With a full teaching schedule, I’ve been working hard over the summer to record hundreds of videos to reach out to new learners around the world. My new online video courses are aimed at beginner and elementary levels where you can improve your skills on the harp, piano and in reading music.
The best thing about these courses is that you can learn via online videos at any time of your choosing and also pause, repeat and rewind videos. Sometimes I find that pupils are confident in lessons but when they are practising at home they can be unsure of how a rhythm goes or what finger to use - this is why these videos courses are so good! You can watch tutorials again and again and play along with clips to help consolidate your learning.
There are 4 new courses to choose from:
- Start The Harp
- A' Cluich Na Clàrsaich
- Piano/Keyboard Course
- Musical Karate Rhythm Course
I'll explain a bit more about each one here.
Written for harpists wanting to start at the beginning of developing solid technique, the ‘Start the Harp’ course begins with learning the ‘harp basics’ (naming strings, finger numbers, how to read music) and gradually adds in more complex activities at around ABRSM Grade 1 level.
Using catchy compositions and well-known tunes, beginners will find themselves racing through the 12 learner levels displayed in the course. From simple tunes like Twinkle Twinkle & Frere Jacque to well-known songs like Pachelbel's Canon & Happy Birthday, this tutor series is packed with popular, classical and Celtic tunes that beginners love to play. The course also contains technical work that is vital for building strong foundations at the harp.
You also only need a small harp tuned in C major to get started on this course - look at hiring a harp if you don't have one (you can contact me for more information).
With all of the songs having both performance and tutorial videos, it is easy to follow along and get beautiful sounds from day 1 of learning the harp!
Translating as ‘Playing the Harp’ in Scottish Gaelic, ’A’ Cluich Na Clàrsaich’ is a course that progresses on from ‘Start the Harp’. It reinforces basic playing before challenging learners to change levers and play more complex chord shapes and rhythms. The course includes beautifully haunting melodies and upbeat dance tunes that explore the heritage of Scotland. It features arrangements up to and including around Grade 2 level. A small lever harp is required for this course.
The Piano/Keyboard Course is one that I have developed over a number of years. There are so many people who have a neglected piano in the corner of the room, or a keyboard in the attic. This course is perfect to engage beginners in learning the piano/keyboard and gives you a number of well-known party pieces to play to friends and family. Using pop music and well-known film themes and songs, these pieces explore the basic techniques you need to play the piano. You will also find notes on music theory and rhythms in this tutor book. I would recommend this course for ages 8 to 99!
The Musical Karate Rhythm Course helps students to understand the basics of music theory and how to read musical rhythms.
Although the enjoyment of playing an instrument is often through the performance of pieces, I also believe it is incredibly important for students to be able to read music notation so that they can learn any piece of written music they would like to. I also strongly encourage students to use Note Rush app to help with note recognition and identification too.
You can find out more about pricing plans for these courses here.
It's one thing to start an instrument, but guidance and encouragement from a teacher can also be vital to aid progression. On a number of pricing plans, you will have the option to send weekly or monthly videos to me for feedback, support and next steps. This really can make the difference in becoming a competent and confident musician.
Any additional questions you have about these courses, please give me a shout at info@christineedwardsmusic.com - I look forward to hearing from you!