Colourstrings instrumental training begins when the child is ready, usually between 41/2 and 7 years old and builds on the foundations laid in the Colourstrings music and movement program. We recommend that all children who wish to take up an instrument spend at least one year, or preferably two, enrolled in our Colourstrings music and movement program. Click here to find out why pre-instrumental training is soo important
Children can choose to learn violin, cello, piano, guitar, mini-bass or flute
through Colourstrings if they wish to. At the present time we only
offer violin (more instruments will be offered shortly). Colourstrings
has already produced professional musicians and international renowned
soloists, despite this not being the primary aim of the program.
The
most important goal of the Colourstrings approach is to positively
influence and inspire a life-long love of music by raising a generation
of players who can achieve anything they wish to on their instrument,
who will attend concerts with pleasure and use music as a social,
emotional and artistic gift for life.
Colourstrings unique system of learning the violin
Favourite songs from the music and movement program reappear and invite children to explorethe new world of the violin whilst an overall sense of play engages the children into highly focused studies. Our songbooks and Cd’s ensure a seamless continuity between home, class and instrumental lessons. A parent or carer should attend all first-year instrumental lessons.
Our holistic approach to teaching creates a well-rounded musician as it develops the child´s musical intelligence, technique, solfege (do-re-mi), musical literacy and theory simultaneously through colouring, copying, composing, transposing, performing and improvising.
Children are actively reading music from the first violin lesson (or earlier if they attended the CS music and movement program) –A colour-coded system of notation, considerably simplifies the process of learning to read music."By using colours, reading music becomes not a burden for the child but a pleasant challenge." Geza Szilvay.
Children learn advanced violin techniques much earlier – Lessons encourage sound technical development whilst musical stories, drawings and symbols simplify even the most demanding technical difficulties and make complicated musical grammar easily understandable.
Weekly one-to-one lessons are supplemented by group ensemble classes - group teaching is given an important place from the early stages as individual playing becomes a social activity, providing a source of inspiration and generating impetus and motivation for practice.
Chamber music is developed in the early stages introducing duos that gradually progress to a unique repertoire of chamber music, allowing even the youngest child to gain experience performing their favourite solo with an orchestra.
Fundamental to the Colourstrings approach is providing the children with lots of opportunities to perform and share their music-making with others. We have regular concerts in which everyone, even in the earliest stages of learning an instrument, is invited to perform in a warm, positive atmosphere to friends and family, both individually and as part of a group.
After completing the Colourstrings repertoire children naturally transition to conventional material (i.e. Studies, concertinos and sonatas.)
"Some approaches to instrumental teaching delay music reading and bring quick and attractive results in the beginning but can deprive the child of the complementary development of technique, intellect and emotion by reducing the complex activity of instrumental playing to little more than imitation and copying movements. Undoubtedly, reading does slow down progress slightly in the early years but sight connects the learning with the brain and raises the child’s artisanship to an intellectual level. Knowledge that is achieved through more than one sense is deeper and long-lasting." Geza Szilvay
Violin lesson times are arranged privately and are given on an individual basis.
$25 per 30 minutes (Beginner level)
$40 per 45 minutes ( Intermediate Level)
$60 per 1 hour (Advanced Level)
The Colourstrings Violin Experience
Colourstrings creates an environment for the child where toys, stories, singing, and instruments live side by side. From the very first lessons children are encouraged to use their imagination whilst the focus is on making a beautiful sound and developing musicality. Singing plays an essential role in every lesson and parental involvement is strongly encouraged.
Our multi-sensory teaching supports the unique learning styles of each individual child by presenting new concepts in as many different ways as possible: enabling the child to feel it, see it, hear it and know it. Each new song is clapped, sung, written and played on an instrument or as a game.
Colourstrings is unique in the way it invites the young child to practice, with its imaginative books and activities, interaction with other children in group lessons and its emphasis on ensemble music making.
The most common observation made of a Colourstrings-trained child is how versatile and well rounded each child becomes. They perform with a deep musical understanding, fine intonation, solid technique, fluent note reading, detailed phrasing and rich creativity developed through transposing, improvising and composing.
"Singing Strings" Group Class
Colourstrings group classes continue to incorporate Kodaly and Dalcroze teaching in order to develop a creative and well-rounded musician. With an emphasis on enjoyment, ensemble playing provides children with a source of inspiration, generating impetus and motivation for practice. The ensemble develops a strong sense of community and children quickly understand the concept that every child in the orchestra is an asset, yet no child alone can be the orchestra.
Singing in solfege (do, re, mi), music reading, creative movement as well as rhythm and listening games are an integral part of this introductory ensemble. Dalcroze teaching reinforces musical concepts through movement as if the body was a musical instrument. Whole body movement are used to express aspects of the music in an imaginative and improvisatory way. As a result, children develop improved coordination, concentration and the ability to feel music with the whole body, allowing auditory memory, communication, expression and creativity to develop.
Children perform regularly as an ensemble throughout the year.
Colourstrings instrumental training begins when the child is ready, usually between 41/2 and 7 years old and builds on the foundations laid in the Colourstrings music and movement program. We recommend that all children who wish to take up an instrument spend at least one year, or preferably two, enrolled in our Colourstrings music and movement program.
"Some approaches to instrumental teaching delay music reading and bring quick and attractive results in the beginning but can deprive the child of the complementary development of technique, intellect and emotion by reducing the complex activity of instrumental playing to little more than imitation and copying movements. Undoubtedly, reading does slow down progress slightly in the early years but sight connects the learning with the brain and raises the child’s artisanship to an intellectual level. Knowledge that is achieved through more than one sense is deeper and long-lasting." Geza Szilvay 
Colourstrings creates an environment for the child where toys, stories, singing, and instruments live side by side. From the very first lessons children are encouraged to use their imagination whilst the focus is on making a beautiful sound and developing musicality. Singing plays an essential role in every lesson and parental involvement is strongly encouraged. 
