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Dr. Jonathan Mann, NCTM
Assistant Professor of Piano
3163 Mason Hall
SUNY Fredonia
Fredonia, NY 14063
Phone: 716.673.4885
Fax: 716.673.3154
jonathan.mann@fredonia.edu |
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Jonathan Mann presented a thoroughly enjoyable recital at the University of Washington. The audience appreciated his nimble virtuosity, supple phrasing and rich coloristic command of the piano. His commentary was informative, witty, and from the heart. We look forward to having him return!
- Robin McCabe, Professor and Director, School of Music, University of Washington
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Bio
Workshops
Publications
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A Blast From the Past: How Preluding Can Calm Anxious Pianists
 In this presentation, Dr. Mann will explore the history of improvising on stage, how the prelude became a compositional genre, and how preluding can help calm nervous pianists as well as introduce transposition, composition, and the rudiments of Classical improvisation.Topics covered include:
The history of the keyboard prelude.
The history of on-stage improvisation before pieces. Dr. Mann will play audio examples from such notable pianists as Josef Hofmann, Ferruccio Busoni, and Wilhelm Backhaus.
How to entice our audience and sound more spontaneous. Many introductions to pieces are simply notated preludes.
How to prelude (or improvise) and how this practice excites and empowers students, especially those with severe performance anxiety.
Short preludes such as those by Muzio Clementi, Clara Schumann, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, and Ignaz Moscheles can serve as wonderfully friendly and digestible introductions to transposition and advanced theory.
Demonstration/performance of new editions by Dr. Mann of dozens of out-of-print or forgotten preludes by such composers as Leo Ornstein, Theodor Kirchner, Lao Silesu, Selim Palmgren, Alexander Siloti, and Friederich Kalkbrenner that will enrich the burgeoning pianists' repertoire.
Dr. Mann will present this workshop at the Washington State Music Teachers Conference in Yakima (June 2009), Seattle Sherman Clay Steinway (September 2009), Denton, Cottier and Daniels Steinway in Buffalo, NY (October 2009), and The College Music Society National Conference, Portland, OR (October 2009).
Dr. Mann gave a very informative and interactive presentation on using the Keyboard Prelude to help introduce young musicians to important aspects of musicianship. He showed us how the prelude can be used to teach improvisation, transposition, composition and advanced theory. He also demonstrated how students can create a prelude to start a piece they are performing allowing them to test the piano, set an accurate tempo, and yet blends beautifully with the start of the piece. It was very interesting, insightful and fun!
-- Nyla Clare, President, Clarkston/Lewiston Chapter of Washington State Music Teachers Association
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