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We are delighted to announce the launch of Piano-Yoga® Club Online! Described as ‘Something radical’ and ‘The first entirely new technique to emerge in the last 50 years’ by Yoga & Health Magazine, the Club will give an opportunity to learn in-depth about the Piano-Yoga® method and get advice directly from its creator, ‘an outstanding musician’ (The Times), concert pianist and composer, GéNIA. Taking place in a virtual environment, the Club will run every Friday in March and April 2020, starting at 6.30 pm – 7.45 pm.
The activity of the Club will involve practical exercises for pianists and a short presentation from GéNIA (please see schedule below), followed by a Q & A session. Participants will be able to discover specific details about piano technique, learn strategies for efficient practice, get tips on dealing with stage fright and how to keep relaxed during their practice, amongst other things.
Created out of the necessity to stretch her hands in order to master one of the most difficult works in the whole piano repertoire- Rachmaninov’s ‘Variations on a theme by Paganini’ by GéNIA, (known for having very small hands, which potentially could have limited her capabilities as a concert pianist), Piano-Yoga® helped her to overcome this problem. The method is founded on a synergy between the Russian School of Piano Playing and Eastern Philosophies, especially Yoga, and is suitable both for professional musicians and amateur pianists. Whether one is an advanced pianist, teacher or just starting out, Piano-Yoga® has something to offer everyone. The more advanced a musician is, the more they can benefit from the method.
Piano-Yoga® believes that, with a simple and holistic approach, which takes into account an individual’s physical, psychological and energetic state, one can learn faster and more easily. Stongly emphasizing the uniqueness of each human being, Piano-Yoga® teaches musicians how to learn to play the piano utilizing their strengths, while gently working on improving their weaknesses. Whether one has tight shoulders, tension in their arms, rhythm problems, performance nerves or the inability to organize piano practice efficiently, Piano-Yoga® can offer various solutions and teach musicians how to be in charge of their own progress.
Central to the method is a series of technical exercises: ‘Transform Your Hands’: a Complete Ten-Week Course of Piano Exercises, available in paperback and as an e-book. Piano-Yoga® also organizes workshops, retreats, masterclasses and one-to-one tuition.
Piano-Yoga® also pays great attention to the musician’s environment, which can be a lonely existence, especially in the current times. The Piano-Yoga® Club Online will attract like-minded people and become a great place for interactive, creative and noncompetitive music making.
Schedule:
27 March 2020: Why we believe in the efficiency of the Piano-Yoga® method
3 April 2020: Why relaxation is so important and so good for you
10 April 2020: How to make adrenaline your best friend!
17 April 2020: Transforming concentration in 5 easy steps
24 April 2020: A simple formula for efficient practice.
Who will best benefit from the Club?
Intermediate and advanced pianists, professional musicians and teachers.
Practical Advice
Due to the online nature of the event here is what you need to do to participate:
1. Download the app ZOOM which works on iPhone, iPad and Desktop:
2. Make a free ZOOM account online. Before the event is due to start you will be sent a link to your email – you just have to copy that link when you login to you ZOOM account and I will be there waiting to greet you. It’s nice and simple.
3. Participants are welcome to ask as many questions as time allows, be prepared to take shoes off for a full Piano-Yoga® experience and are welcome to play either the whole or part of a composition on the day (maximum 5 minutes). Participants should state their wish to play at the beginning of the event and GéNIA will do her best to schedule you in, although do to the amound of requests which can be received, this may not always be possible.
4. If you are using the computer, you can put a pile of books on top your chair and put the chair next to the piano so the keyboard and yourself are visible within the camera view.
5. If you are using your phone, the best thing to get is a Selfie Stick
You need to know the model of your phone and easily find the right stick on Amazon.
Music Scores
Once we choose the pieces for you to work, we can arrange for me to have a copy of the score and I will use it for making during the lesson and take a picture after each session as JPEG and send it to you.
About GéNIA
Russian born virtuoso concert pianist and composer GéNIA is the founder of Piano-Yoga®, a unique method of piano playing, performing and teaching designed for all levels of pianists.
GéNIA's first teacher was her great grand mother, the renowned pedagogue Regina Horowitz, the sister of pianist Vladimir Horowitz, who had a profound effect on GéNIA's attitude to music and playing. Following her studies in London at the Guildhall School of Music and Trinity College of Music, GéNIA performed worldwide, and released a number of albums on Black Box, Nonclassical and her own label, GÉNIA MUSIC. Her compositions have been regularly played on various concert platforms, BBC Radio, Classic FM and have appeared in the critically-acclaimed BBC America TV series Killing Eve and the well-known ITV series Cold Feet. Combining her artistic career with Piano-Yoga® work, GÉNIA gives masterclasses, workshops and Piano-Yoga® retreats worldwide, whilst running her Piano-Yoga® studio in Central London. GéNIA's Piano-Yoga® book was featured in her live series of Piano-Yoga lessons on BBC London Radio 94.9.
Amongst GéNIA' students are recipients of many music scholarships and awards that include The Westminster School Music Scholarship, Camden School for Girls Music Scholarship, prize winners at the North London Festival, the Windsor Festival, The Dulwich Festival, The Watford Festival, the Around the Globe Piano Music Festival, the West London Annual Pianoforte Festival, the Eton Honorary Music Exhibition award and The Westminster School Competitions, to name a few. This course of masterclasses aims to create practical tools for musicians which they will be able to apply to their playing straight away. This, in turn, will not only help to improve rapidly, but most importantly, increase their joy of playing the piano.
Booking Information
Date: Every Firday evening of March and April starting 27 March 2020 Online Platform: Zoom
Time: 6:30-7:45pm
Fees: £5 ticket per one visit to the club
If you find that your connection is unsatisfactory we will give you a full refund. Please report this in the first 10 minutes of the event.
Bookings: via Eventbrite. You will be emailed the link to the event with the password.
Enquiries: t:+44 (0)20 7226 9829 | e: contact@piano-yoga.com Further Information: www.piano-yoga.com