Come Join Scott Houston
on The Maiden Voyage of His
"Master Class at Sea!"
Come Join Scott Houston |
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October 7 -12, 2007
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Join Scott on an extraordinary exclusive travel experience that includes an ocean voyage in a relaxed and enriching environment that becomes the foundation on which you'll build new friendships and enhance your piano playing abilities through Scott Houston's Master Class. The class is limited to 15 people.
This much anticipated program begins in Seattle, "The Emerald City", at the four-star rated Hotel Monaco where you'll have a chance to meet Scott in person your first evening during the hotel’s famous wine reception by the lobby fireplace. Your deluxe room is part of this unique experience at this full service downtown boutique hotel, rated as one of the Top 100 hotels in the world by Travel and Leisure!
The following day you'll transfer to Celebrity Cruises MS "Mercury" to begin the 4-night Pacific Northwest Cruise that Scott has chosen for his Master class participants and their companions. Aboard Celebrity, you’ll find a relaxed yet invigorating experience where a conference room has been exclusively assigned for your Master Class Sessions, which will contain the pianos you will be taking home with you!
Your ports of call include the pristine and peaceful beauty of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island and Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, where a customized tour, just for Scott's master class and their companions, has been arranged to include a very special lunch and tour experience.
Following a day at sea to enjoy "Mercury," on your last day you'll return to the port of Seattle. You may choose to stay in Seattle a while longer, or you will be transferred to Sea-Tac International Airport to meet your return flight.
Ever since I have been giving workshops and doing the TV shows, I've always had people ask me "Scott, do you give any follow-up classes, or do you teach privately? I've gotten off to a great start using your materials and techniques, but I'm ready for more... "
Well, after two years of planning, I've finally worked out a format that I'm confident will give students a huge push forward in their music making journey! Here are the details...
First of all, this class is limited to 15 students. Although I want all of you to bring spouses, companions, family, or friends along for the trip, the actual Master Class sessions will be limited to just the 15 students, myself, and my teaching partner for the Master Class, Dave Powers.
Every student will receive their own full-size, weighted action digital piano (a Roland RP-101) to sit at and play during all Master Class sessions. Better yet, thanks to Roland being an underwriter of my weekly TV series, you will actually get to take the piano home with you as part of the cost of the entire class. (Don't worry, we'll handle shipping it back home to you... no need to try and fit it in your carry on luggage!)
We will have a Master Class session each day for 4 days for a total of 16 hours of personal instruction with Dave and me. The rest of each day is yours to enjoy! We'll also be eating dinner together (second seating for you experienced cruisers) so we can all have some more "social" time together away from the class setting. On the first day on-board the ship we'll have our intro session after the "bon voyage" activities as we push away at 5 pm, and before our first dinner. The next three days we'll meet in the mornings and be sure to leave enough time for you to enjoy the ship and excursions the rest of the day. A detailed schedule will be given to you during the wine reception the first evening.
We'll have a dedicated classroom space on-board the ship that will be accessible outside of the daily class hours should you wish to spend even more "seat time" with your new instrument. All we ask is that you use your headphones (also provided for you, and yours to keep when you go home) if there is more than one of you in the room at the same time.
Around 8 weeks before the date of the Master Class, I'll be requesting from each of the 15 attendees a single tune they want to pick to focus on during the Master Class. I'll then put together a Master Class binder that contains the lead sheet to all 15 tunes chosen, as well as a lot of other material we'll be going over throughout the 4 days. Dave and I will then get together to work through terrific ideas and concepts we can teach all of the attendees using these 15 tunes as the "palette."
Each session, a few of the tunes will be focused on exclusively for a period of time with the whole class. We'll also have other topics to cover in addition to working through the tunes in each session. You'll not only get to hear our ideas on your favorite tune, but also can soak up all the other ideas we use to work through the other attendee's tunes. By the end of the trip, you will be absolutely jam-packed full of great new ideas and have a much greater understanding of more in-depth concepts as they relate to playing creative style, lead sheet based tunes on a piano. I'm really excited and confident about the priceless educational value you'll receive during the sessions. I wish I had something like this to attend when I was learning to play!
