Improvisation Made Easy: How to Enhance Music Styling
Join the CMC Piano Department for two unique sessions on February 24 designed to provide intermediate–advanced players practical techniques, harmonic and melodic patterns, and musical concepts to improve confidence in improvisation and expression in many genres, from classical to pop, jazz, gospel, and more.
- 2:30pm: Embodied Piano Playing with Allison Lovejoy
- 4:00pm: Gospel Piano Stylings with Ken Little
Embodied Piano Playing with Allison Lovejoy
February 24 from 2:30–3:45pm
CMC Recital Hall
Free
Musical foundations are anything but basic in Embodied Piano Playing, where piano faculty Allison Lovejoy will guide instrumentalists through physical considerations of musicianship. This free workshop provides intermediate and advanced pianists skills and practice techniques to produce good tone, musical playing, and relaxed technique. Techniques for breathing, posture, and focused practice will be included in the demonstration and address all styles of music, including classical, gospel, jazz, pop, and more. Participants are invited to ask questions about challenges in their technique and to play excerpts of pieces for hands-on advice.
Open to: Intermediate and advanced pianists to participate. Other levels are welcome to join the audience.
To participate: Select the participant ticket option if you would like to join the masterclass portion of the workshop. Please note that there is limited time—available to 10 performers maximum.
Allison Lovejoy is an award-winning classical pianist, composer, educator and cabaret artist. Engaging, intelligent and witty, her many talents combine to make a uniquely versatile artist.
As soloist and collaborator, she can be heard performing works of Chopin, Bartok and Debussy, tango, jazz, and original Cabaret Nouveau music in a variety of venues in Europe and the United States, including Herbst Theater, Yoshi’s, Shoreline Amphitheater and parks of San Francisco and Paris.
Allison is a member of the Classical Revolution, and is a curator and featured pianist in the popular Flower Piano Festival in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. She also produces concerts and is in demand as a musical theater director and composer.
Known for her technical ease, intelligence and passionate delivery, Allison performs as concert soloist and chamber musician. She has performed concertos with the San Francisco Sinfonietta, The Awesome Orchestra and Golden Gate Symphony, and toured with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Sohrab Pournazeri and The Graves Brothers Deluxe in the US, Europe and Japan.
About CMC Sessions 2024:
Expand your musical toolbox and get inspired with CMC guitar, piano, and cultural traditions faculty. CMC Sessions comes to life with a new series of in-person workshops, presentations, and masterclasses in a wide range of musical styles and traditions. Explore historical and stylistic performance practices, learn new techniques, and spark your creative interests through enlightening demonstrations, thought-provoking discussions, and hands-on experience.
- February 24: Improvisation Made Easy: How to Enhance Music Styling
- Embodied Piano Playing with Allison Lovejoy
- Gospel Piano Stylings with Ken Little
- March 2: Piano Performance Psychology with Grace Huenemann
- March 2: Follow My Lead: Accompaniment & Melody for Guitarists with Erik Pearson and Scott O’Day
- Accompaniment for Guitar
- Melody for Guitar
- May 11: Nuts & Bolts of Jazz Piano Improvisation with Erick Peralta
- May 11: Rhythmic and Harmonic Structure of Traditional Cuban Music with Tony Martinez and Erick Peralta
- May 18: Baroque Improvisation Workshop with Shirley Wong-Frentzel
- May 18: Histoire du Tango with Will Ludan and Monika Gruber