English - Piano

The Approach of Josef Weiss Through self-observation and self-analysis, Josef Weiss found out about the relation of the mind and body to the piano. He developed a program which creates freedom of movement in the fingers, hands, wrists and arms of the performing pianist. He describes his journey of finding a new way of playing the piano:

"I had not very much I could rely on. I knew the Alexander Technique and its principles. One day it happened that I was sitting at the piano playing, and suddenly I started to observe myself playing the piano. I was not playing anymore, it was playing me. It is very hard to describe. It was like I was observing myself playing the piano. I still had control over my playing, but I could also listen to it from the outside. I just let the playing happen. I sensed the touch, but I could not feel the movement. I realized that freedom doesn't lead to the absence of feelings, but rather to an opening-up of the senses. And the thoughts are absolutely in the present. This experience was the opposite of what I had been doing for years. Before finding this new approach, I was working hard, and my thoughts were easily drifting off to other aspects of my life, especially while playing scales or memorizing pieces. The most amazing experience with this new way of playing was that I could re-create it every day, and I experienced a new kind of satisfaction and happiness. I now train 24 hours a day. When I drive my car, when I do the dishes, when I sit at the computer, or when I do any kind of work, I practice playing the piano at the same time. My wrist and fingers have become softer and more sensitive to pressure. For me, a smart way of practicing the piano now means to include the whole body into the playing."

Josef Weiss gave his first recital in the U.S.A. with great success. He is currently working on the production of his first piano-CD. Josef Weiss started to learn playing the piano as a minor at the University of Salzburg, at the so-called "Mozarteum" , with professor Brigitte Engelhart-Dent. He majored in French horn. After his university studies, he continued privately with Ehrentraud Reiter-Schwaninger. She introduced him to body techniques. At the same time that he started to teach piano at the music school of Ostermiething in Upper Austria, he also started to study music and movement education at the prestigious "Orff-Institute" in Salzburg/ His piano teachers there were Dr. Thomas Hauschka and Peter Arnesen. A workshop with Peter Heilbut introduced him to a new way of teaching piano. As he moved to the U.S.A. in 1997 he got introduced to the Alexander Technique. At this time, Josef's playing was choppy and pounding; his playing was slow, and his hands started to hurt after a while. Before learning about the Alexander Technique he worked only on the correct notes. But then, as his coordination improved with the help of the Alexander technique, his piano playing changed, too.

He then started to investigate the relationship of his own body to the instrument. His teaching changed completely. Within four years, without any advertising, only by word of mouth, the number of his students grew from 5 to 50.

He uses his knowledge to help children find better learning habits. In applying the Alexander Technique to the playing of the piano, he created one of the most effective piano techniques of our time.

Principles underlying Josef Weiss' piano method Many pianists as you have the desire to have a flow in their music, to play beautifully, to let it happen and to observe themselves playing. Either they have this way of playing or they do not. They sense that luck unfortunately plays a more important role than knowledge. Very often so called natural talents do not know how to create freedom in their playing. They just do it. When these talents become older, tension develops and they loose their freedom of playing. And more tragic, they do not know how to find it again. The loss of the balance between mind and body goes hand in hand with the loss of their spirituality. When the pianists realize that they lost the good coordination, they do not have a tool to achieve it again. If you belong to these natural talents or you never experienced the freedom in performance, only a conscious approach promises success. The approach of Josef Weiss leads to a new way of thinking and connecting the body and mind creating a relationship with the piano, which will lead to the high quality performance which pianists always seek. The difference to various other methods shows that the pianist will start to know how to create the 'it'. You will find the means whereby you can achieve the desired flow. At first the new means can feel wrong, but with time you learn to trust them. They will lead to freedom and joy. Josef Weiss will be your guide on this journey. A description of my own journey will help you to understand what my method of teaching piano intends to create. As I began to investigate how to free my own playing, I came more and more to the conclusion that my wrist played an important role. I found that I could tell only by listening to the sound if my wrist was free. I could additionally diagnose that I did not interfere with my wrist from the way I moved it. The application of the hands on the back of a chair developed by F. Matthias Alexander helped me to find a free wrist. I worked on the procedure that the fingers move away from the wrist; the wrist moves away from the elbow and fingers; the elbow moves away from the shoulder and wrist; and the shoulder moves away and out from the spine. With time I found out to send the fingers away means to send them into the keys. While sending the fingers into the keys I found that the arm pushes the hand forward while going up with the wrist. The upwards movement of the wrist helps to eliminate this force. The movement of the wrist may not be initiated by a contraction of the hand or the wrist itself, but actually by a movement of the lower arm bending at the elbow and by a complete stop of interfering with the muscles of the fingers. This discovery led me to the exercises which help to create a free play.