You might be asking yourself whether you play well enough, or too well, for this class to be of interest. Although in no way intended or designed for a really advanced level piano player, we are also not going to be starting at the very beginning. This is intended to be a follow up to the basic instruction given in my live workshops as well as in my book "Play Piano in a Flash!" With that in mind, here are the things you should know and be comfortable with before you arrive:
Major
Minor
Seventh
Major Seventh
Minor Seventh(Don't panic! You don't need to have all of these chords "under hand" in all keys. You should just be able to figure out the notes in a chord relatively quickly if you come across one not currently known. Simply due to the nature of the Class, we will be talking about chords a lot. We don't intend to stop every time we may mention a chord to explicitly spell out the notes as it would simply be too time consuming. You'll be receiving as part of the class materials some extensive materials containing chord charts for literally every chord imaginable, so you'll have plenty of help figuring one out if you need it. You should, though, have a basic understanding of those chords listed above so it won't be a foreign language as we talk about them all the time.)
Finally, please know that we will never ask anyone to play in front of the rest of the group (unless you want to!) and there will be no "final exams" or "recitals" to get uptight about. This will be a very informative, very fun way to really be able to pick both of our brains in a non-threatening, sharing, supportive environment. We're all just trying to have fun making music!
| Port/City | Activity | Time | |
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| Oct. 7 | Seattle | Reception at Hotel Monaco | 6 pm |
| Oct. 8 | Seattle | Transfer to Ship, Class PM | Depart 5 pm |
| Oct. 9 | Nanaimo, BC | Class AM, Free time PM | Arr 7 am - Dep 5 pm |
| Oct. 10 | Victoria, BC | Class AM, Custom Tour of Victoria PM | Arr 7 am - Dep 10 pm |
| Oct. 11 | At Sea | Class AM, Free time PM | |
| Oct. 12 | Seattle | Disembark | Arr 7 am |
What is Included in Your Travel Itinerary
Hotel accommodations at Hotel Monaco Seattle (First night)
All Transfers – Airport to Hotel (First night)
Hotel to Pier
Ship to Airport (Last day)Four night Northwest Pacific Cruise aboard Celebrity Cruises’ Mercury
(including shipboard accommodations, ocean transportation, meals, entertainment aboard the vessel, customized shore excursion in Victoria, BC, port taxes and fees.)
What is not included in Your Travel Itinerary
Air Transportation
Travel Insurance
Other optional Shore Excursions
Photographs
Gratuities/service fees
Medical services
Aqua Spa services, etc.
Post cruise packages
Your first night stay will be hosted by the luxury Hotel Monaco, a boutique Seattle, Washington hotel, located in the heart of downtown near Pike Place Market, Pioneer Square and the Washington State Convention and Trade Center.
Rated one of the Top 100 hotels in the world by Travel & Leisure, you’ll be surrounded by luxurious furnishings and thoughtful details, from complimentary high-speed Internet access to a goldfish companion!
This four star Kimpton Hotel is the perfect beginning to your trip. Here you will enjoy an evening wine reception hosted by Scott Houston and his Master Class teaching partner Dave Powers as you meet fellow students and their companions.
Immediately the hotel’s décor, reminiscent of ancient Greek seaports, will thrill you with a sense of escape to far away places. Your guestroom continues the adventure, at once relaxing and rejuvenating you as you anticipate joining the Mercury for your cruise the following day!
Hotel Monaco Seattle
1101 4th Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98101
Accentuated by exquisite touches of architectural flair, the Century Class MS Mercury incorporates modern-day technology with signature Celebrity amenities. The sleek, contemporary design and décor exhibit Celebrity's commitment to cruising excellence. Shimmering in elegance, Mercury demonstrates the grandeur and style synonymous with Celebrity.
