The Final Fortnight!

Just under two weeks til my Solfa exam! Today I’m working steadily through a few tasks: I’ve now received a ‘pack of stuff’ which I have a fortnight to prepare for the exam. On Saturday I created the skeleton of a song based on a poem from a selection I was sent. First I sang the words and found a good rhythm to match the poem, then I found which chords to play. Next, I’ll write down the whole thing, including a proper piano part (rather than just chords).

Today, I’m practising conducting a song for three voices (or groups of voices). For my exam, I’ll have to conduct a group of people singing this. I figured my first job is to learn the piece, so I’ve multi-tracked myself singing each of the three parts so I can hear them all together. Now, my job is to listen back, pretending my choir is in front of me and work out which parts come in and where. I’m working on the conducting first because this is the thing I have least experience in and am a teeny bit worried about.

If I have time before work today, I’ll start work on the ‘sing and play’: I’ve chosen 1 from the 3 pieces sent and have to play a piano part whilst singing and independent line over the top. That shouldn’t be too tricky really – I’m quite used to singing and playing at the same time. But, I would imagine that they are some deliberately tricky bits in there, given that it’s an exam!

The last thing I’ll be working on today are my ten folk songs, two verses of each to be learnt from memory. I’ve learnt eight of them but just need to keep going over the lyrics to make sure they’re embedded. I tend to do this work in the car whilst driving – the car is a great place to sing!

When the exam is over, I’ll upload some of the songs I’ve been working on but I imagine it’d be a breach of exam conditions to do so now!

The Solfa Cram Session Starts (know your veg)!

I’m coming to the end of my Dalcroze certificate course. I’ve attended 14 of 16 weekends in London since September 2010 and now my exams are looming. First up, Aural Examination on Sunday 1st April in Manchester.

The Aural Examination is largely based on sol-fa, which is a method where we sing songs and technical exercises using the syllables ‘doh re mi fa soh la ti’. (We jokingly call these syllables ‘vegetables‘, after a joke told by a teacher a very long time ago.) By doing this, we develop our skills and knowledge about pitch, intervals, scales, harmony and tonality so we learn to recognise all sorts of musical details by ear. For example, those trained in solfa can listen to a chord sequence or a tune and know exactly what it is – they can sing it back perfectly and play it back perfectly. It teaches people to fine-tune – so they are better able to play non-fretted string instruments, or to tune their guitars for example. Not only that, but they can improvise their own melodies, and deliberately shift key, change metre etc. It’s basically a tool to learn how to listen better and more actively.

Today I’m starting a daily practise schedule for singing. Here’s what I’m doing:

- Vocal warm up

- Scales, arpeggios and melodic sequences in solfa  eg ‘doh mi soh mi doh, re fa lah fa re’, etc just to make sure I’m practising my ‘vegetables’

- Continuing a tune from a given opening, changing key and then returning to the original key – this is all done spontaneously, by ear. I get marked on making up a good tune, being able to modulate and being able to return to my original key.

- Improvising a melody to a given rhythm: I get given a written down rhythm and I have to sing a tune to it, using solfa. I get marks for creating a good melody and for correct use of solfa names.

- Sight-singing in solfa.

- I also have to learn 2 verses each of 10 folk songs from memory.

The exam itself contains lots of other bits and bobs but the above list is what I’m going to try to do daily from now on. Generally it’s all quite fun to do, although the sight-reading kills me because I don’t really have much of a working memory! The hardest bit for me is motivating myself to do it every day. So, that’s why I’ve decided to blog about it – it motivates me to think others are following in what I’m doing!

Piano Improvisation Video Diary

Hello

I thought I’d write something to document how amazing was the weekend I have just had: last night I returned from a weekend in Croydon: weekend number 11 of 16 of my 2-year Dalcroze Eurhythmics certificate course.

This weekend we did a lot of work about unequal beats – learning how to recognise, step, clap and move freely in 5/8, 7/8, 8/8, showing the beat groupings in our bodies: we did a lot of quick reaction games – responding to what we heard on piano by tapping and stepping different combinations of rhythms. I suppose at this point, to anyone who hasn’t done Dalcroze, my description must seem quite vague! But I suppose Dalcroze is such an experiential process that even a great description (such as this one by Kris) wouldn’t convey what was actually done and what it feels like.

