Biography
ABOUT ME
I was born in 1971, in the Netherlands but of Czech parents. (People often ask me where my surname comes from - my grandfather from my father's side came from Ukraine.) I started music lessons at my local music school at the age of 8, violin at 10 and guitar at 13. After completing (the Dutch equivalent of) A-levels I spent some time in the U.K. before deciding I wanted to study music at the Conservatoire. I chose a very versatile training - Music in Schools. Within a few years it became clear to me that I wanted to reach a higher standard on the guitar and I was admitted to the Classical Guitar training as well. In all I spent seven years at the Conservatoire - having a very good time, while working hard on all aspects of teaching music, performing and music theory.
On top of this, I fell in love with Irish fiddle music while in my second year at the Conservatoire. This reignited my interest in the violin. I did struggle though, in the beginning - having always been trained the classical way (based on written music) and not having regular fiddle lessons. I found it quite a challenge to learn tunes off by heart and preferably by ear, rather than from sheet music (which actually makes the tunes a lot easier to memorise). More importantly even, I struggled to make my playing sound the way I thought it should sound - the rhythms in particular (the exact timing of a traditional tune is too subtle to be conveyed in written music). I went to Irish music sessions and workshops as much as I could. I also spent a lot of time listening to Irish music recordings and trying to analyse the exact timing of jigs and reels, and how to transfer that onto my own bow and fingers... It led me to the conviction that the bowing is key, so when I teach and practice the fiddle I pay a lot of attention to the bowing.
Around the same period I also developed a passion for all kinds of traditional dance, but Eastern European in particular. I never got as far as playing the music though, maybe in the future!
My husband and I spent two years in Ireland, immersing ourselves in the music, before moving to Scotland to start a family. Our move to Scotland has awoken my interest in Scottish fiddle music. I also joined the Feral Choir, which - to my delight - opened my eyes (and voice!) to non-classical singing technique. And now that my own children are learning the violin the Suzuki way I find myself inspired by this method and, though I am not a Suzuki teacher, elements of it have found their way into my teaching. For my c.v. please see my website: www.solwaymusicmakers.co.uk
ABOUT MY TEACHING
My teaching methods reflect not only my training and work experience, but also the ways I learned to play - guitar mostly from written music, and fiddle mostly by ear. Even so, I believe it is important to include aural training and basic improvisation for both fiddle and guitar. Not only when teaching the fiddle, but also when teaching the guitar to a beginner, I try to do as much as possible by ear - for the student to get to know the instrument - before I introduce written music. After all, we learn to speak before we learn to read and write. (My own experience with traditional music is how nice it is to be able to pick up an instrument and play something, without sheet music!) Likewise, I would always encourage a fiddle student to learn to read music. For both instruments the ability to read music opens up an incredible wealth of material.
I also believe in a solid, technical foundation for all instruments - regardless of preferred style of music. Of course, plenty of brilliant musicians play with what seems a very unconventional technique and posture, but in my opinion only the most talented get away with that! Most of us will benefit from some technique. Ultimately, the object of 'proper' technique and posture is total control over the instrument and the best possible tone quality - which also makes it easier to switch between styles.
When working with very young children - for example during a HiNotes or Play it by Ear session - I start with choosing a topic that is meaningful to the age group (or, ideally, I let the children choose). Then I look for age-appropriate songs, games or other activities to fit in with the topic. Through singing, playing, moving and listening the children experience contrasts in music and develop their sense of pulse, rhythm and pitch. These musical contrasts are: silence - sound; quiet - loud; slow - fast; short - long; low - high.
I believe my training and experience have made me into an all-round music teacher and performer - with specializations in the Classical Guitar, Traditional Fiddle and Music Education. Even so, I am constantly looking for ways to improve and refresh my teaching.
