Performer Teacher Lecturer Taubman Approach Curriculum Vitae Contact Brenna Berman Home

Lecturer

Ms. Berman, an Adjunct Faculty member of The Golandsky Institute, offers lectures in the Taubman Approach to interested Institutions and groups. Where possible, she also offers private lessons, master classes, and/or a concert in conjunction with the lectures. She regularly gives lectures in Colorado, but enjoys giving lectures throughout the country and abroad. In June 2010, she will be presenting at the Colorado State Music Teachers Association State Convention. In the fall of 2010, she will be teaching the Denver Area Music Teachers Association Fall Course on The Taubman Approach. Earlier this year, she was a guest artist at Metro State College of Denver’s Piano Celebration as both a performing artist and a presenter, and has lectured and given master classes at the University of Colorado at Boulder and for other local chapters of MTNA.

The Basic Lecture includes an introduction to the Taubman Approach. Other lectures include: Advanced Topics in the Taubman Approach, Special Topics, and Literature Applications. Advanced lectures are available for multi-session lectures.

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Introductory Lecture topics include:

Alignment
Proper alignment at the keyboard involves specific positions of the fingers, hand, forearm, elbow, upper arm, torso, and feet. The audience learns the proper sitting height, sitting distance from the piano, foot position, and posture. They also learn about the natural alignment of the upper arm, forearm, hand, and fingers. Ms. Berman demonstrates how the fingers themselves operate best in their own natural shape, rather than curled or straightened. She also demonstrates the proper hand position at the keyboard, and how the finger, hand, and forearm most operate as one unit to effectively and easily play each note. She discusses the necessity of stable fulcrums; that no break or collapse can occur in the joints of the wrist or knuckles.

Balance, Gravity, and Freedom
Given the right alignment, it is possible to depress a key using arm weight balanced on the finger, as opposed to finger strength. There is discussion about learning how to balance the arm on each finger, and the advantage of a "toss and fall" approach to playing the keys as apposed to muscle force.

Rotation
Rotation is the turning motion of the forearm that can transfer arm weight from one finger to the next quickly and in a connected way. Forearm rotation is the only movement of the arm that is fast enough to keep up with the fingers, and is therefore essential to fast playing. Without it, the playing is slow or the fingers are isolated, leading to tension and possible injury.

In and Out
It is shown in the Basic Lecture that the fingers must stay in their natural position in order to move well; it follows that there must be a motion that moves towards and away from the piano to accommodate the different finger lengths. Due to the weight difference in the keys themselves (heavier towards the instrument and lighter on the edge), it is often preferable to play the finger on the key spot that is close to the edge, also demanding such a motion. This motion is known as "in and out." Ms. Berman demonstrates the movement and shows its employment in musical passages.

Walking Hand and Arm
The audience will learn about the up, down, and across motions of the hand and forearm that are necessary for the finger to play each note with the support of forearm weight.

Shaping
Shaping refers to the movements of the forearm that go up and down and are spread out over several notes. Usually referred to as "overs" and "unders," these movements help facilitate the other movements, and create a smooth overall feeling.

Learning the Taubman Approach
At each lecture, there will be a presentation of ways to follow up with learning the Taubman Approach. Private instruction from a qualified teacher is the best way to learn the Taubman Approach, and it is also possible to attend workshops, seminars, and the summer Golandsky Institute Symposia. Local teachers will be suggested if they exist. If there are no local teachers, instructors such as Ms. Berman may be able to travel to the location to teach.

Advanced Lectures
Lectures involving advanced Advanced Topics in the Taubman Approach, Special Topics, and Literature Application are available by request, or in situations where multiple lectures are possible.

Special Topics Lecture: Finesse vs. Chaos -
Navigating leaps and rests in the music with technical and expressive ease.

In Finesse vs. Chaos, Brenna Berman will discuss many situations that typically impede smoothness of feel and continuity of line. Two of these are situations that are often misconceived as “endings:” the “rest,” and the “end of a phrase.” She will demonstrate how rests do not “stop” the music, how to move across the rest efficiently, and how to continue musically. She will explain how musicians often don’t listen to the end of a line or phrase and how it relates to the next line. She will demonstrate the physical and expressive importance of relating the end of one line to the beginning of the next.

The other category of Finesse vs. Chaos includes leaps of different types: distances, jumping bass, and octave passages. Ms. Berman will demonstrate how different movements and the use of grouping can shrink distances in leaps, raise accuracy, and remove confusion.

Special Topics Lecture: Two Secrets of Natural Playing-
Applying in and out movements effectively at the keyboard.

In Two Secrets of Natural Playing, Brenna Berman goes into great detail regarding the movements of in and out. She first describes the mechanism of the finger, and why pianists need in and out in their playing. She explains how the forearm is responsible for moving the playing apparatus, and not the finger or hand.

Ms. Berman demonstrates how in and out movements allow pianists to avoid the damaging and slowing effects of curling, straightening, and twisting. She goes further to explain how in and out interacts with other movements, and how to calibrate it appropriately for a passage. A major portion of the lecture includes musical examples, demonstration, and opportunities for the audience to experience the musical examples.