INSTRUMENTAL TRAINING 4.5 -7 years

Instrumental lessons begin when the child is ready musically and expresses a desire to play. Based on Kodaly, instrumental training is suitable for beginners aged 4.5 - 7 years old. Favourite songs from the Colourstrings music kindergarten classes reappear in the instrumental books creating within the child the desire to express them on an instrument, enabling them to read the songs thus developing their understanding of musical notation. Games, stories, a colour coded system of notation and an overall sense of play engages the youngsters into highly focused studies.

Lessons build on the foundations laid in the Music Kindergarten, developing the child's instrumental and musicianship skills side by side. With the basic musicianship skills learnt in the Kindergarten at the child’s disposal, they will be free to concentrate on the technical aspects of instrumental playing and are usually found to progress more quickly. Children that have not had the benefit of the Music Kindergarten or pre-instrumental training will still easily learn and understand the basic principles of the music through the carefully devised material. This approach continues through to advanced/ conservatoire level.

COLOURFUL INSTRUMENTAL BOOKS

Throughout the first violin book, the same four pictorial associations are used to help the child to locate the different strings and corresponding notes on the basis of colour and all the unnecessary symbolism of music is stripped away, being built up gradually as it becomes necessary musically.

Singing and Kodály ear training games develop musicality, listening and musicianship skills to a very high standard whilst almost eliminating tuning problems. Most importantly, a Colourstrings trained child learns to hear inwardly what he/she is reading and therefore plays with a much deeper sense of understanding and musicality. Through Colourstrings/ Kodály virtually all children, even those who would once be thought of as ‘tone deaf’, can learn an instrument and become competent players.

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COLOURSTRINGS PRINCIPLES

Preliminary use of sol-fa & singing
Elements of musical grammar and notation, rhythm, melody and form introduced pictorally.
Use of left-hand pizzicato and natural harmonics to develop fundamentals of technique
Intergrated aural, emotional theoretical development
Use of relative sol-fa
Development of creativity through colouring, copying, composing, transposing, performing and improvising,
Individual tuition supplemented by group tuition
Chamber music

RECITALS

All students are given the opportunity to perform solos at informal recitals and take part in chamber music and musical games days.

FIDDLE TRICKS GROUP CLASS

In the Colourstrings method, group teaching is given an important place alongside individual tuition from the early stages as it provides a source of inspiration and motivation, encouraging the children to practice and interact with each other as they share the fun and experience of making music as an ensemble. Fiddle tricks is a group violin class, which takes place once a fortnight alongside the students individual lesson. With an emphasis on enjoyment, the classes aim to develop technical, musical and listening skills through games and tricks. A chamber music concert is performed at the end of each academic year.

CHAMBER MUSIC BOOKS

The instrumental method books are accompanied by an additional chamber music series for young string players which introduce the child to the world of the string trio, string quartet, and string orchestra. This series gives the child the opportunity to perform their favourite songs as violin solo's with string quartet or ensemble.

"The Colourstrings philosophy believes that life is like chamber music, where we are participating members of a great ensemble. The atmosphere could be better and happier for all of us if we, besides doing our own part well, could learn how to listen to others, how to pay attention to others, how to take others into consideration-that is, how to be a good chamber musician." Geza Szilvay.

MUSICALITY