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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