Foundation Musicianship

Learn to read, write and understand music, while developing musicianship skills, with Nikki Berry & Gary Easterbrook

this course will run over two 8 week blocks, following an Introduction to Music Theory weekend, if we get enough interested people. Times and dates by negotiation.)
Cost: $130.00/$125.00 (Friends Of The Muse) per term.
($260.00 for two terms but you can sign up for just the first term.)

Click here for break down of course

Click the link to watch a video about the course - 1st half, 2nd half

This intensive 16 week part time course aims to help you learn to read, write and understand music and to develop musicianship skills, while having lots and lots of fun! Suitable for anyone who plays an instrument or sings.

The course is presented through a series of fun exercises and games, and is based on a model more commonly associated with the teaching of young children.

Using physical and auditory aids as well as computers, participants will become musically literate, with the ability to write and transpose their own chord charts, read and write melodies and more fully participate in music making on their own, and with others.

Before doing this course, you need to have first attended the "Introduction To Music Theory" weekend course. The next opportunity  is Saturday and Sunday, the 13th and 14th of August. 10.00am - 5.00pm

The fee can be paid for in a series of instalments. If you are on a low income and this fee is going to prevent your attendance, you can apply for a concession. Generally, a $60.00 deposit is necessary to hold your place. Contact The Muse if this is not manageable.

The Tutors
Nikki Berry's background is as a songwriter and she is a trained audio engineer. She conducts the exuberant world music choir, A Capellago, and the Open Song world music choir. She loves to improvise, compose and arrange music, and has led workshops for singers and musicians of all ages and experience for many years.

Gary Easterbrook grew up in Whangarei, and has flown airplanes, driven trucks, worked in forestry, flirted with television... the list goes on. His musical career has been equally varied - from heavy rock to bluegrass and country, blues and jazz to world music. He learned piano as an eleven year old, took up guitar at fourteen, then bass guitar and back to piano (with a dabble on drums along the way). He's now happy on all these instruments, and also arranges music for choirs. Besides music, Gary loves surfing, sea kayaking and photography.

This course draws on their combined experience over many years of teaching & playing and especially draws on their work with young people. Guest tutors will also run workshops on a range of topics.