The Pianists' Workshop - I



Overview

This practical class is an opportunity to explore the piano's vast repertoire and to improve both your interpretation and technique. The format of the class is a lively mixture of talks and workshops, in which all students have regular opportunities to play in a relaxed, friendly and very supportive atmosphere.

In the workshop sessions advice will be given on interpretation appropriate to each composer. On the technical side, students will be helped with the selection of fingerings, the identification and resolution of technical problems and the choice of appropriate technical exercises. The emphasis of this aspect of the course is to give students the knowledge and experience to make best use of their practice time.

The first three talks this term will cover the basic principles of piano technique. The other talks aim to broaden students' knowledge of the piano and its world, looking this term at the origins of piano technique and the piano music of Mozart.

This class is open to players of all levels, including beginners, and students may join the class in any term.

Programme details

Course starts: 27 Sept 2023

Week 1: Repertoire workshop - Special topic: Training the fingers

Week 2: Repertoire workshop.

Week 3: Repertoire workshop - Special topic: Using the pedals

Week 4: Repertoire workshop.

Week 5: Repertoire workshop - Special topic: Practice technique

Week 6: Repertoire workshop.

Week 7: Repertoire workshop - Special topic: The piano music of Schubert

Week 8: Repertoire workshop.

Week 9: Repertoire workshop - Pianist profile: Alfred Brendel

Week 10: Performance week.

Certification

Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from between January 1st and July 31st after the current academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £257.00
Take this course for CATS points £10.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Jonathan Darnborough

Jonathan Darnborough is Director of Studies in Music and Departmental Lecturer in Music at Oxford University Department for Continuing Education.  He is a composer and pianist and has worked in continuing education throughout his career.

Course aims

To give students the ability to prepare a piece of piano music for performance from the initial choice of the piece through the technical preparation to the final interpretation.

Course Objectives:

  • To increase the students’ technical command of the piano.
  • To improve their interpretation of repertoire from different periods and styles.
  • To make the students aware of a broader range of piano repertoire.

Teaching methods

A mixture of lecture and workshop. The tutor will outline each topic with live demonstrations from the keyboard. Students will play pieces or extracts from pieces to the class and work on these with the tutor. In all classes the score of the music being worked on will be projected on to one screen and live video from a webcam over the piano keyboard will be projected on to another.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

  • understand how basic piano technique is developed;
  • apply that technical understanding to specific pieces of piano music;
  • appreciate the issues involved in interpreting the piano music of different periods.

Assessment methods

Assessment will be through the students' presentation of a piece or extract of a piece in class, combined with their notes on that piece.  Since this class is for all standards of player the assessment of their playing will be very much based upon their progress rather than their absolute standard and, particularly, upon the degree to which they have absorbed the practice techniques studied during the course.

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

Application

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form (Word) or enrolment form (Pdf).

Level and demands

This class is open to players of all levels, including beginners.

Most of the Department's weekly classes have 10 or 20 CATS points assigned to them. 10 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of ten 2-hour sessions. 20 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of twenty 2-hour sessions. It is expected that, for every 2 hours of tuition you are given, you will engage in eight hours of private study.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support