Feeling lost about how to play for ballet classes?
With the Ballet Pianist Course, you will learn to play for ballet classes and understand what dancers need from your music.
Come join me as I teach you how to musically approach a ballet class and use your piano knowledge. I’ll also give you juicy scores and ways to construct your individual repertoire of improvisation and musical ideas.
I’ll show you how whatever skill you have, whether it’s sight reading, improvisation, or any other type of musical skill, is transferable to your profession as a ballet class piano player.
By the end of the course, you’ll combine your knowledge and unique creativity with the techniques I’m teaching, building the music for an entire ballet class. You’ll be ready and eager to play for dancers!
I am Mariana Palacios, an expert in musical accompaniment for ballet classes. My passion for music and dance goes back to my childhood, when I decided to train in both classical piano and ballet. This combination has allowed me to understand this profession from a unique and complete perspective.
I’ve been playing for ballet classes for more than 15 years, and my journey until today has been very fluid and constant, but also thanks to a lot of hard work and effort. With my 15 years of experience playing for ballet classes, I have created a unique approach that combines music and dance, and with my commitment to teaching and outreach, I have established myself as a leader in the field of ballet class accompaniment.
My goal is to continue to share my passion and knowledge with pianists around the world, helping them to develop the skills necessary to succeed in this exciting profession.
Curriculum
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How long does it take to complete the Ballet Pianist Course?
That depends on you! The best is to complete in 3 months so you have a goal. But the course has lifetime access, so it's entirely up to you. The video material is around 6 hours and there are plenty of documents and scores connected with them.
Is there a level required to take the Ballet Pianist Course?
Yep! The course is for pianists that have an advanced level of piano techniques and music theory and that have, at least, two of these capabilities: good sight-reading music, improvisation skills in one or two music genres, and composition skills.
As a result of the varied needs of the dancers they play for, ballet class pianists must be flexible and eager to adapt quickly to their musical requirements and all the challenges of our profession. The more open-minded you are and the more musical resources you have, the more you get to develop the knowledge that this course gives you.
Do I need any specific computer skills to complete the course?
Nope! If you managed to get to this page and buy the course, then the rest is easy.
Still, I got you – I will send some brief instructions on accessing the course. You will then mostly work with the piano and the free software already available on your computer.
Do I need to print the material or download the videos?
The videos cannot be downloaded, but you can watch them as many times as you need on the Teachable platform. About the PDF and scores, you are free to choose if you want to print them or if you want to keep them on your computer. They will be available to download at any time.
How do the 1:1 sessions work?
During the course, there are two 1:1 private sessions with me.
The first one is one hour with me where we'll have time to solve all your doubts and questions of any type. In the second session, you'll be able to send me your music repertoire (in video or audio) from classes 5 and 6 and I'll analyze your weak and strong points and show you how you can implement them and continue working for your future ballet classes.
To book these sessions, you'll just need to contact me by email and we'll find a time that works for both of us and make a video call.
Yuko Yoshioka
Ballet pianist at Queensland Ballet - Australia
I couldn't make it to get my current ballet pianist position without your online course. On the previous night of the audition, I looked back at all of your classes and that helped me a lot. Especially, the last chapter encouraged me when you said "Enjoy playing".
Pablo Ramírez
Pianist at Teatro Municipal
de Santiago - Chile
Mariana has a deep understanding of both worlds, dance and music, which combined with strong musicianship make her a fantastic accompanist. I asked for her advice to enhance my playing for company classes so we scheduled a few online coaching sessions. Her insight and bright ideas helped me a lot. We had a great time!
Pablo Pino Falcón
Pianist at the Conservatorio Profesional de Danza - Spain
Mariana has been the perfect introduction I needed to the world of dance accompaniment. Thanks to her, I managed to pass the tests that allowed me to work as a dance accompanying pianist.