Newsletter #1
Let the Music be Your Guide
Be a Musical Creator, not an Imitator!
Music is a creative expression of your deepest
feelings. Just as you wouldn't want your feelings to be an imitation,
so it is with music. Each person should play only music that lets
them feel a connection with their innermost being.
Just as the ripples on a pond keep spreading
in ever increasing circles of energy and light, so too are the
effects of music when it comes from within you. It wraps you in
an embrace that is both stimulating and soothing.
All of life has boundaries, and any art
is no different. You cannot create out of a vacuum, just as you
can't cook or build without the tools. Music's tools, PATTERNS,
are the scales, arpeggios, triads, etc. My approach bridges the
gulf by incorporating techniques with properly-chosen music, "letting
the music be your guide."
As an example: Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata
is constructed of broken triads. Instead of teaching triads as
a drill, I guide the student through the playing of the Sonata
using either the original or simplified editions. In this way,
the student learns broken triads while simultaneously enjoying
a piece of music they love and also building repertoire. Hence
the series "TECHNIQUE THROUGH MUSIC," 13 books suitable
for learners of all levels.
For younger beginners to about the age of
10, the patterns are presented in simple format through nursery
rhymes, poetry, fairy tales, fables, tongue-twisters, riddles,
etc. set to the folk songs of many lands. In addition, simplified
classical music is presented.
Older beginners of any age are presented
with songs such as 'Michael Row the Boat Ashore,' 'You are My
Sunshine,' 'Greensleeves,' or well-known classical pieces in simplified
form. The pace is also quicker than the three beginner books for
younger children.
More advanced musicians who wish to improve
their technique and expand their repertoire can benefit by using
the more advanced 'pattern' books.
The books are designed to be used by any
age student, either with or without a teacher, or a parent. There
is also a CD or audio tape available separately, of the second
of the two primary beginner books and the elementary level book.
Using the same techniques that Bach used
to teach his 20 children, you too could be a Musical Creator,
not an Imitator. You too could experience the same musical passion...
IF ... you ... "Let the Music Be Your Guide."
Thank you for sharing this time with me.
Helena

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