Workshop Reviews 2005

“When do you come to Europe again? Please tell me! You are right, music doesn´t consist of the notes which are written down, but it consists of the idea and intention. This I learned in these two days with you at Schloss Weinberg by a special way. It was so wonderful! I often think back to those moments which changed my music and my understanding of music...thanks once again and I hope to have you back soon in Europe!!” Carmen Gaggl Bruchner Conservatorium Linz, Austria “I have had the privilege of knowing and working with Marianne Ploger since 2001 when I met her at Craig Kirchoff's Art of Wind Band Teaching Symposium at the University of Minnesota. Her approach to reading and perceiving music in real time was so eye and ear opening to me that I contacted her after the symposium to begin doing work with her. The skills that she has taught me and continues to teach me each time I have the opportunity to work with her have been invaluable in my own understanding and teaching of music and I know how much her teachings have benefited my own students.” Scott Pierson Band Conductor Bend, OR "There is no way to overstate the impact the Advanced Musicianship Comprehensive had on me. I learned as much about my mind and soul in those four days as I do in a typical semester. The exercises and discussions serve as perfect models to analyze the process of performing and teaching music. The most remarkable quality is that in the face of such lofty tasks, talent is made completely irrelevant. Ms. Ploger levels the playing field so that everyone's success in the course clearly comes from trusting your own ability to steadily focus on a challenge, which is a particularly great quality for adult learners to reintegrate into their lives. As a teacher, I channel the information into every lesson I teach with astounding success in every instance. I hope to continue my study of the methods for life and I strongly encourage anyone interested in understanding the process of what makes a great musical performance and how the mind learns new material. Many thanks to Marianne Ploger and Keith Hill for a highly enjoyable four days and continued conversations about how to integrate the lessons into my own life." Aaron Hill Oboist Yale University, New Haven, CT “Many of us have experienced it. We attempt to learn a new skill, or even utilize ones that we have had forever, and what happens? We make mistakes and we yell at ourselves for it. We tell ourselves we are worthless because we can't get it right the first time. Well, to some of us, this may come as no surprise. It is not WE who are yelling at ourselves, but our "Inner Coach" yelling at us. This was one of the many incredible things I learned from Marianne Ploger at the Institute for Musical Perception. Each of us have an Inner Coach. This coach is responsible for the errors we make in our daily routine, be it performing, practicing, speaking, scanning groceries etc. When we make these errors, the Inner Coach yells at us for it. The workshop five of my colleagues and I participated in this summer helped me to control my Inner Coach, essentially teaching him to shut up while I was trying to make music. Many of you reading this are teachers and, I would guess because I am guilty of this myself, underestimate the speed at which your students can learn. Marianne Ploger, with her husband and colleague Keith Hill, taught me that when I have the right attitude for the job, I can learn and accomplish things MUCH faster than I ever thought imaginable and so will my students. By the end of the fourth and final day, we were able to solfege using fixed do in all six clefs, recoginze different intervals (called dichords) changing once per second, and count out rhythmic patterns in 2, 3, 4 and 5 at about 200 counts per minute. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. Should anyone choose to take this or any workshop offered at the Institute for Musical Perception, be warned, the pace is EXTREMELY rapid! Marianne Ploger, in the interest of learning as efficiently as possible, will not stop to ask if there are any questions. So if you have any, ASK THEM! This workshop was the most mind blowing four days of my life. ALL musicians should take this and any other workshop taught by Keith Hill and Marianne Ploger.” Justin Reiley Music Student University of Wisconsin Stevens Point “Initially I was daunted by the prospect of 4 days of intensive ear training, but shortly after we began on Monday morning I could tell that this experience was nothing to be afraid of. Ear training with Marianne is unlike any such experience I have ever had, primarily due to the encouraging attitude that prevailed from the very beginning. Not only would the activities of this workshop help us to hear better, we would master the numerous topics presented during the course of the week. About this there was simply no doubt, and it became obvious that Marianne's utterly simple yet intensely insightful way of teaching would help us to do just that. What sets Marianne apart from any teacher I have had before is that she assumes success because she knows so well the equipment that we all share and need only master to unlock our full potential. Therefore learning with her is not so much a matter of acquiring new skills and knowledge, but using our senses to uncover the truth around us and within. I cannot recommend this experience highly enough for any serious musician.” Aaron Marx Composer Bowling Green University The workshop offered by the Institute for Musical Perception is like nothing I have ever experienced, the only one of its kind. It is an integrated approach to musicianship and musical communication that draws on areas outside the field of music. If you are someone searching for meaning in music, it is present in every aspect of this workshop. Studying with Marianne Ploger and Keith Hill is like being in a constant state of enlightenment. It is a wonderful rude wake-up call. I felt more focused after their workshop than I ever had been before. I had never experienced anything like it. Never before have I ever come away from an experience like this with such a thorough understanding of the material. Marianne Ploger takes the most basic aspects of music and makes them so integrated that you begin to see them everywhere. No stone was left unturned. Everything we covered was application based. After taking part in the four day intensive, I felt like I got way more than my money’s worth. The most important idea I took from the workshop is that the only limits an individual’s brain has are the ones imposed on it. If you learn to drop those limits, anything must be possible. The information gained from Marianne Ploger and Keith Hill provides the basis for a lifetime worth of growth. Because of the immense understanding of the material and the immediate implementation of the skills that the workshop provides, I felt comfortable to begin implementing the material in my own teaching almost immediately. And lo and behold, my students, ranging from elementary to high school age, could tell the difference between all eleven dichords within two months of just minutes a week spent in lessons on ear training. This is the closest to an error-free method that I have ever seen because it is so rooted in the basics. This workshop was the most meaningful experience that I have ever encountered in music. My musicianship, teaching and imagination are forever changed. Matthew Hellenbrand Horn Player