Empowering Music Teachers

Music… it's just meant to be fun! Acquiring musical knowledge is a way of increasing the capacity to enjoy it. In this inspiring series of workshops, Nick Peterson introduces pioneering methodologies that endow music teachers with the expertise to greatly increase student capabilities and thus enhance musical fulfilment. 

'Teaching versus Educating'

Quite logically, we recognize that the manner in which we were taught is responsible for our musical strengths. Sensibly we teach in a similar way so as to impart these strengths. 

This session is designed to challenge perceptions. It invites attendees to consider the possibility that the way we were taught may also be the source of our musical weaknesses. 

In presenting varied approaches to imparting information, attendees are endowed with the means to:

· confirm that they are indeed instructing in the best possible manner, or

· discover that there may be room for improvement, and should they require

· attain the next educational level 

By examining diverse instructional perspectives and shedding light on our pedagogical practices, participants can discover the small changes that make profound differences to student outcomes.

'Insights to Revitalise Music Teaching'

Music is a vast art form. But in reality, to become qualified, music teachers specialize in a rather narrow area of the art. 

In this eye-opening session Nick Peterson introduces: 

‘Music’s Fascinating, Fun, Facts’,

and illuminates many important and often neglected pieces of the musical puzzle. 

Drawn from an extensive collection of educational and entertaining revelations, attendees will discover hidden gems of knowledge that are appealing embellishments to enhance their teaching and further inspire students. 

An opportunity to be acquainted with music’s lighter side, participants will be:

· astounded, when remarkable viewpoints shed new light on preconceptions

· surprised, as complicated notions are eloquently clarified 

· delighted by the ever-present humour, and

· bewildered as to why the knowledge wasn’t initially given.

Most importantly, confidence will build as teachers are equipped with intriguing information to captivate the imaginations of their students.

'Mastering Rhythm Reading'

An inspiring session in which Nick Peterson introduces: 

‘Rhythm Reading and Dictation’,

a pioneering resource empowering students to effortlessly decipher rhythmic notation.

The problem: So much time is wasted when music students learn new pieces ‘note-perfectly’, but with rhythmic errors. Teachers repeatedly have to correct the misinterpretations of familiar yet previously-treated rhythmic ideas and, frustratingly, students must relearn pieces.

The simple solution: The whole problem can be evaded if students do not make rhythmic errors in the first instance. 

When students can effortlessly read complicated rhythms at sight, learning pieces is unhindered; score reading happens easily and aural work becomes instinctive. It all turns backtracking into forward progress, and replaces frustration with fulfilment! By teaching music in the manner of a first language, the way is paved for musical literacy. 

In this session Nick reveals how these wonderful aspirations can become a reality. 

‘Equipping Superior Sight Reading’

In this session Nick Peterson introduces the landmark:

‘Equipping Pianists for Superior Sight Reading’

a resource designed to enhance sight reading skills and inspire student confidence. 

Reading (whether of language or music notation), depends on the ability to intellectually recognise, and physically execute a vocabulary. As a result there should be a transfer of meaning. 

But all too often, pianists are steered into hastily decoding one note at a time devoid of understanding. And with little attention given to coordination (physicality that is vital to fluency), there is never certainty as to whether the notation will fall within the pianist's capacity. Consequently sight reading is undertaken tentatively. Logically, adequate training would have it tackled confidently.

This session introduces a graded and comprehensive program designed to dramatically improve the reading abilities of all pianists. By progressively combining music’s constituent vocabularies (rhythmic, melodic and harmonic), to increase the repertoire of intellectual and physical skills, the way is paved for fluent sight reading; reading music as naturally and meaningfully as reading a language; a first language. 

‘Improvisation...What is it Really?’

Music is a creative art. Irrationally, it is often taught by accurately recreating the compositions of others; bypassing the development of student creativity. Such an approach generates tentative improvisers who are not entirely sure of how to convey the skill of improvisation when they become teachers. 

Interestingly, many eloquent improvisers also struggle to impart the skill, since; being instinctive musicians they are oblivious to the fundamental workings of their own musical intuition.

This workshop explores many forms of musical spontaneity. Methodical explanations and graded experiences will help to liberate suppressed abilities, providing attendees with the prerequisite strategies to ensure for their students:

· successful first attempts 

· a desire to improvise yet again, so that they can enjoy 

· creative fulfilment in music.

It’s about putting the fun back into this fundamental creative activity.