Alcantara, Pedro de, Indirect procedures: a musician's guide to the Alexander Technique. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. Conable, Barbara, What every musician needs to know about the body: the practical application of body mapping to making music Portland, OR: Andover, 2000. Culf, Nicola, Musician's injuries: a guide to their understanding and prevention. Guildford, UK: Parapress, 1998. Gelb, Michael, Body learning: an introduction to the Alexander Technique. New York: H. Holt & Co, 1994. Herrigel, Eugen, Zen in the art of archery. New York: Vintage, 1989 (1st ed. 1953 as Zen in der Kunst des Bogenschie_ens). Kratzert, Rudolf, Technik des Klavierspiels: ein Handbuch für Pianisten. Kassel: Bärenreiter, 2002. Mark, Thomas Carson, What every pianist needs to know about the body for players of keyboard instruments: piano, organ, digital keyboard, harpsichord. Chicago, IL: GIA Publications, 2003. Neuhaus, Heinrich & Leibovitch, K.A, The art of piano-playing. London: Barrie & Jenkins, 1978.

Leonid... I have 2 daughters who studied with Josef for about 2 years. Soon after he became their teacher I saw an incredible improvement in their technique, their understanding of music and their playing skills. Josef has a great teaching style: patient, encouraging, dedicated and making it fun for the kids. In this short period Josef managed to get my kids to really play piano, that is play beautifully and not just bang out notes. With Josef I feel that my kids are really learning the music and the instrument. Another great thing about Josef teaching is the recitals that he organized every 6 weeks for kids, compared to our previous teacher who had only one recital per year. My kids benefited tremendously from Josef's recitals. I have two regrets: I wish Josef did not have to leave and I wish my piano teacher, when I was a kid, was like Josef. In short, Josef is an excellent teacher and the kids who have him for their teacher are very lucky. ~Newton, June 2005

Dr. Share... Our family has studied piano with Mr. Weiss, my son for 3 years, my daughter for 5 and myself for 3 years. Josef is a patient, fun loving and proficient teacher for students of all ages. My children enjoyed having him as a teacher and always looked forward to their lessons. I studied piano as a child for five years and learned to play with heavy hand and poor technique. This induced tightness and fatigue which affected the musicality of my playing by inhibiting the development of the proper touch and tonality, and prevented me from playing passages that required speed. I resumed my studies after a 40 year hiatus. Mr. Weiss, using the Alexander technique that he developed for the piano, helped me to play with the appropriate hand and wrist motion in order to direct the forces of playing to the keyboard in the correct manner and keep my wrist free to relax. Playing is no longer a burden. In addition, the insight that Josef has in Classical music is very enriching and has fueled my desire to continue my studies. We are greatly privileged to have had Josef as a teacher. He has brought the appreciation of piano music into our family and provided us with a solid foundation for further study. ~Boston, June 2005

Rachel... Before starting lessons with Josef Weiss, my daughter, Lily, was a frustrated piano student. Her instructor kept telling her to "play it like a song" but Lily had no idea what that meant, or in what manner she was expected to make that happen. Every piece she played simply sounded mechanical, and Lily was quickly losing interest in even herself hearing what she was playing. After leaving many lessons with Lily telling me that he did not understand what she was supposed to do, I knew that it was time to make a change. It was by lucky chance that it was at almost exactly that time that we learned about Josef and that he had an opening in his schedule for Lily. To my knowledge, Josef never once told Lily to "play it like a song." It is still a mystery to me how his instructions on how and where to sit, how to place her head and her hands, how to move her wrists and her arms, could have had such an enormous effect on the way that whatever she plays becomes music, and not just notes. But it has. While we are both sad that Josef is returning to Germany, and that Lily will no longer be able to continue to study with him, I am glad that she has had the opportunity to come as far as she has. Because I know that she would not have done so without him ~Wayland, June 2005

Angela... Josef Weiss is an exceptional piano teacher! His patience, sense of humor, and willingness to work with each of my daughters in a unique manner has been a wonderful addition to our children's musical education. Not only has Josef helped my girls learn music, he has helped them believe in themselves and achieve more than they thought possible. We've particularly enjoyed the recitals. Because the recitals occurred every six weeks, the learning experience was grounded and focused. We can say without any hesitation that Josef Weiss is a fantastic music teacher who has gift for working with children. We will miss him! ~Newton, June 2005

Bonnie... This letter is to highly recommend Josef Weiss as a piano teacher. My daughter Liza is currently one of his piano students. He has been an amazing teacher. I have had the opportunity to observe Josef and am very impressed with his abilities and dedication. His patience and teaching skills are superior. He is willing to go above and beyond the traditional requirements to be sure that his students excel. I am especially impressed with his ability to make the process of learning to play the piano a fun and enriching experience. He brings joy and enthusiasm to each and every lesson. In all of our encounters, Josef has been forthright and sincere. I admire the depth of his commitment to his students and encourage you to contact me if I can provide further information that may be helpful to you in your considerations. ~Newton, June 2005

