Teaching Musicianship at the Piano (Part 1) – 26th October 2015

Shepperton, Middlesex

A one-day course for teachers of children aged from 8 years

Course tutor: Nikhil Dally MACantab, CertAdvStudiesGSMD

Dates: Monday 26th October 2015
Location: Winches Cottage, Church Road, Shepperton, Middx. TW17 9JT

The object of this course is to help you to teach a “different” kind of piano lesson:
not conventional private classical piano lessons, in that their principal emphasis is not on learning to play correctly classical pieces written out note-for-note in absolute-pitch standard stave notation. Rather, their emphasis is on continuing the style and methods of the Stepping Notes Music School for the 2s to 8s (singing, movement, relative solfa, relative notation and chord symbols, scale and harmonic analysis), but gradually applying these tools to the piano.

“Thanks for yet another fantastic course. I always come away from your courses inspired and excited and encouraged and full of imaginative and innovative ideas.”
– Eleanor Bartlett

By these means, you will learn how you can help your children to learn to:
– write and improvise piano accompaniments to songs
– “play by ear”
– play from chord symbols
– transpose pieces at sight
– compose for the piano
– accompany others effectively
– play the piano in vocal and instrumental ensembles

In order to get the most from this course, you will need to:
(1) have a working knowledge of basic relative solfa; and
(2) be familiar with, or be willing to familiarise yourself with, some simple children’s songs, some of them from the Colourstrings repertoire (therefore you may need to purchase some books or CDs in order to do so).
If you are unsure about any of these things, please do contact Nikhil first to discuss this. Thank you.

Course fee: £65.00 (including a simple vegetarian lunch)
N.B. There are very limited spaces on this course; you are advised to apply early!

Piano Teachers Course Application Form

“I loved the logical progression of the way you built up musical understanding. We were taught it and demonstrated it such that it all made perfect sense.”
– Emily Keyte

The course tutor:

Nikhil Dally received first-class honours in music from Cambridge University, and studied composition at the Guildhall School of Music. Nikhil founded the Stepping Notes Music School in 2000. He designed the Stepping Notes curriculum himself and teaches all classes, for children aged 2 to 8. The school now has about 100 students on its roll, and recently won the award for Best Local Activity with What’s On 4 Little Ones. Nikhil is increasingly in demand to lead workshops for teachers on the Stepping Notes approach. Recent engagements include a series of workshops at the Colourstrings International Summer School and the British Kodály Academy Summer School, a workshop for the Dalcroze Society Professional Development Day, a training session for teachers at the Len Tyler Music School, four INSET courses for Bracknell Forest primary school teachers, and a course for the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Singapore. Stepping Notes teachers’ courses are regularly over-subscribed.

For further information, please contact:
Nikhil Dally
Winches Cottage, Church Road, Shepperton, Middx. TW17 9JT
E-mail: nikhil@dally.org.uk
Tel. 01932 241196
Website: www.dally.org.uk/steppingnotes

Summer School Private Lessons

For Singers at the Summer School

Individual Singing Lessons are offered in rotation during the afternoons for those wishing to acquire or enhance their vocal skills through individual attention in half hour or hourly sessions with Allan Wright or Janos Klézli. Every attempt will be made to minimise the time missed from any one class. There is a supplement of £110 for four half hour lessons or £135 for five half hour lessons. The fifth lesson, if chosen, will be timetabled on the free afternoon. If choosing hour long lessons, applicants are asked to provide details of their experience as lessons of this length are not suitable for beginners. Four hour long lessons will require a supplement of £220 or £270 for five hour long lessons. NB: Timetabling singing lessons for Certificate course students will be very limited as these will have to be taken at a fixed time each day and not during class time. It will be possible to timetable 4 x 30 minute lessons for no more than two certificate students with Allan Wright and two certificate students with János Klézli.

Singers at the Summer School will also have an opportunity to develop personal musicianship skills in daily Musicianship with Relative Solfa classes. Opportunities for additional singing will be found in the Choral Music Workshop; the Level 3 and 4 Conducting classes and the Jewish Songs and Dance workshops. Rooms for individual practice will be available during the preparation time and in the evening.

Singers attending the summer school with an accompanist may also be interested in chamber music coaching with the gifted pedagogue, Orsolya Szabó. There is a supplement of £180 for three one hour sessions. The cost may be shared by the individuals in the group. A duo requesting coaching will need to provide information in advance of the repertoire to be studied and to bring multiple copies of the music to the course.

For Pianists at the Summer School

Individual Piano Lessons

Pianists seeking to improve their skills will have an opportunity to work individually in sessions lasting three-quarters of an hour with the gifted pedagogue, Orsolya Szabó. The individual lessons will be timetabled in rotation throughout the afternoon sessions with a possibility of some morning sessions. There is a supplement for individual tuition of £180.00 for four lessons, each lasting 45 minutes. Rooms for individual practice will be available during the preparation time and in the evening. NB timetabling piano lessons for Certificate students will be very limited as these will have to be taken at a fixed time each day and not during class time. It would be possible for one person on the Certificate course to have 4 x 45″ piano lessons.

Pianists may also be interested in chamber music coaching as part of a duo or trio. There is a supplement of £180 for three one hour sessions. The cost may be shared by the individuals in the group. Groups requesting coaching will need to provide information in advance of the repertoire to be studied and to bring multiple copies of the music to the course.

Chamber Music Coaching

For Vocal Duos, Piano Duos and or Instrumental Duos/Trios etc

Chamber Music Coaching sessions with Orsolya Szabó will be timetabled in rotation throughout the afternoon and will be available in a series of three one hour sessions. The cost of the coaching sessions may be shared between the participants. In these sessions complete harmony between the participants combined with a complete and deep understanding of the music will be the goal under the inspired direction of this gifted musician. According to the Kodály philosophy, starting from the whole, dismantling the elements, and building up the whole again will lead to a greater understanding of the music and a consequent enriching of the performance.

A chamber group may consist of two or more musicians in any combination, e.g singer and piano, instrument and piano, piano trio, string trio, wind duo etc. Each chamber group will be required to bring their own music stands and copies of the music that they will have chosen and prepared in advance of the course. Rooms for practice will be available during the preparation period and in the evening.