Music is the universal language of mankind.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Music is what tells us that the human race is greater than we realize.
Napoleon Bonaparte

Programs Offered

Dear Presidents, Vice Presidents, Friends and Colleagues,

Listed below are programs that I offer for the chapters in ISMTA:
I am offering six different programs for the local chapters of the ISMTA.

For those chapters that have already had me do a program for them they might be interested in a follow up program ( more advanced ) on the same subject, the same program ( review) or an entirely different program. If this is not your association job, please forward this information to your program chairperson.

In an effort to be green and save paper as well as time, my bio is not included in this e-mail but my bio, referrals, and more detailed information of these six programs are available upon request.

  • How to Read and Play from a Lead Sheet
  • Advanced How to Read and Play from a Lead Sheet ( reharmonizing on the fly!)
  • Jazz Harmonies and How they can apply to your Teaching
  • How to Play a 12 Bar Blues
  • The Great Chicago Boogie Woogie Pianists
  • How to Promote Great Posture at the Piano : Release Pain and Tightness

Lead Sheet Program:
Participants will learn how to group chords, create a bass line, create fills, play with different styles, create appropriate voicings and reharmonize from a simple to a very sophisticated result.This program can actually be split into two parts, there is a lot of information to cover.

Advanced How to Read and Play from a Lead Sheet
Did you ever wonder what to do with 2-4 bars of just a C major chord? How about turnarounds, easy voicings that you can learn in minutes that you can do on the fly? Then this is the program for you!

Jazz Harmonies and How they can apply to your Teaching
Did you ever wonder what Beethoven,Debussy,Ravel,Brahms have to do with Jazz harmonies? Learn how the giants of Jazz Piano used their voicings! How about  simple ways to teach them? Your students will get more out of playing scales then you ever thought possible and you will both have tons of fun.

How to Play a 12 Bar Blues
Participants will learn the different ways to play a 12 bar blues, Left hand voicings, turnarounds, intro’s, licks, and how to use a pentatonic and blues scale. If time allows, we will also work on an 8 bar blues structure.You will also get idea’s of how you can use this material for your own students. 

The Great Chicago Boogie Woogie Pianists
This program will feature the work of Jimmy Yancy, Pinetop Smith, Albert Ammons, Meade Lux Lewis and a number of others. I will talk about the history and play the different styles of each great artist. Also, I connect the artists of the 30’s to the more contemporary Boogie pianists such as Dr. John and Allen Toussaint.

You will also get idea’s of what material and music is available for your own students.

How to Promote Great Posture at the Piano : Release Pain and Tightness
This program is the result of my many years of searching for ways to release back pain that I had personally since I was a teenager. I will dispel the common conceptions that pianist have about posture and the common misconceptions about finding a solution. A number of modalities will be presented along with the pros and cons of each approach. The group should wear comfortable clothing if possible. There is a lot of information here, and this program can also be split into two parts. This has actually been my most popular program.

All of these programs will have handouts and be chock full of information. Please contact me for further details.

Best Wishes,

Eric Sutz