For those of you still curious, I’ll provide an example of a game we did in our Rhythmics class to help us perceive two lines of music at once: we got into pairs, one person had two small hand drums. The teacher played a piece of music with two very separate bass and treble parts. The person with the drums had to move the drums every time there was a bass note, and the other person had to hit the drums every time there was a treble note. After a while we started to notice a pattern in the music and were able to pre-empt the changes, moving fluidly and tapping rhythmically. Imagine, ‘move move tap tap move tap‘… I suppose to an outsider it might’ve looked quite dance-like, although we weren’t trying to dance at all!

In improvisation we played a game where the teacher, Karin Greenhead played an accompaniment on one piano. She decided on a particular key and time signature. Then each of us in turn played melodies on another piano, responding to what Karin played. Karin changed keys (without warning us) and we had to continue to melodize fluently without panicking or falling to pieces! There was a fair bit of laughter during the class. It was fun, but quite challenging too: by doing this, we’re learning (notice present tense) to recognise particular modulations and to develop a deeper more intuitive understanding of keys and chords. Being daringly (and perhaps blindly or even stupidly!) ambitious with my piano playing, I ended up trying out chromatic modulations… which I have to say, I can’t do at the moment! But it’s given me lots of ideas to practise.

I’ve decided to try keeping an improvisation video diary online. I admit shamelessly that I am a performer and communicator – I thrive on dialogue with other people and it really is useful and inspiring to hear any suggestions others might have to help me improve, or to know that others enjoy or are inspired by what I play.  So, I figured making videos would be a good way of motivating myself and documenting my progress. As I’ve touched on before, I don’t think people should wait til they’ve mastered something before they share it with others – the whole journey itself is something for any learner to be proud of. Perfectionism is not always a bad thing but it certainly can hold people back. In the interest of innovation, creativity and making breakthroughs I think it is more important to aim towards being expressive and spontaneous, to keep one’s attention in the present, rather than strive towards an ultimate goal of being perfect. Let’s face is, perfection is just not natural. (Here I could go on about examples of art, music and nature we may consider beautiful and how imperfections are essential for that…but, forgive me for trying not to spend my ENTIRE morning composing this post!)

So, my video diary is not there for others to make judgements on my general piano-playing: most of the pieces will be improvisations as opposed to rehearsed, finished performances (I already have videos online for that purpose). I am still learning how to do all this, so my intention is not to be fantastic or entertaining! If you like what you see or have any ideas about it, do let me know.

Here’s the link to the playlist for November’s videos (I’m optimistically thinking I should have a separate playlist for each month. ha..)

That’s all for now!

Buy My Music

Hello!

It’s just dawned on me that I ought to put a link to my music, which is available to purchse via bandcamp. The following set of songs is just a collection of pieces I’ve written over the years, most of which I recorded and produced myself. One day, perhaps I’ll record the lot professionally and ask other musicians to play for me but for now I’m busy with other things, so I hope you enjoy my original versions of my original songs. I’ve made them available to listen to here for free but if you would like to download the songs, I’d be grateful for your £7.50 as a mark of respect for my hard work if nothing else! People seem very used to listening to or watching music online for free which is fine for those who make money from touring and t-shirt sales (!) but I don’t! Anyway, here you go. Hope you like it!

And while we’re at it, a couple of my performances from this Summer’s concert:

Stepping Tones

I am very excited to announce the launch of my new company: Stepping Tones is dedicated to the provision of workshops in practical musicianship and sound perception. I’m planning to put on various types of workshops for different types of people (musicians, singers, dancers, etc) but, to start off with, I’m doing a Taster Day on August 23rd for instrumentalists and/or singers of any ability. It’ll be really fun. I can’t wait to do it! Of course, my training in Dalcroze Eurhythmics is a huge influence on what I’m doing but I’m officially not allowed to say that this is a Dalcroze workshop until I’m qualified (hopefully next Summer/Autumn)! For Facebook users, the workshop event page is here. Click here to download the booking form and see below for further details:

Dalcroze Eurhythmics

As a musician, music teacher and music-lover, I have been involved in many types of musical activity for most of my life. For me, music-making is fun, rewarding, and a creative outlet like no other. But occasionally there are times when things don’t always ‘click’ as they should: perhaps a student is trying their utmost but still struggling to play a passage, or perhaps after many months of rehearsal a set of songs does not gel as a performance: sometimes music just doesn’t hit the mark and it can be hard to ascertain why. Technically speaking, the notes may all be ‘correct’, in the right place, played at the right dynamic. But why is it that such a performance can still be lacklustre, rigid, unmoving? Is there a magical ingredient which makes for a more engaging, engaged musical experience?

