Marilyn Roth, Piano Department Chair
Private Lessons
Private lessons of 30, 45, and 60 minutes are offered. Prospective students must set up an audition or placement interview with the department chair, who will advise each student personally regarding an appropriate studio teacher placement.
For specific information regarding teacher placement, please contact the Preparatory School office by phone at 617-585-1130 or email prep@necmusic.edu.
In photo: George Li, a student of Wha Kyung Byun, performing with the Cleveland Orchestra after winning the 2010 Cooper International Competition. A few months later, George won the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. More on this. Photo by Roger Mastroianni, courtesy of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
Piano Tours
Students are invited to audition for summer tours of European music capitals led by Marilyn Roth. More on this.
Piano Ensembles
String & Piano Chamber Music
Laura Blustein, Chair
The NEC Preparatory School offers chamber music coaching to ensembles of various levels and ages. Groups will be determined by age, ability, and instrumentation. Each will receive 28 coaching sessions and two end-of-semester workshops. Students are expected to participate in festival concerts each semester.
Due to the large number of pianists who audition for the chamber music program, we cannot guarantee placement in an ensemble. Priority in placement is given to those students who must fulfill a chamber music requirement for the NEC certificate program.
Auditions will be held in September.
To schedule an appointment, contact the Preparatory School office at 617-585-1130 after August 1st.
Please call or email prep@necmusic.edu if you have any questions.
Piano Duo
Tatyana Dudochkin, Chair
Open by audition to pianists who wish to learn through collaboration, these coached duos study fourhand or duo-piano repertoire. Students are paired by age and ability. Each duo receives 28 coaching sessions and two workshops. Piano duo students participate in the chamber music festival concerts each semester.
Auditions will be held on September 9th. To schedule an appointment, contact the Preparatory School office at 617-585-1130 after August 1st.
Please call 617-585-1130 or email prep@necmusic.edu if you have any questions.
Sonata-Duo Class
Maria Benotti, Instructor
Violinist-pianist partners study specific works from the violin-sonata literature. Two duos share a one-hour lesson in workshop format. Each pair performs for their colleagues and in turn observes the others’ instruction, scores in hand. Intensive study of technical as well as interpretive aspects of each sonata is the focus. Performance presence and refinement of ensemble playing, discussion and hearing of concepts are encouraged. Open to upper-intermediate to advanced players.
Auditions for this class are held in September. To schedule an appointment, contact the Preparatory School office at 617-585-1160 after August 1st.
Please call 617-585-1130 or email prep@necmusic.edu if you have any questions.
Class meets Saturdays, 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Piano Seminars
A. Ramon Rivera, Coordinator and Instructor
Auditions are held in September. To schedule an appointment, contact the Preparatory School office after August 1st at (617) 585-1160. If you have any questions, please give us a call or email prep@necmusic.edu.
Advanced Piano Seminar
Please note that there are now two Advanced Piano Seminars. Open by audition to advanced piano students, these seminars are designed to enrich existing keyboard knowledge and performance skills. The class includes guest performers and speakers each week in related arts fields (poetry, graphic arts, other instrumental disciplines) in addition to guest keyboard artists and participating members of the Preparatory School piano faculty. The format includes masterclasses, lectures, and discussions. Public performances include group recitals and participation in the Festival of Contemporary Music. This course is required for Level IV Certificate piano students.
Advanced Seminar I (students in grade 10 or younger): Saturday, 2:00 - 3:00 PM
Advanced Seminar II (students in grades 11 and 12): Saturday, 3:00 - 4:30 PM
Intermediate Piano Seminar
Open by audition to intermediate piano students. Most students in the seminar are ages 11 - 14. A weekly program of masterclasses, lectures, guest speakers, field trips to museums, and arts events of interest provide this age group with the opportunity for activites and discussions appropriate to their musical development. Special performance projects are an integral part of the curriculum. At least one recital per semester. This course is required for Level III Certificate piano students.
Saturday, 1:00 - 2:00 PM
Junior Piano Seminar
Open by audition to piano students, typically in grades 5 and 6. The class provides an introduction to lecture and group discussion of style period considerations and related arts, with guest teachers, informal class performance, masterclasses, and one class recital per semester.
Eligibility: Students must be playing repertoire at the level of Bach's Little Preludes and Two-Part Inventions.
Saturday, 9:00 - 10:00 AM
Sightreading for Pianists
Elizabeth Skavish, Instructor
This course is designed to develop basic reading skills through sightreading exercises and ensemble playing. The course includes simple conducting, single line reading leading to more complex two-hand multiple part reading, rhythmic reading, early duet literature. Material progresses in melodic and rhythmic difficulty. Minimum age 10 years or by permission of instructor. One semester required for Level II Certificate piano students.
Fall Semester, 15 weeks, Saturday, 11:00 – 12:00 PM
Placement auditions will be held in September. To schedule an appointment, contact the Preparatory School office at 617-585-1130 after August 15th. If you have any questions, please give us a call or email prep@necmusic.edu.
Baroque Ensembles
Aldo Abreu, Director
Piano students may audition to play harpsichord in one of the baroque ensembles.
Auditions for Baroque Ensembles are held in May of each year. May auditions for the Baroque Ensembles have passed. If you are interested in auditioning for the Baroque Ensembles and have missed the auditions, please contact the conductor, Aldo Abreu at aldo.abreu@necmusic.edu.
Renaissance and Baroque Wind Band
Open by audition to intermediate players. This ensemble specializes in Renaissance and Baroque wind instrumental music written between the years 1500 and 1750. Students play their own modern instruments, and the parts are transposed from the original scores. While there are no specific age guidelines for this ensemble, most members of the Renaissance and Baroque Wind Band are in grades 7 - 12.
Rehearsals – Friday, 4:30 - 6:30 PM
Recorder and String Orchestra
Open by audition to intermediate players. This orchestra includes string instruments and recorder choir (multiple sizes) specializing in music from the Baroque and Renaissance Periods by composers such as Purcell, Schmelzer, Rosenmuller, Woodcock, Vivaldi and Corelli. While there are no specific age guidelines for this ensemble, most members of the Recorder and String Orchestra are in grades 3 - 11.
Rehearsals – Saturday, 4:00 - 6:00 PM
Preparatory Baroque Ensemble
Open by audition to beginning players. This orchestra includes strings and some wind instruments, specializing in easy music from the Baroque and Renaissance Periods by composers such as works by Susato, Attaignant, and Purcell. While there are no specific age guidelines for this ensemble, most members of the Preparatory Baroque Ensemble are in grades 3 - 9.
Rehearsals – Saturday, 3:00 - 4:00 PM
Friday Baroque Ensemble
Open by audition to intermediate players. This ensemble of string and wind players focuses on music from the baroque period, including works of Monteverdi, Schuetz, and Bach. While there are no specific age guidelines for this ensemble, most members of the Friday Baroque Ensemble are in grades 3 - 11.
Rehearsals – Friday, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
2013-05-30
DIZZY GILLESPIE