2020-06-28
News Flash!
CreateNSW has inspired us to offer an online Digital Music course!
During NSW School Term 4, we’ll be offering special online courses featuring digital music.
The course will delivered interactively, online, in ten weekly, 40 minute lessons.
Term 4 runs from:
Monday 12 October to Saturday 19 December
Course Goals
Firstly, we want kids across New South Wales to have fun learning creative music skills - learning is always easier when it’s enjoyable!
We want you to be able to use your devices in ways you might never have imagined:
- Add new sounds to your keyboard via MIDI;
- See your music appear on the screen as real notes as you play;
- Hear your music played by quality orchestral instruments.
We want you to learn to play in a band:
- Learn about chords;
- Learn to play a leadsheet;
- Get to play with a backing, so you’re ready to play in a band at school or with friends;
And, we know that COVID-19 has made times financially hard, so we want you to save money too!
- Save $100 with the NSW Government’s “Creative Kids” vouchers;
- Save money with over $100 worth of licensed apps;
- Save money with studio licensed music and backings.
Thanks to CreateNSW and the NSW Government for inspiring this course, and for funding the Creative Kids program!
COURSE DETAILS
What you will learn (the Course Outline)
1. Sight Reading Skills
We’ll be using Piano Maestro and Sight Reading Factory (SRF) to help you improve the speed and accuracy of your music reading.
Both companies have kindly offered year-long subscriptions to all participants, saving you $55 for SRF, and around $100 for Piano Maestro.
2. Performance Skills
We’ll be learning some graded music, along with digital backings. Backings make playing very enjoyable and professional, but they also help develop a great sense of timing.
3. Chords
Using a variety of pieces, we’ll look at how to play chords, and the theory behind them (it’s much easier than you might think!).
We’ll provide all music, leadsheets, and backings.
4. Improvising
We’ll learn about using cool patterns like Pentatonics and modes to be able to improvise like the pros!
5. Composing
With the assisitance of the Creative Kids program, we’ll be using Note Flight, an online composing tool that runs on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS.
You’ll be able to see your playing show up on the screen as notes, as you play! You’ll be able to hear your music played by a variety of real, quality instruments.
A fabulous way to learn composing!
What we will provide (the Course Provisions)
We’ll provide the conference software
We use MeetFox, as it has high-quality audio and video. It also records each lesson, and stores it in the cloud so you can play back the lesson later, as many times as you like!
MeetFox’s big feature is that it does NOT require you to download or install anything!
It will work on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android without installing drivers or apps.
Just log into the website to choose your lesson time, and will remind you via email and SMS, and then record your lesson... all automatically.
Easy!
We’ll provide all the music
We’ve done studio licensing deals with several composers and music publishers such as Wendy Stevens, Diane Hidy, ComposeCreate, Daniel McFarlane, and Piano SuperSonics to provide you with legal piano music at no charge.
This saves you lots compared to regular music lessons where you often have to purchase a music book.
We’ll also provide backings where applicable.
We’ll provided licensed software, at no charge
We’ve been able to negotiate deals with Sight Reading Factory, Piano Maestro, SessionBand, and NoteFlight to offer you quality software for free.
Yes, Free!
Quality, Individual, Interactive Tuition
You’ll be having one-on-one interactive, online lessons with the same experienced teacher each week.
Here are some recent photos of online lessons held during the COVID-19 lock-down:
What you will need (the Course Requirements)
An internet connection;
An internet device for video conferencing for your lesson;
A keyboard or piano.
Additionally, it would be nice to have:
An iPad for apps;
A keyboard with MIDI or USB to connect your keyboard to your device;
A light to make your online video easier to see;
Headphones to hear more clearly;
A cable to connect your iPad to your keyboard, or speakers, or your headphones;
Several free apps: Sight Reading Factory, Note Flight, Piano Maestro, SessionBand
A $6 iOS app for Sight Reading: Note Rush
If you’re interested in learning about synthesis, we would also recommend Sunrizer:
Sunrizer on the App Store for iOS
Easy guides to setting up for online lessons can be found here:
How To Set Up Your Online Piano
What does it cost?
The course will cost $385 inc GST for the 10 lessons.
Use your Creative Kids Voucher!
Remember: you can use your $100 Creative Kids voucher to save $100, making the cost $285 for the 10 lessons.
4-week Introduction to Digital Music
There will also be a simplified 4-week course available, for those wishing to start sight reading and basic skills.
This course will cost just $49 inc GST with your Creative Kids voucher.
For further information, please call:
Blue Mountains Piano School
(02) 4751-6196.
Please leave your name, telephone number, and email so we can contact you and send you information.
Many Thanks!
Stephen Walter