In 2004, on EPTA’s piano pedagogy course, I first heard the phrase ‘Dalcroze Eurhythmics’. It stuck in my mind as a very intriguing and innovative method of music-making. Finally, in 2010, I found time to start looking into the method further. I fell in love with it so much that I continued to study it and am now halfway through the Dalcroze Society’s two year ‘Certificate’ Course. Over the past year I have increasingly started to include elements of Dalcroze in the one to one music lessons I teach, with miraculous results. Adults, teenagers and children have found the Dalcroze activities fun and inspiring and the improvement in their musicianship has been unsurpassed.  Now, it is my intention to bring this method to people who may not have heard of Dalcroze before.

What is Dalcroze Eurhythmics?

Dalcroze Eurhythmics is a practical method of learning music. There are three branches of Dalcroze Eurhythmics: Rhythmics, Ear-training (also known as Sol-fa or Kodály)  and Improvisation:

Rhythmics

All elements of music (including dynamics, articulation, melody, rhythm, harmony) are experienced in the body through movement. A wealth of kinaesthetic, auditory and visual memories is built up, to be recalled and used later. As J.Vann commented in her article ‘Getting music to move’*, ‘The movement is not a prescribed dance form but whatever movement vocabulary the students themselves bring. Pupils learn from each other and expand their movement vocabulary…’ By expanding their movement vocabulary, students also expand their musical vocabulary and their scope for creativity. Rhythmics activities are fun and require quick reaction and perceptive listening.

Ear-training (also known as Sol-fa or Kodály)

Through singing, students learn to recognise pitch, intervals, scales, harmony and tonality. They also develop an ability to perceive different layers of the music simultaneously and learn how to implement these skills for use in performance and improvisation.

Improvisation (vocal, instrumental or through movement)

Through improvisation, students put into practise their understanding by expressing musical concepts, feelings and form through spontaneous creation. They learn to initiate movement through sound and sound through movement.

* * *

I’m hoping to upload some more information on Dalcroze Eurhythmics soon! For anyone wanting to learn more about Dalcroze Eurhythmics classes, I recommend the website for The Dalcroze Society UK .

  *published by Libretto magazine December 2003

Come Out To Play

Hi everyone!

Just a quick message to let you know about my next pupil concert, coming up on Saturday 16th July. It’s called ‘Come Out To Play’ and, as the title suggests, this time round I really want to encourage as many different types of performances as possible. So if you, or someone you know is learning an instrument (including voice) and would like to participate, do let me know. I’m happy to let soloists, duos or groups play. Everybody is welcome to perform regardless of age, ability and genre. This is an opportunity for people who are learning music to share their enthusiasm and hard work. Performance spaces are available on a first come, first serve basis so if you have something to share, let me know by June 30th.

Here are the finer details:

Concert:

6.00pm until 7.00pm (please arrive at 5.45)

The Voicebox, Kensington Mews, Forman Street, Derby, DE1 1JQ

Rehearsal:

Friday 8th July

5:30pm until 6:30pm

You do not have to be present at the rehearsal in order to play at the concert, although it is recommended!

Tickets:

Adult £5. Child 50p. Under 5s and performers get in for free.

Programme and refreshments included in admission.

If you would like to book tickets, you can do so by emailing sparklyalex(AT)gmail.com.

Videos of Previous Concerts

For those of you who may not have attended one of my concerts before, click here to view videos of the last concert.

See you soon!

 

2 concerts…

Just a little note to promote two concerts coming up very soon. The first is in Ashbourne, Derbyshire and is being put on by one of my lovely singing song-writing students:

The second concert I’m currently planning will be my 4th pupil concert, ‘Come Out To Play’ which will be held at the Voicebox, Derby on Saturday 16th July at 6pm until 7pm. Admission is £5 for adults. Children and performers get in for free. Ticket includes refreshments during the interval. As the title suggests, this concert is an open invitation to amateur musicians, particularly those currently receiving lessons. The concert will include performances on the piano as well as those from singers and other instrumentalists. Please get in touch via email (sparklyalex@gmail.com) if you would like to play, or if you would like to buy tickets.

