Teaching Really Matters
Join Professor Thomas Rosenkranz for a thought-provoking pedagogical workshop on attention, time, the unknown, and the lost art of classical improvisation.
Professor Thomas Rosenkranz
“Attention, Time, and the Unknown”: Rethinking How We Teach and Learn Music
What do students actually notice when they practise? How do our concepts of time shape the way music is learned, internalised, and performed? And what role does uncertainty — the “unknown” — play in artistic growth?
This thought-provoking session explores the often-overlooked foundations of musical development: attention, perception, listening, and awareness. Drawing from his experiences as a performer and Director of Music at the Menuhin School, Thomas Rosenkranz reflects on how slowing down, cultivating deeper listening, and embracing uncertainty can profoundly transform both teaching and learning.
Through practical examples, demonstrations, and reflections from the studio, participants will be invited to reconsider familiar routines such as practice, repetition, and interpretation with renewed curiosity and intention.
Rather than adding more to what we teach, this session seeks to deepen how we teach — nurturing more attentive, imaginative, and self-aware musicians.
The Lost Art of Classical Improvisation: Practical Ways to Bring Creativity Back into Your Teaching
Improvisation was once central to the training of great musicians — from Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven to Franz Liszt — yet it has largely disappeared from modern classical pedagogy. As a result, many students develop technical fluency without a corresponding sense of creative ownership or musical freedom.
This engaging session explores practical and accessible ways to reintroduce improvisation into everyday teaching. Moving beyond the misconception that improvisation is only for the gifted or advanced, Thomas Rosenkranz demonstrates how creativity can be cultivated at every level through patterns, harmony, phrasing, stylistic awareness, and listening.
Through live demonstrations and concrete teaching strategies, participants will discover how improvisation can:
- deepen understanding of repertoire
- strengthen listening and inner hearing
- build confidence, individuality, and spontaneity in students
- reconnect technique with imagination and expressive freedom
The aim is not to replace traditional training, but to enrich it — restoring a vital and often forgotten dimension of musical learning.
Registration Fees
In recognition of your support, teachers who entered students for the 9th PF 2026 as well as students will enjoy 50% off regular fees.
TEACHERS OF 9TH PF STUDENTS
SMTA MEMBERS
NON-MEMBERS / PUBLIC
Early bird fees till Jun 1st, 2026. Registration closes when seats are filled.
Venue
Music Salon @ Yamaha Thomson Plaza
301 Upper Thomson Road #03-24
Thomson Plaza Singapore 574408
MRT: Upper Thomson