call for an informal chat via Skype on weekdays 9:00-13:00 (GMT) search for us at ‘piano-yoga’, if you want to find out more, or email us on info@piano-yoga.com.

In conclusion, I would say never stop developing and learning just because you do not have the time or means to travel to a lesson or person with whom you would like to learn, and if you are not a fan of technology do not dismiss the idea of using it to your advantage before trying it! You might be pleasantly surprised.

With all best wishes,
Namaste
GéNIA

Skype Piano Lessons

Achieve your piano performance goals from anywhere in the world, over the internet, with our interactive Piano Skype Lessons. Get all the benefits of a one to one piano lesson or piano life coaching session live from the comfort of your own home, and be taught by the Head of Piano-Yoga® School, Russian pianist GéNIA!

‘I would encourage any pianist, amateurs and professionals alike, to sign up to one of [GéNIA’s] courses!’
International Piano Magazine

Now you can start benefiting from the powerful Piano-Yoga® technique straight away. With our unique Piano-Yoga® School based in London, piano lessons using Skype offer those unable to travel to us a chance to study piano online. You can have a Skype Piano Lesson from anywhere in the world and, with our continuously growing international community, we welcome pianists of all levels and backgrounds! Whether you are in the United States, Australia or anywhere in the UK, you now have the opportunity to study the piano from the original Piano-Yoga® source; founder of the method, pianist GéNIA.

In these sessions you can work on your technique, prepare for your graded Associated Board Exams or Performance Diploma, get feedback and advice on your posture, receive tips on stress management technique and discuss any questions and concerns that relate to your piano playing (even choosing the best piano to suit your needs)!

Apart from teaching the Piano-Yoga® method, GéNIA has been advising many musicians and young people on how to embark on professional career path, whether to become a piano teacher, accompanist, concert performer or break into a pop music/dance industry. With Piano-Yoga® holistic method, all the elements of your well-being, music potential, circumstances and current education are taken into account and through individual coaching your dreams are transformed to a vision that could become a reality.

“The 21st century answer to playing the piano”
Yoga & Health Magazine

What you get:

• Exclusive one to one piano lesson
• Tailored approach to your technique
• Personalized Practice Plan
• Step by Step Guidance
• Stress Management Technique
• Piano Life Coaching
• Body Maintenance Exercises
• Flexibility in your Training Hours
• The top quality advice at the comfort of your home

If you want to have a quick experience on all what Skype Piano Lessons have to offer you can try a short 20 minute session or, if you already know that this technique is for you, sign up to our courses A or B to benefit fully from the method. The choice is yours!

“The beautiful thing about learning is that no-one can take it away from you!”
B.B.King

Click HERE to book your Skype Piano Lesson now!
Click HERE to view our School Fees
Click HERE to read our School Policy
Click HERE to view our other courses

Watch GéNIA at one of our Piano-Yoga® Workshops:

Dear Students, Parents and Members of Piano-Yoga®,

GéNIA at the Piano-Yoga® School

I hope that this newsletter finds you all very well.

I wanted to update you personally on our news and, in particular, on the recent merger of GéNIA MUSIC Piano School and Piano-Yoga®. The idea for this merger grew organically, since whilst the GéNIA MUSIC Piano School offers ‘standard’ tuition ranging from one-to-one classical piano lessons to jazz and theory courses, Piano-Yoga® works directly on the hands and body, helps to create the correct mindset and generates feelings of well-being. As a result of this merger, our new ‘Piano-Yoga® School’ now has a wide range of classes available:

- ‘Standard’ one-to-one tuition
- Assessment lessons
- Composition
- Theory
- Improvisation
- Playing by ear
- Aural training
- Sight-reading
- Grade preparation
- Personalised course
- Jazz
- Ensemble coaching

We also run a number of courses:

- Boot camp for beginners
- Boot camp refresher
- Three-month course A
- Three-month course B 
- Course of six lessons

For those of you who are interested in the holistic side of piano education we now run:

- Piano + yoga classes at Steinway Hall
- Piano + holistic therapy (in partnership with Neal’s Yard-Practitioner, Angela Allen)
And if you are not based in central London, why not try our Skype lessons? These have proved to be very effective with our students.

All our teachers share our philosophy and provide teaching of the highest standard.

If you are not sure which courses are best suited to you, take a look at the categories on our home page. Whether you are an amateur pianist, piano teacher, professional musician, conservatoire student, or you are looking into lessons for your children, we have made suggestions for the courses and products most appropriate for you.

Please see below for some other Piano-Yoga® news, and I look forward to hearing from you and welcoming you into our new community.

Namaste,

GéNIA

To read the rest of the newsletter and find out about the Piano-Yoga® School Concert, Recording Facilities and our ‘Recommend a Friend’ Speciall offer, click HERE!

When our students finally get to grips with a piece and wished they could hold on to it, Piano-Yoga® now has the facilities for them! They can experience what it’s like to spend some time in the studio and record their own album, without having to sign a single record deal, or even leave the house! Our new Piano-Yoga® state-of-the-art recording service is available in the comfort of their own home, whether they wish to record just one track, or a whole album. There are many good reasons to have a recording. This is a great tool for analysing technique before a public performance or exam. Or perhaps they need a demo to send to prospective music colleges or competitions. What better special gift for family and friends than a personal performance they can treasure forever?

Why Record?

• Analyse their playing before a public performance or exam
• Have a well-recorded and well-produced album of your playing which would be a beautiful gift to friends and family
• Provide demo recordings to send to prospective colleges and universities
• Simply as a record of their achievements

Fees:

• Equipment Hire: £30 (one-off fee)
• Hourly Recording Rate: £65/hour
• Hourly Mastering Rate: £65/hour
• CD Production: Free plain CD & Files | £2 for each extra CD | £20 extra for CD text and artwork

Location:

Recording sessions can take place at home or a location of your choice. Time in a recording studio can be arranged for those who wish to record in a professional environment (separate fees apply).

Booking:

Contact Richard McDonald to arrange a recording session at:
e: richard.mcdonald@piano-yoga.com
t: +44 (0)7948 447 492
Skype: ‘piano-yoga’

GéNIA plays the beautiful Sonata Reminiscenza, first of the Forgotten Melodies Cycle (op. 38) by Nikolai Medtner. This single movement sonata moves from gentle melodies and shifting harmonies to dramatic excitement and back again, leading your emotions in unexpected directions. Video produced by Richard McDonald.

To view other videos, please visit GéNIA ’s YouTube channel HERE.

Piano-Yoga® Retreat at Kings Place

Congratulations to Rebecca Willson who has won a free place at our Piano-Yoga® Retreat at Kings Place on the 12th February 2012!

Rebecca is studying Masters in 21st Century Music and Piano Performance at Brunel University and we hope that she finds the Retreat very useful.

We would also like to thank all those who entered the competition;  the response was overwhelming!

Watch out the space for our next Piano-Yoga® competition!

Piano-Yoga® Workshop

In this evening session, GéNIA will be teaching amateur players and professional musicians the main aspects of Piano-Yoga® method, how to conquer performance nerves and how to improve your performance. The Workshop will take place at the beautiful St. Nicholas Parish Church in Brighton as part of Brighton Festival and is organized by the MOOT Group. Booking will be available soon!

Programme

Introduction to Piano-Yoga®
Conquering Performance Nerves
Performance Workshop & Discussion

We advise people to wear loose clothing so they can try some gentle yoga exercises. Participants will be invited to take their shoes off but this is not mandatory.

Click HERE to view other Piano-Yoga® Events!