Education

One of the problems with the education system (at least in England) is that supposedly there are two mutually-exclusive groups of people: those receiving the education and those delivering the education. Frequently it seems that if a teacher asks for help, or admits they are still understanding or learning a topic, they are perceived as unprofessional or weak. But surely, as human beings we’re never going to know everything and so it is a strength to seek out new information? Not only that, but I’m pretty sure my students are also my biggest educators. Here’s a little quote I found online which seems pertinent:

A fool who recognizes his own ignorance is thereby in fact a wise man, but a fool who considers himself wise — that is what one really calls a fool.

~Gautama Buddha

My new website… Hello world!

Hello everyone!

I’ve started this blog as a way to communicate my music and musical plans with those who are interested in reading, listening and viewing. Recently I seem to have so many ‘musicky things’ happening, I thought I should let people know!

www.mercedesbenz.tv

In 2008 an agency representing Mercedes-Benz found my song ‘Into the Sea’ on myspace. They liked it and asked if they could use it as part of their Mixed Tape project: every 8 weeks, 10 tracks by various unsigned musical acts around the world are chosen. These 10 tracks feature on mercedesbenz.tv and are available for free download for several weeks: people from as far as Korea and Argentina contacted me to buy my music, which was pretty exciting!

Recently I was informed that Mercedes Benz has chosen my song for inclusion into the Mixed Tape: Full Spectrum edition, which is a Top 10 from all the songs used so far (since about 2006/07 I think?), voted for by listeners. I noticed they’re currently on Mixed Tape 36 and so, with 10 tracks per edition, I assume my song was short-listed from 360… In which case I’m pretty chuffed! The song will feature on the site from February 1st until April 12th and once again will provide me with a chance to promote my music to people who would otherwise not hear it.

For the Mercedes feature, I’ve had filmed some promotional material. I’m very lucky to know Sam, Carl and Robbie, who have kindly undertaken the filming and recording for me. Thanks, guys! Go to the videos section of my site to see their work!

My Dalcroze Eurhythmics training

I’ve recently returned from my fourth weekend of a 16 weekend intensive training course leading to a certificate in Dalcroze Eurhythmics. This involves my travelling to London (a two hour train journey from my home in Derby) roughly once a month for the best part of two years. If all goes to plan, I should gain the qualification in the Summer of 2012.

Studying Dalcroze is not only serving to open up my mind to new musical and creative ways of working with music and movement, but also once I gain the qualification I will be able to set up my own classes in Dalcroze Eurhythmics. I intend to set up group classes for various ages (from children, through to teenagers, to adults)  in each of the three elements of Dalcroze Eurhythmics: sol-fa, rhythmics and piano improvisation (more about those some other time). Also, I’d really like to teach on Summer schools and residential music courses. We shall see…

Concerts… for my pupils and for myself!

Since December 2009, I’ve been putting on a pupil concert twice every year (Christmas and Summer). The last two have been held in the ‘Voices Hall’ at the Voicebox Arts Centre in Derby. The Voicebox, with its grand piano and gorgeous acoustics provides the perfect setting: I have a programme designed and printed, there are refreshments during the interval, and the whole concert is filmed so students can watch themselves back and share their proud moments with friends and family.

It’s very important to me that children and adults of all ages and abilities are given a forum to be able to play. There is too much stigma attached to perfection, particularly in the field of classical music, but in life more generally. Really (and here’s where I get on my high horse) how can any person perform well in any area of their life when they’re wrought with panic, fear and insecurity? And also, how can anybody learn how to perform without actually practising the skill of performing?! I really do hope that by providing a friendly, forgiving environment to my students, they can thrive not only as wonderful musicians but also as less-self conscious and therefore happier, confident people. Music really does enrich one’s soul, and to be able to share any creative experience with others is one of the most beautiful and liberating things there is to do. With this in mind, I look forward to a very special concert in July 2011. I think I’ll be playing a 30-40 minute set, too…

So, I’ll leave you all for now. Please take a good look around. There are videos, mp3s, pictures. And, should you be impressed with what you hear, why not visit my shop and buy some of it!?

Bye for now!