What is The Ploger Method?
One of the final students of the renowned Nadia Boulanger, Marianne Ploger is a music psychologist, pianist, innovator and renowned pedagogue. Her method—The Ploger Method—is an intuitive approach to music learning that allows for the rapid acquisition of technical and creative musical skills. It is grounded in the belief that we are all equipped to identify musical structures by ear, and that we share perceptions about sound that can be unlocked and understood across cultures in the same way that we share perceptions about color, taste, smell, touch. Through focus, presence and attention to the physical and acoustic aspects of sound, we can be grounded in reality and learn to fluently hear, identify and reproduce naturally occurring phenomena in music with ease and confidence. Beyond the practical aspects, The Ploger Method emphasizes music communication at all times and, with the help of an informed mentor, students are taught to craft their musical intentions, develop robust interpretations and execute convincing performances.
As the apprentice to Marianne Ploger, I sought out The Ploger Method to learn musical solutions to the challenges faced by many musicians today. The training I offer is especially groundbreaking for musicians who have invested time, energy and love into their art, but have remained confused or “stuck” when it comes to certain aspects of music, such as dictating basic rhythms, sight reading fluently, or being able to memorize music and perform it with clarity and ease.
Topics include music literacy, solfege, scale degrees, di-chord recognition, sight-singing, intonation, rhythm, dictation, harmonization, improvisation and more. This approach is based on real-time aural recognition, and students are gently guided through real phenomena that they hear, experience and respond to without being bogged down by concepts and academic jargon. Training in The Ploger Method is highly applicable to the following types of musicians:
college students in aural skills courses
musicians who want to improve their music fundamentals, literacy and fluency
vocalists in need to sight-singing, rhythm, intonation assistance
any musician experiencing the following symptoms:
feeling “stuck” and lost on musical aspects, even after investing considerable time, energy, and study
ex. “I took Music Theory II, but I still cannot always tell the difference between a major and minor second.”
ex. “I have been taking piano lessons for 5 years, but it takes me FOREVER to learn a new piece.”
boredom, fatigue with practicing, memory slips, performance anxiety, embarrassment or use of repetition as primary learning strategy.
ex. “I don’t remember what happened during my performance.”
ex. “I always mess up, even though I try so hard.”
Opportunities available:
1:1 private teaching
group instruction
intensives and workshops
specialized intensives for performance studios
AP Music Theory course with The Ploger Method
Registration
Discounts are available for ASU Students and families who enroll multiple children in lessons. Homeschool ASL is available upon request. Please email for more information about registration and pricing.