[...] The seminar "Systematic Piano Methodology" with Professor Christian A. Pohl from the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig on 24/25 June 2023. The seminar "Systematic Piano Methodology" with Professor Christian A. Pohl from the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig, which took place on 24/25 June 2023 at the Jugendmusikschule Hamburg, led us into the almost immeasurable depth and breadth of piano playing and learning. Instead of spongy platitudes, Professor Pohl surprised us with precision and clarity. Brilliant in his linguistic expression, he knew how to inspire us and convey the methodological concepts he had developed over decades of experience and practice. He developed special terms for this, such as microscopic practising, Progressive Sound Patterns or the decoding method, which, initially grasped intuitively, were then deepened by his explanations and explanations. Practical demonstrations on the piano, accompanied by video examples from his "Digital Piano Methodology", among other things, revealed exciting and inspiring possibilities for expanding our own teaching.

The one-and-a-half-day workshop offered an insight, one could say, into Pohl's life's work. I myself was a student of piano and methodology professor Konrad Meister. To this day, it is still an exhilarating experience. But how I would love to be a student again and learn from Professor Pohl. This opportunity is now open to anyone interested with his "Digital Piano Methodology". Among other things, it offers further training in three levels with a certificate at the end of each level.

This source of inspiration gives me further tools for lively lessons with my students that are fun. I am excited and looking forward to combining my newly acquired knowledge with my experience step by step and sharing it with my students in practice. By learning how to practise successfully, lovingly and with pleasure, I would like to motivate my students to be even more independent in a more detailed and fundamental way. Professor Pohl's promising tools are groundbreaking and open up completely new perspectives.

Knowing how - oriented towards the highest level, integrated into everyday life. This is the start of an exciting adventure for me that I enjoy. One of the advantages is that the variety of methods and their combination, individually tailored to the student, are endless. Mr Pohl succeeds in creating a precise overview with his work, offering the essence and depth of everything that has gone before. A great work from which piano teachers can only benefit.

Katja Fink
Piano teacher, 26 June 2023