Moving beyond early teaching literature we quickly find ourselves in the musical world of MWBH (men with big hands) – they write and edit a lot of the music we teach and play. Teachers need strategies to help small-handed students learn to break the “rules”, thereby technically “reinterpreting” the music without compromising the sound. This workshop will cover the development of important motion principles to assist all students as well as offering practical suggestions from a wide-range of musical examples. Teachers are encouraged to submit problem pieces/passages in advance for discussion during the workshop.

The afternoon master class will be a working class rather than a strict performance/interpretation session. Students and teachers are invited to bring problem passages and we will work to find greater ease in negotiating the notes and creating appropriate sounds. Pieces do not need to be memorized or “performance ready” (but they must be well-learned!) and students have the option of playing an entire selection or simply portions from it.