Join composers and piano teachers Elena Cobb and Andrew Higgins on 16th November for a free workshop exploring the world of piano improvisation and how to develop and nurture improvisational ability and confidence in your piano students.
Presenting the first half of the workshop, Elena Cobb will be covering teaching methods for beginner pianists to pianists at Grade 3, with references to her book Improv Exercises for Classically Trained Beginners.
Andrew Higgins presents the second half, covering teaching methods for intermediate to advanced students, referencing his book So You Want to Learn to Improvise? This free workshop is highly recommended for all piano teachers and takes place in the Recital Room at Yamaha Music London.
Andrew joined Alfred Publishing in 1996, which coincided with his discovery of the pedagogical insights of the late Dr Amanda Vick-Lethco in the now classic Alfred’s Basic Piano Library. Her all-encompassing holistic approach focussing on the ‘pianist as musician’, inspired him to develop Dr Lethco’s ideas still further by incorporating improvising and memorising techniques into ABPL’s teaching philosophy. So much so, that when Dr Lethco attended one of his seminars, she confessed to having no idea that her books could be used in such a creative way!
Andrew now works extensively with Alfred Publishing in the UK and Europe promoting their ideals of musicianship through the Premier Piano Course with workshops and lectures, meeting with teachers, performers and their pupils, to discuss piano teaching techniques. Many teachers have remarked on the freedom and flexibility in his approach to music, and, while Andrew considers improvisation and composition an intrinsic aspect of making music in the 21st century, this is always underpinned by a clear emphasis on sound technique and musicality.
Unlike many piano teachers who compose music, Elena Cobb figured out very early on that it would be up to her to get her work published. Her self-evaluation and willingness to learn and grow led Elena to try her hand in self-publishing.
Starting with only one book - Higgledy Piggledy Jazz for piano - within a few years she had built a personal brand, elenacobb.com which helped to give her new business credibility.
Through networking, Elena managed to reach out to a wider audience and connect with prospective customers and contacts in the education industry Internationally. Elena describes herself as a modern day publisher and is very keen to publish and promote works by living composers; her portfolio includes Heather Hammond, Pam & Olly Wedgwood, Melanie Spanswick and Donald Thomson to name a few.
The Elena Cobb Star Prize was introduced in 2015 when Elena began working with the British and International Federation of Festivals to increase participation in member festivals and from 2017, Elena Cobb will be one of the featured composers at the Carmel Klavier International Competition and Festival for Young Artists, USA. In May 2016, Elena's Arabia Étude-Tableau for piano was performed at The American Protégé Piano Competition by Alana Crouch, a nine years old pianist from London.
From August 2016, educational resources published by EVC Music Publications Ltd are distributed by Alfred Music UK worldwide.
Composer and piano teacher Elena Cobb
Composer and pianist Andrew Higgins
