About the Workshops
Ruskin conducts workshops and master classes for piano teachers’ organizations, private studios, and college music departments.
Optimizing Performance and Reducing Stage Fright
The three-hour workshop includes:
- A mini-recital with Ruskin Cooper
- Lecture Demonstration: Optimizing Performance and Reducing Stage Fright
- A master class giving students the opportunity to play for Ruskin and to hear his comments and feedback
- A discussion and Q&A session
In this workshop, students and teachers will learn to:
- Prepare themselves effectively for performance
- Memorize efficiently and securely
- Reduce performance anxiety and develop confidence
- Give inspired performances
- Enjoy performing to a greater degree
Louis Moreau Gottschalk: Nineteenth Century Superstar
This is a one to two-hour lecture demonstration detailing the life and music of this fascinating American composer.
The lecture recital includes:
- An overview of Gottschalk’s life and career
- A discussion of his extraordinary gifts as a pianist, composer, improviser, and entertainer
- Discussion and comparison of Gottschalk’s phenomenal career with some of today’s artists
- Complete performances of several of Gottschalk’s most important works for solo piano, including:
- Manchega
- The Last Hope
- Bamboula
- Souvenir de Porto Rico
- The Dying Poet
- The Banjo