Learn how to transpose the modes from one key to another with a simple method that relies only on your knowing your major scales.
Little changes to Covid precautions Despite Boris Johnson’s so-called ‘Freedom Day’ relaxing of the Covid rules across England, my students and I will remain cautious about the spread of Covid to protect one another and those who are most vulnerable in society. My music studio is a fairly enclosed space with limited ventilation, so we need to do what we… Read more »
Philippa Perry is The Observer’s new agony aunt, and in last Sunday’s edition she imparted some excellent advice to a person who is struggling to find motivation and enjoyment in life. I think her words could apply to any one of us: Direct your energy into your creativity. Wanting to do something – liking it, enjoying it – is reason… Read more »
Sing to Relax Like exercise, music can be a powerful way of calming the mind, easing symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression. A lovely way to help this process along is to start your day with some slow, meditative breathing exercises. This one uses the sounds Mmm, Aw, Ah in repetition, almost like a mantra. Try singing along and feel… Read more »
Here’s what my new student, Keri, sent me in an email over the weekend: Hi Damian, I had to message you to say my Mind. Is. Blown. What a massive difference it makes taking an intentional breathe rather than just singing whilst breathing like you do naturally when talking. Already, I can hold the notes better because I’ve got enough… Read more »
Because of plans of a trip that my family has coming up, I’ve made the decision to offer Zoom only lessons from 1st to 16th July, this with a view to minimising contact with others during that period. Face-to-face lessons will resume w/c 19th July. The early part of next week is booked up, but there is availability for Zoom… Read more »
I’ve recorded a whole load of ‘classic’ assembly songs from the 1960’s, 70’s, and 80’s, in the traditional style with piano accompaniment and posted them as a YouTube playlist. There are also lyrics on screen for you / the kids to follow. These are fun to listen to from the perspective of nostalgia, but could also be used by primary… Read more »
This week I’ve been reading Sherry Turkle’s Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age. In it she makes a strong case for what she calls ‘unitasking’ – the rejection of the idea that it’s better or more efficient to work on multiple things at once, and instead just to concentrate on a single task or idea. In… Read more »
First just play for fun, and achievement will follow. Slots for the coming week: All the available slots this week are after school, so if you have a child who would like to book into a music lesson, this is the week for you! Monday 14th June 17:00 Wednesday 16th June 17:30
This summer, amateur and student musicians will be coming together to create a unique virtual performance of Terry Riley’s iconic minimalist composition ‘In C’. This is a piece made up of a series of very short fragments of music, played on any instrument. In our rendition of the work, the fragments will come in any order, and participants will record… Read more »