Come Join Scott Houston's
Master Class Alumni Retreat
in the Heart of Downtown Indianapolis!
Come Join Scott Houston's |
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Master Class Alumni Retreat
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Hilton Indianapolis Downtown |
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Yes, I have been talking about it for years, (actually since the day after the very first Master Class ended) but now I am ready to announce the much awaited, first follow-up to the Master Class! You'll be happy to know that we used the Master Class evaluations to define the class objectives for this Master Class Alumni Retreat.
Join Scott on an extraordinary, exclusive, first ever, 4-night piano workshop experience that will take place in centrally located, downtown Indianapolis. This lively downtown environment will become the foundation on which you'll build new friendships, rekindle old ones and enhance your piano playing abilities through Scott Houston's Master Class Alumni Retreat. The class is limited to 15 people.
This much requested program will take place at the Hilton Hotel Indianapolis situated in the heart of Indy's downtown shopping, club and restaurant district.
Our Master Class Alumni will begin with a Welcoming Reception in one of the executive suites for you and your guest (should you choose to bring one). The following days you will have time to enjoy the indoor pool, spa and fitness center or shopping in the mornings (or simply enjoy the rare luxury of sleeping in!) ; then we will meet the remainder of the day for Class sessions (with a little evening fun thrown in too!)
Indianapolis Skyline
Monument Circle
After filling the first four Master Classes (and now filling a fifth), we are ready to offer to the 60 participant "alumni" a follow-up to the Master Class. This Alumni Retreat has been designed from the ground up in response to the requests and feedback we received at the end of each of the first four classes. Here are the details...
First of all, this class is limited to 15 students. Although we encourage everyone to bring spouses, companions, family, or friends along for the trip (at no additional cost), the actual Master Class sessions will be limited to just the 15 students, myself, and my teaching partner for the Master Class, Bradley Sowash.
You might recall for past Master Classes the price included a digital piano to keep. For the first time, we will provide a keyboard for everyone's use during class. (We are able to do this because we are having Master Class 5 in our home town base of Indy immediately following this Retreat.) The other great news is because you are not buying the piano, we were able to reduce the price of the Master Clas significantly. In addition you now won't have to worry about what to do with a new piano should you already own one. Sounds like a win-win situation for everyone! Students will also have 24 hour access to the keyboards in the meeting room to practice and play at will.
We will have a Master Class session each day for 3 days for a total of around 15 hours of personal class time with Bradley and me. On the first night you are invited to join us for a welcome reception where we can reacquaint with some and meet others. You will receive a detailed schedule for our time together the rest of the Retreat. Basically, every day you'll have some time to sleep in, get some "alone time" to play piano, exercise, shop or play in the pool before class time. Then after lunchtime we'll meet for extended class time. We'll then be gathering in the evenings around a piano for some live entertainment so we can all enjoy a little "social" time together away from the class setting while hearing a pro play what we've been talking about in the sessions all day! The rest of each evening is yours to enjoy. Since the hotel is in the heart of downtown Indianapolis you can enjoy a cornicopia of live music venues, first class restaurants, Indianapolis Zoo, Award Winning Indianapolis Children's Museum, a baseball game at Victory Field or some great shopping at Circle Centre Mall. On the third night, Bradley, Theresa (my wife) and I would like to invite you (and your guest) to join us for some drinks and live music at the Chatterbox (which is one of our favorite downtown Indy jazz haunts) where Bradley will be sitting in playing a set.
As opposed to the Master Class where we worked through tunes everyone had selected previous to the trip, this format will be a little different. Developed around your desires, feedback, and requests, we will spend about half our time working on "mini-lessons" immediately followed by time to "work things out" on a keyboard with our personal assistance if needed. The other half of each day our time will be yours! Bradley and I will be roaming the class working one-on-one with students on anything you desire – so come loaded with things you'd like some help with! New licks? Some intros or endings? Improvisation ideas? Accompaniment help? You name it and between the two of us, we'll be able to help you out.
You must have attended one of the Master Classes prior to registering for this course.
Night Out at One of Scott's Favorite Jazz Venues in Downtown Indy, The Chatter Box
| Place | Activity | Time | |
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| Wednesday | The Hilton State Suite | Welcome Reception | 6:00-7:00 pm |
| Thursday | The Hilton | Free time AM (24 hour access to pianos) | |
| Circle City 8 Meeting Room | Class Time: Mini Lessons & piano "seat time" with Scott and Bradley's hands-on help | 12:30-3:00 | |
| Circle City 8 Meeting Room | Class Time: One-on-One Instruction Time | 3:00-5:30 | |
| Monument Foyer | Live Piano Entertainment | 6:00-7:00 | |
| Friday | The Hilton | Free time AM (24 hour access to pianos) | |
| Circle City 8 Meeting Room | Class Time: Mini Lessons & piano "seat time" with Scott and Bradley's hands-on help | 12:30-3:00 | |
| Circle City 8 Meeting Room | Class Time: One-on-One Instruction Time | 3:00-5:30 | |
| Chatter Box Jazz Club | Drinks & Live Music at Chatter Box | 6:00-8:00 | |
| Saturday | The Hilton | Free time AM (24 hour access to pianos) | |
| Circle City 8 Meeting Room | Class Time: Mini Lessons & piano "seat time" with Scott and Bradley's hands-on help | 12:30-3:00 | |
| Circle City 8 Meeting Room | Class Time: One-on-One Instruction Time | 3:00-5:30 | |
| Monument Foyer | Live Piano Entertainment | 6:00-7:00 | |
| Sunday | Departure (or free day for those staying for Master Class 5) |
Your four night Alumni Retreat experience will be hosted by the Indianapolis Downtown Hilton which is conveniently located in the heart of the downtown nightclub district, just one block from Circle Centre Mall, Monument Circle and the State Capitol. Three blocks from the Indianapolis Convention Center, RCA Dome, Conseco Fieldhouse. Close to the Children’s Museum, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis Zoo, Mass. Ave and all the excitement of downtown Indianapolis.
