Remote Lesson Demonstration
Featuring Yamaha's Disklavier technology
Presented by Dr. Stella B Sick and George Litterst, Rehoboth, MA
Wednesday, March 18, 2009 1:00 p.m.
MacPhail Center for Music, Room 607
501 Second Street South
Minneapolis, MN 55401
This event is free and open to the public.
Imagine being able to take a lesson with a Chopin specialist who lives in Poland without ever leaving Minneapolis. It is possible, with the help of exciting technology that enables two or more pianos to be connected over the Internet.
This presentation will offer an engaging demonstration of technology currently available for remote instruction, as well as give teachers and students immediate hands-on experience in using a new Yamaha technology called Remote Lesson. Stella and George will talk about a variety of possibilities that this technology offers, as well as share their own innovative ideas for using it.
The demonstration portion of the session will include Dr. Stella Sick teaching Deborah York in Massachusetts and George Litterst teaching one or several MacPhail piano students.
The hands-on portion of the session will give an opportunity for teachers to use the technology. Audience members can ask Stella and George questions. They will also be able to speak with Deborah York, who has been taking lessons with various teachers all over the country using the Remote Lesson technology, and thus can provide a first-hand, personal impression of the Remote Lesson process.
Dr. Stella Sick holds Doctorate degree from University of Minnesota and Bachelors and Masters from the Eastman School of Music. She is an adjunct professor at Hamline University and a Managing Director of the Minnesota Piano-e-Competition. For the past year Stella has been involved in a group that works very closely with Remote Lesson technology. She has presented at national conferences such as College Music Society.
George Litterst is a nationally known music educator, clinician, author, performer, and music software developer. A classically-trained pianist who studied at the New England Conservatory of Music, he is also co-author of the intelligent music display and score-following software program, Home Concert Xtreme. George has taught at Northeastern University, Worcester Polytechnic University, and the New England Conservatory Preparatory School. He currently maintains a private studio in Rehoboth, MA.
For nearly 20 years, George has worked with technology-equipped acoustic pianos, such as the Yamaha Disklavier. Examples of his Disklavier projects include multimedia concert performances, long distance teaching over the Internet, technical assistance for the Minnesota International Piano-e-Competition, and bringing back George Gershwin to perform Rhapsody in Blue posthumously with major orchestras, such as the Boston Pops.
