From the end of May 2022 to the beginning of March 2023, I was deeply engaged in exploring different approaches to healing and restoring my overall health. This intense period of personal work awakened dormant aspects within me and led to a profound inner shift. From this transformation, a new phase of my life as both an artist and educator began to emerge.
I play three musical instruments: classical piano, Indian harmonium, and Indian tanpura.
As a piano teacher, I have guided many young talents from their very first steps in music to becoming fully developed artists. Over the years, I have also conducted numerous traditional piano workshops in Greece and abroad.
Alongside my musical work, I have maintained a deep interest in health and healing, a curiosity that began in early childhood. This interest led me to study and conduct Nada Yoga (Sound Therapy) sessions, combining my extensive musical training—beginning at the age of three—and my studies in music pedagogy with eight and a half years of intensive yogic training.
Until recently, however, I had never attempted to bring together all of my skills, talents, and knowledge into a single project.
The inner shift I experienced, together with the profound influence of Maria João Pires’ unique approach to music and teaching, transformed my perspective and the direction of my work. From this inspiration emerged the AAM (Alternative Approach to Music) Method, with a clear vision of contributing to a new way of teaching and performing music through three interconnected principles:
1. Inspiring students/artists to continuously challenge existing concepts and assumptions and thus open themselves to exploring, experimenting and developing their own unique expression, artistic 'language' and performing style,
2. Healing (an approach to wellness that simultaneously addresses the physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual components of health in a broader sense of its meaning, using Pranayama, Nada Yoga, Chromotherapy and other holistic therapeutic and/or self-development approaches, as needed), and finally and as a consequence -
3. Empowering students/artists to express themselves authentically and fully develop their artistic potentials -
a deep interdisciplinary vision of the artistic expression, mixing music, yoga, therapeutic approaches, and visual arts - therefore combining all my skills, talents and knowledge and utilising all my abilities in one project, one place, one workshop, with one aim - to help develop authentic creative thoughtful and conscious pianists, musicians and artists.
My vision continues to expand every day, and in my future workshops I will draw upon all the skills, instruments, techniques, experience, and knowledge that I have cultivated throughout my life.
I look forward to working with you.
With love,
Xenia Elizabeth Zilli
Athens, 31 July 2022
More about my teaching method: read here
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"I feel that music has the power to heal, like a powerful balm, by taking us to worlds beyond where there is no suffering of any kind."
~ Xenia. E. Zilli