Visual Recital Workshops

Visual Recital Workshops

A. Visual Recital Art Workshop - I've been invited to give a Visual Recital workshop/concert in Colorado this summer. The neat thing about this will be the involvement of about 70 kids - i will introduce some classical piano works, then direct the students in small teams to create artwork depicting their feelings and reactions to assigned sections of a particular piece. Their artwork will be digitally scanned, then incorporated into my Visual Recital framework and performed "live" for the kids and their families! Perhaps something like this could be explored with a group of music students, or even collaboratively between a team of music students and a team of art students? Lots and lots of interesting artistic possibilities here! I've been invited to present a similar workshop in Long Island in the fall.

B. Visual Recital How-To - How about a nuts and bolts workshop for the teachers themselves? I could give a short demo and then a technical overview of the various components involved in creating a Visual Recital presentation. This might be a wonderful time for discussion and brainstorming to think of transforming ways classical music can be presented both in the teaching studio and in public performance venues.

C. New Possibilities with Digital Instruments - I'm starting to work pretty extensively with Digital Pianos, thanks to a fantastic new program that's recently been upgraded called Pianoteq (developed in France). This program is actually a piano simulator, as opposed to a "sampler" that comprises the architecture of virtually every digital piano on the market. What makes this program so exciting is the fact that real, acoustic piano phenomena can be accurately simulated on a digital piano for the first time - everything from sympathetic vibrations, to fully continuous pedal effects, to the way the hammers interact with vibrating and non-vibrating strings, cross string vibration effects - the full parameters are pretty breathtaking, but the really amazing aspect is how expressive the program actually feels. This could become a powerful - and affordable - new tool for teachers looking for a way to offer serious instrument alternatives for students with more modest budgets. One possibility would be to incorporate a Visual Recital performance simultaneously demonstrating the Pianoteq program.

Here are some suggested lecture/workshop/performance applications of the above ideas:

1. Barebones technical presentation - video demonstration and Powerpoint-style slideshow with brief lecture and discussion on the Visual Recital concept and how it can be implemented in pedagogical settings. Approximate duration: 30-45 min.

2. Live performance Visual Recital demonstration (~12-15 min.) using front projector and small screen and existing piano at venue. Powerpoint-style slideshow with lecture and discussion on the Visual Recital concept and how it can be implemented in pedagogical and performance settings. Approximate duration: 45-60 min.

3. Live performance Visual Recital demonstration (~12-15 min.) with full technical setup, employing 7' x 9' rear projection screen and digital piano demonstrating cutting edge Piano simulation software (Pianoteq). Powerpoint-style slideshow with lecture and discussion on the Visual Recital concept and other supporting technologies for innovative pedagogical and performance practices. Approximate duration: 60 - 90 min.

Please note that running times are approximate - they can be extended or shortened as needed.

Making Art Music Mobile: Visual Recital at a Public School

A Fully Portable Setup for the Visual Recital

A Roland RD-700SX Digital Piano

A Muse Research Receptor, which houses high resolution sound sample libraries like the Ivory pianos from Synthogy

Pianoteq, a sophisticated piano simulator, which runs off of a third Tablet PC (one being for reading music, the other for triggering the visuals)

A pair of JBL Eon 15 G2 self-powered speakers