Lessons:
All lessons given by Davey Music tutors use the same format, offering students consistency and reliability at all times:
- Lessons normally last for 30 minutes although 60-minute lessons may also occasionally be given.
- All Davey Music tutors are highly experienced and lessons will be carried out in a friendly and pleasant atmosphere at all times, encouraging the student to relax and play to their best.
- Tutors will usually begin with a brief summary of the previous lesson and students will have the opportunity to demonstrate the progress that has been made since the previous lesson; students are always welcome to discuss any issues which may have arisen.
- Tutors will introduce new material where appropriate, and will always judge this according to the needs and abilities of the individual student.
- Tutors will always encourage and inspire their students by playing along with them, thereby improving their confidence in the essential skill of ensemble playing.
- Tutors will facilitate the use of printed music during the lesson, but will always encourage the student to play from memory from as early on as possible, as this is the preferred method of performing traditional Irish music.
- Tutors will draw the lesson to a close by summarising the material covered and directing the student towards advance preparation for the next lesson, normally involving listening to their lesson CD and/or other recordings.
- Younger students have printed Lesson Record sheets which the tutor will update at the end of each lesson, to reflect the material covered during the lesson and thereby assisting advance preparation for the next lesson.
Advanced Lessons
Those students preparing for the LCM Grade 6, 8 and Diploma examinations are encouraged to avail of an ‘advanced’ lesson format. Advanced students have the opportunity to receive their music collections on CD-ROM, which many have found to be a more convenient means of managing their music. The CD-ROM holds all three Davey Music collections, with music ‘printouts’ presented in PDF formatand recordings presented in MP3 format. Advanced students do not use printed music during lessons, preferring to learn by the traditional ‘by ear’ method, which means that printed music and/or CD-ROMs may be left at home; tutors will always have access to the printed music should this be needed during a lesson. Other lesson material, including Lesson Record Sheets and Personal Repertoire sheets, are updated by the tutor on computer and emailed to the student after each lesson. This allows the tutor to allocate the maximum time to actually teaching without having to think about completing written records, and experience has shown this to be much more productive. This ‘paperless’ lesson is of course kinder to the environment too!
Advanced students are also encouraged to make use of a digital voice recorder or similar portable recording device, as this is an effective means of making high quality instant recordings during lessons. This is particularly useful during preparation for the higher grades where there is a requirement to develop skills in performing advanced ornamentation and also variation. It is not always possible to include advanced ornamentation and variation on the main CD recordings so the ability to make high quality instant recordings during lessons has proved very useful.
Email: info@daveymusic.com