Your guestroom accommodations include:
- a 25-inch' TV with remote control
- in-room movies
- dual-line phones with data-port, speaker phone, and voice mail.
- Spacious work desks with return and task-oriented desk chairs
- iron/boards
- hair dryers
- coffee makers in every room
- non-smoking rooms available
Your hotel ammenities include:
- Wireless Internet access in public areas
- Non-smoking & accessible rooms available
- Individual climate control
- 24-hour business center with computers,
fax and copy machines- 24-hour room service
- State-of-the-art health club
- Valet service & same-day laundry
- Gift boutique
- non-smoking rooms available
- Check-in: 3:00 PM
- Check-out: 12:00 PM
- 120 West Market open for breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Indoor Pool and Whirlpool
- Fitness Center
Guest Room Comfort at the Hilton Indianapolis Downtown Hotel
Hilton Indianapolis Downtown Lobby
Relax in the Indoor Pool and Whirlpool Area at the Indianapolis Downtown Hilton
2 Great Restaurants- West Buffet Cafe, A Great Spot for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner & the Award Winning McCormick and Schmick's Restaurant is Also on Site
Some of the Great Hilton Ammenities Include Everything You Need to Look and Feel Good - a Spa and Fitness Center
The cost of the Master Class Alumni Retreat is $1800. (No additional cost for one spouse or guest. Would you like to bring more than one guest? No problem, but there will be a small room fee added for each addtional guest over 1. )
A 50% non-refundable deposit will be required upon reservation to guarantee your spot. The remaining 50% will be due by Wednesday, August 12th, 2009.
If you are traveling as a single, no problem! We'd love to have you join us.
What is NOT included:
I
S
Due to the strict 15 student limit, we will be taking reservations by phone only for the Master Class Alumni Retreat on a first-come first-serve basis to those who put down a paid 50% non-refundable deposit at the time of reservation.
To reserve one of the 15 spaces, or for any questions or information,
call us at: 888-826-8082 Monday-Friday between 9:00 and 4:00 EST. Please have either a Visa, MC, Discover or American Express available on which we can charge the non-refundable deposit.
If you get our voicemail please leave a message stating your desire to reserve a spot along with your phone number. Be assured that due to the time stamp on the voicemail we will know when you called so that the first-come first-served rule will be followed fairly and accurately.
Our email address for any questions is: pianoguy@scotthouston.com
(Do not email your reservation. To guarantee a spot you MUST call us with your reservation.)
When the 15 person maximum is reached we will start a waiting list, and those people will be contacted first whenever we plan our next class before the general public is notified.
You wouldn't have found out about this Master Class and be at this website if you didn't already know Scott from attending a previous Master Class! So, let's not waste time and space here and instead move on to the other educator who will be working with Scott during the entire Master Class...
Veteran performer Bradley Sowash's formidable technique, emotional style and reputation for instant audience rapport have garnered rave reviews nationwide: "Sowash's music powerfully conjures the moods" (Village Voice); "He can really move an audience along with zest and wit" (Billboard); "Simply one of the best pianists on the contemporary scene" (Solo Piano Publications). Whether in concert, recording studio, educational, public speaking or church settings, Sowash gives his all every time he plays, providing listeners with a rare treat indeed.
After earning his degree in music composition at The Ohio State University, Sowash moved to New York City. There he worked with modern dance luminaries Mark Morris, Meredith Monk and Susan Hadley, with whom he collaborated for 10 years. Living abroad, Sowash refined his mainstream jazz piano technique before audiences. Sowash returned to his native Ohio to raise a family and develop his emerging unique piano style, which, while influenced by jazz, remains distinctly his own. A well-regarded educator, Sowash makes frequent appearances as a visiting artist in schools. In addition to his concert hall performances, Sowash performs jazz worship services and sacred concerts in churches nationwide. He is also a frequent guest on the Emmy Award winning Public Television series The Piano Guy w/Scott Houston.
Sowash has recorded five critically acclaimed CDs: Out West, Bittersweet, In the Moment, We Gather Together and the newly released When Saints Go Marching. A sixth CD is scheduled for release in Fall 2004. Printed editions of Sowash's solo piano jazz arrangements are published by Augsburg Fortress; The Kjos Music Company will release his three jazz educational books in 2005.
A well-regarded educator, Sowash is the co-author with Scott Houston of Play Piano in a Flash - The Next Step. He is also the author of That's Jazz, a three volume jazz piano method published by the Neil A. Kjos Music Company. He frequently offers teacher training workshops for piano teachers in conjunction with that series. He is the director of The Jazz Workshop, a division of Columbus, Ohio’s Chamber Music Connection, in which student jazz combos receive weekly coaching by professional jazz musicians. He also maintains a private studio with students ranging from age 9 to 57 and occasionally plays and teaches music in the Ohio State University Department of Dance.
For more info, please visit:
www.bradleysowash.com
I truly hope you will join me for this once in a lifetime opportunity. It will be a great chance to see old friends and make some new ones. I promise it will be a fun, educational experience that you (and I) will never forget!
Again, if you have any questions, need more information, or are ready to sign up for the Master Class Alumni Retreat , call us at 888-826-8082 or email us questions at pianoguy@scotthouston.com
I look forward to meeting you at the opening night reception at the Hilton Indianapolis Downtown!
Scott