For those who may wonder if there's life on Mercury, we're here to tell you that there most definitely is! The newest of the Century-class of ships, Mercury is equally as impressive, and not just in terms of visual appeal, but also in the vast array of world-class amenities and services that she offers.
Click here for an in-depth virtual tour
The cost for each of the 15 Master Class attendees is $2,950.
Companion's cost is $750.
(Rooms are ocean view staterooms.)
A 50% non-refundable deposit will be required upon reservation to guarantee your spot. The remaining 50% will be due by July 30.
If you are traveling as a single, we encourage you to come with a travel companion.
If you don't have a companion, you have two options:
Due to the strict 15 student limit, we will be taking reservations by phone only for the Master Class 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 or MC available on which we can charge the non-refundable deposit.
As we are expecting a flurry of calls, 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: storemanager@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 somewhere! 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...
For over 27 years, Dave Powers has been a vital part of the Columbus, Ohio music scene as a pianist, keyboardist, and vocalist. Considered one of the most successful musicians in the local spectrum, Dave manages to win over the hearts of all who hear him perform. From clubs and restaurants to corporate events and private parties, his vast repertoire is as diverse as the audience that he entertains.
Dave can be seen and heard playing around Columbus and throughout the midwest on solo gigs, as well as with Powerhouse Trio, the Dave Powers Trio, and a six-piece group called "Powerhouse" that provides entertainment for corporate events and conventions throughout the US. In addition, Dave is associated with the Jazz Arts Group of Columbus, and has performed as a featured artist with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra.
He has served as musical director for Rusty Bryant, Gene Walker's Generations, and guitarist Wilbert Longmire. In 1998, Dave played and toured throughout Europe, Finland and the Caribbean with trumpeter Arturo Sandoval. Dave is mentioned in the book, "Listen For The Jazz: Keynotes in Columbus' History" which features musicians who have contributed to the jazz scene in Columbus and nationwide.
A partial list of national musicians Dave has played with include: Steve Allen, George Benson, Buddy De Franco, Bob Dorough, Eric Gale,Terry Gibbs, Marlon Jordan, Jay Leonhart, Johnny Lytle, Jack McDuff, & Grover Washington, Jr.
Dave has three CD's to his credit. In 2000, Dave produced and recorded a live CD with Powerhouse Trio (Dave Powers, Joe Crump, Aaron Scott) called "Live at the Marquee Lounge."
Six months after the first CD release, Dave recorded and produced a studio CD under his own name titled "Listen To This". The CD is a definitive representation of the styles of music that Dave Powers personifies, covering straight-ahead jazz, r&b, gospel, and funk styles.
The year 2003 brought a third CD release called "Christmas Collection," which features the wide variety of styles of Holiday music that Powers performs. "Christmas Collection" also features the talents of special guests Tony Janflone, Jr. (phenomenal guitarist/vocalist from Pittsburgh, PA), Michael Cox, Reggie Jackson and Jim Masters.
Dave's CD's can be purchased online at cdbaby.com, amazon.com, best buy.com, or downloaded from 30 different digital music networks including i-tunes and Rhapsody.
www.davepowers.net
Here's a video clip from a Piano Guy segment Dave was on... it was fun!
I truly hope you will join me for this once in a lifetime opportunity. It will be a great chance to get to know one another. I promise it will be a fun, educational experience that you (and I) will never forget!
You will be receiving close to $2,300 worth of materials and instruments, NOT including the travel or the instruction. So, I feel I've succeeded in my quest to provide you with an opportunity to not only have fun and learn things you could never find elsewhere, but also to receive an incredible value!
Again, if you have any questions, need more information, or are ready to sign up for the Master Class Cruise, call us at 888-826-8082 or storemanager@scotthouston.com
I look forward to meeting you at the opening night reception at the Hotel Monaco in Seattle!
Scott