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Music from the Stone Age! [Click article to enlarge]
7 reasons why you should take part in a competition
By George Sargsyan
We all know that music is not a sport, so why bother participating in music competitions? There are countless excuses not to participate, saying, that it can be unfair, children are toooooo busy with school, they have a numerous activities and so on.... But if you look deeply, there are at least seven reasons why you should do that...
1. You learn a new repertoire. When you are in a classroom setting, you simply improve and improve your technique, or try your best to memorize scales to achieve a good score in an exam. The motivation to learn new pieces is often low. But when you decide to take part in a competition you will come out of it with new music you can perform anywhere after that! It is a great way to expand your repertoire.
2. You get a taste of disciplined study with a deadline. If you embark on a professional career, not just in the field of music, you will be faced with deadlines all the time, and you have to manage your time so that you have time to learn all the works you are going to perform.
Preparing for a competition is a good taste of the "real life". You will have a pile of music, a deadline, and one month to prepare. What will you do?
3. You get the invaluable opportunity to perform. So many of you study in classrooms where performing time is rather limited. A competition is one more chance to step onto a stage and gain experience in playing in front of a live audience. You can learn how to act on stage, when and how to bow and so much more – all of which, you can never achieve in a classroom setting.
4. You learn from seeing others play/perform. Competitions will allow you to see others play. I think it is really interesting to see how other students do. You will see so many different ways of performing, from shy and humble to artistic and confident. Different use of energy, different temperaments. And of course you will see where you stand in the group of participants…
5. You learn from the jury. It does not matter if you win - From the judges' comments, you can learn how to improve. Stay and see the results of the competition and then ask yourself, why did he/she win? Improvement usually comes from learning one’s mistakes, that's why it is very important to face these constructive criticisms.
Use the advise from the jury. Take note of the good points and use your strengths. Know your weaknesses and work to overcome them.
6. You get publicity. How so, if I don't win anything, you might ask. Well, consider this: your photo and name will published in the program booklet, screened in the school and on a website...
7. You might actually win a prize! You might be surprised how many times it happens to the people who don’t expect it. When the Finnish conductor Okko Kamu (who is, by the way, a seasoned conductor with SSO) took part in the very first Herbert von Karajan Conducting Competition in 1969, he had to run around for new scores every time the next round of competitors were announced. He ended up winning the whole competition!
Now go and fill that application! Click HERE now!
Littlecellist.com
A fun, interactive website created specially for young cellist! Loads of games, videos and activities to keep young cellists occupied.
Check out the little cellist website at www.littlecellist.com
Listen to this – Do well for your ABRSM exam
Every year, many students take the ABRSM wanting to do well. Not many students understand the importance of aural training in the ABRSM exam. But what is “Aural”?
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Tanglewood’s piano associate, Soh Chye Yen and cello/conducting associate, George Sargsyan explains, “Aural is hearing. A student must be able to hear musical elements such as key, tone, rhythmical differences, etc. He or she must recognize tonal and rhythmical differences in music by listening to it.” George also explains why improving one’s aural will better prepare a student for his or her ABRSM exam, |
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“Aural is essential and important, especially for string instruments like violin, viola and cello because these instruments are not temperated. In order to play in tune and be able to improve your playing skills, you have to improve your aural first,” says George. Piano associate, Soh Chye Yen, who also teaches aural classes at Tanglewood, says that the classes conducted in the school follows closely to the ABRSM syllabus. |
These questions may comprise of melodic memory, sight reading, listening to modulations and chords progression. Students may also be asked to identify different textures, styles and period of music or composers. But Tanglewood’s aural classes will help students answer these questions confidently.
Chye Yen says that, “students will be able to develop scale step and chord recognition through graduated weekly practise, learn beat patterns with rhythm identification.”
To add to Chye Yen’s advise, George says, “It is the training of your ears. Some people are gifted since they are born with ‘sharper’ hearing, while others can improve it. You need to listen to more music, try to discover differences between notes and recognize the pitch.”
Help for Pianist
By
Ms Soh Chye Yen, Piano Associate, Tanglewood Music School
As a pianist, have you been experiencing the following?
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Do you feel like giving up? If you are desperate to overcome the difficulties in piano playing, our piano lessons in Tanglewood can offer some remedy for you, as we are eager to help overcome these challenges that most piano students are facing and help change the destiny in their musical journey. |
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Tanglewood Music School’s piano students can also look forward to an opportunity to accompany the Littlewood Players string orchestra. Playing the piano for Tanglewood’s string orchestra is a platform to showcase your talent, and our mentorship program would help you to develop good technical skills, so that your learning will be even more rewarding and improvements are accelerated through performance practise on stage. With individual mentorship, the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience and regular practise, anyone can enjoy playing the piano! |
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German Handmade Cello for Sale
A 2008, Johan Köberling handmade cello will be flown in to Singapore and put up for sale.
Tanglewood Music School principal, Karen Yap, has personally tried the cello in Germany and testifies that for a well known modern German instrument, it is reasonably priced at $6,500.
Interested buyers are welcomed to play on the cello. Please leave your name and contact number with any administrator at Tanglewood Music School using our online form.
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Developing intelligence with piano playing
By
Ms Soh Chye Yen, Piano Associate, Tanglewood Music School
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Piano music is a gift from heaven, without which our souls would be much poorer. Good for the brain's development, piano playing can be a tool to improve the function of the left and right brain. This increases a person's potential in thinking and learning activities. Our unique teaching method will enable children to learn faster in a shorter period of time and also to discover their intelligence in all fields such as music, logic, emotion etc. By awakening students' enthusiasm, maximum performance is attained with minimum effort. |
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We believe that music learning is more than the perfection of one's listening and playing skills. Our approach to music appreciation involves training the students with better musical interpretation, understanding of historical background of music; that will be much more rewarding as learning will be accelerated and taught in an enjoyable and fun way, to achieve highest performances with ease, fun and minimal effort. Enabling one to play the piano is a great enjoyment to a person's life, we wish that more people for both children and adults will encounter along their life journey. |
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Holding the Violin II
How do you hold the violin? Is your chin resting comfortably? Are you ‘pulling down’ the violin when you play?
Simon Fischer expounds on these five tips in his 200th Basics article for The Strad.
1. Fit the instrument to you, not yourself to the instrument
2. Raising the violin quickly
3. Starting from above
4. Lifting with the right hand
5. Adjusting the four planes
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Holding the Violin
The most basic of techniques can help to make the difference between a good violinist and an outstanding one. In an article by Simon Fischer for The Strand, he reminds us of the proper method of holding the violin.
Fischer advises us on the proper posture whilst playing the violin. These four simple tips can help every violinist play with greater ease and lessen the tension around the neck and shoulders.
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Ways To Practise Effectively
As the saying goes - Practise makes perfect; so when it comes to the violin, cello or piano, parents encourage their children to sit through hours of practise. But does that really help?
In February 2008’s issue of The Strand, Oliver Gledhill’s article, “Family Matters”, shares some important tips for parents to help nurture their child’s musical development and gives us an insight on how to make every practise session an effective and meaningful one.
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