Karen... Josef was a wonderful and inspiring teacher for my daughter. His special gift is communicating his love of music with the importance of form (including posture) to provide. His overall instruction was both comprehensive and very nurturing. ~Newton, June 2005

Lin... Mr. Josef Weiss has taught my two boys, ages 9 and 6, private piano lessons for the past 4 and 2 years respectively. During this time, he instructed them in the reading of music, posture and fostered in them an appreciation of music. I found him to be an extremely competent and organized teacher. He built up musical skills in the children in a very thoughtful and gradual manner. I feel confident that the solid base they have currently will lead them to develop greatly as musicians in the future. At the same time, he shows great understanding of the nature of the youthful student. He has an abundance of patience, a great sense of humor and is able to understand each individual student and develop his or her potential. Mr. Josef has also been very active in creating a musical community. The children performed regularly in recitals organized by him, and greatly enjoyed by all. We will miss Mr. Josef sorely - he has instilled a love of music and an appreciation of discipline and skill in our children that we would be pressed to find elsewhere. We commend him highly to future students, and wish him and his family the best for the future. ~Newton, June 2005

Lori... The summer before our daughter started kindergarten, we were concerned that the program would not be challenging enough for her since she is the oldest child in the grade. We decided to supplement her education with piano lessons, so that she would have an intellectual activity where she could move as quickly or as slowly as she wanted and not be bound by any constraints. Luckily Josef came highly recommended to us by numerous friends. We had him come over, and we could tell immediately that he had the rare balance of someone who is extremely accomplished with music, yet can communicate it in ways a child can understand and enjoy. Since Hannah was only five years old at the time, Josef began each lesson with some active stretching that helped her work on her whole body coordination, while getting her blood flowing and energy level up. He had a drawing of the story of an elephant that gets stung by a bee and showed Hannah how to "tell" that story by playing the piano keys. He also had a thunderstorm story, and Hannah loved banging on the piano to show the rolling thunder. What five years old wouldn't? Using these and other games he has developed, Josef taught Hannah the tools she would need to read music and understand rhythm. At first he started her out on songs that only used two different notes, and then moved to three notes, etc. Today at age eight, Hannah can play basic classical and jazz pieces, as well as many folk songs. All along the way, Josef has had a keen sense of how much to assign her so that she would be challenged, yet not overwhelmed. As her abilities have grown, Hannah has even tried her hand at playing some rock n' roll songs and composing a few of her own melodies. At every step, Josef has been supportive and encouraging of her exploration of music, emphasizing the joy in listening and creating all kinds of music. He also knows how to use humor to break up the tedium of scales and keep the lesson fun. Recently, Hannah auditioned for a place in the New England Conservatory Preparatory School. The NEC administrator who observed Hannah was extremely complimentary of Hannah's posture, wrist movements, and her understanding of how to play the music well for an audience. All of these, she said, demonstrated that Hannah had been very well taught and Hannah was offered a placement in the school. One item that particularly impressed the NEC administrator was the fact that Josef has recitals every six weeks, so that in the course of an academic year, his students have multiple opportunities to play before a very encouraging audience of families. At any given recital there will be a range of students from the youngest (three or four years old) to the oldest. Every child gets the chance to play two pieces and everyone is made to feel their efforts are highly regarded, no matter how well they play. As a result of this receptive feedback, Hannah is very comfortable playing in group settings of all sizes. She has even jumped at the chance to play songs for her classmates at school and at Sunday school. Rather than dreading a recital, which I think is more common when they only occur once a year, Hannah thrives on them. As you can see, from taking piano lessons with Josef, Hannah has learned many things. In addition to reading music and be able to produce a recognizable melody, she has learned to really listen to music and to her body, to understand the mechanics of performing well, and to trust in her ability to continually learn new and more challenging pieces. Josef has always set high, but attainable, expectations for her and Hannah has thoroughly enjoyed it. We even continued lessons through all the summers because she enjoys it so much. Hopefully, with the start Hannah has received from Josef, she will make piano and music part of her life forever. ~Newton, June 2005

Jane... As my son (age 7) and I were taking piano lessons for the first time, we could not have found a better teacher than Josef. Both of us found him to be unintimidating, non-judgmental and very creative in his teaching methods. Most importantly, he is very kind to his students, and shows unending patience. Josef stresses the importance of a mind-body approach to playing the piano, which includes some basic tenets of the Alexander Technique as well as breathing techniques. His teaching extends far beyond just playing the correct notes, but creating a beautiful sound while doing so. He is also very dependable and on time for lessons. Josef is a great motivator for children. He inspires them to learn, to have fun and enjoy playing the piano. This was certainly true for my son. His recital programs here in the U.S. were always filled with happy children, eager to play well for the audience. He managed to build up a nice community of people that met through these recitals, and we all greatly valued his presence here. There is simply no replacement for a wonderful teacher and individual like Josef. ~Newton, June 2005