Welcome to Brook Ferguson’s first session of Monday Evening Technique. This online group course will meet Monday evenings at 5pm-6:30pm Mountain Standard Time. The course begins on September 14th 2020 and concludes on Monday, November 30th 2020. Five participants and two auditors will be selected for this first session. As this is the maiden voyage of this course, keeping the class on the small side will guarantee ample individual instruction and time for group discussion.
The goal of this course is to have all participants memorize the Taffanel & Gaubert 17 Daily Exercises. Each week, a new series of exercises will be studied and prepared for class. During the Zoom sessions, each participant will play excerpts of the exercises from memory and receive feedback. There will be time at the end of each class for Q&A.
Tips for memorization will occupy a large portion of the instruction. Other major subjects of the course are: harmonic analysis, pattern recognition, articulation, intonation, tempo challenges and technical facility. Another skill that will be developed in this course will be scheduling practice time and developing a rotation of these daily exercises to stay in peak technical shape after the course ends. In carving out time to truly learn these exercises inside and out over the course of 2.5 months, each participant will have invested in a lifetime of technical fluency. Your future self will thank you!
My teaching style is heavy on praise, yet unabashedly honest. I operate on the presumption that the student’s goal is to strive for personal excellence. The true pursuit of excellence hinges on cultivating humility. I believe strongly in delivering critical feedback as productively as possible. I also strive to communicate big ideas in simple ways. Sometimes this involves a metaphorical presentation. Sometimes it is black and white. Sometimes it is anecdotal. And sometimes, it involves demonstration. In fact, one of my favorite ways to assimilate information is by listening to someone show me what is possible and then attempting to do it. So, be prepared for me to ride the technique train alongside all of the participants, metronome and tuner in tow! For me, striving to be a great performer is 50% of being a great teacher. It establishes credibility. After all, inspiration is at the heart of learning. The other 50% is me observing how you learn and adapting my approach to meet you there.
Rules of the Road:
The goal is to establish group solidarity and a positive, inspirational learning environment. Each participant will enthusiastically engage in one hour a day of practice on the weekly selections and journal their practice. Each participant must be present at every class with a journal, metronome and tuner. If individual preparation is persistently lacking, late to class or if one class is missed, you will privately be asked to discontinue the course. Obviously, this would be less than ideal. But by communicating these expectations up front, I hope to build something truly exceptional among the group members! So before you commit, give this a bit of thought and make sure you feel good about these simple, yet demanding expectations.
Sometimes, life gives us unexpected lemons. Excused absences will be granted if the student submits a video recording of their exercises within the week they are scheduled. But this is only in the event of a truly extenuating circumstance. Group learning is at the heart of this experience. Do not miss out!
Course Schedule:
Monday, September 14- Orientation & Introductions
Monday, September 21- EJ 1 & EJ 17
Monday, September 28- EJ 2 & EJ 5
Monday, October 5- EJ 3A & EJ 7
Monday, October 12- EJ 3B & EJ 8
Monday, October 19- EJ 4
Monday, October 26- EJ 6A & EJ 8
Monday, November 2- EJ 6B & EJ 9
Monday, November 9- EJ 10 & EJ 11
Monday, November 16- EJ 12 & EJ 13
Monday, November 23- EJ 15A & 15B
Monday, November 30- EJ 16A & 16B
Nuts and Bolts:
Tuition for participants- $375
Tuition for auditors- $150
A $150 non-refundable deposit will be due at the beginning of the course and the remainder will be invoiced during the week of October 19. PayPal, Venmo and Zelle are all accepted. If credit cards are used for tuition payment, a fee of 3.5% will be added to the amount due.
Application Form:
Application Deadline: September 10, 2020
Notification of acceptance in the course will be given by
September 11, 2020.