M.Mus (U of T)
B.Mus (Oberlin)
Guitarist Gergely Szabo has an Advanced Diploma in Music Performance from Cambrian College where he majored in the classical guitar. Over his time there, he completed 2 years of comprehensive pedagogy courses. He also gained well grounded vocal skills, as well as basic knowledge on the piano. Outside of classical music, he exhibits a repertoire of skills and knowledge in playing the genres of rock, blues, and heavy metal music. He has experience in teaching the guitar and the ukulele to a range of people aged 6 to 54.
Gergely’s teaching methods include both the use of books and digital methods. The three main books he uses to teach guitar are as follows: “Guitar Method Book 1 by Will Schmid and Greg Koch,” “Four Star Sight Reading and Ear Tests RCM Level 1,” and “Classical Guitar Repertoire and Etudes RCM Level 1.” For teaching ukulele, he uses the book “Ukulele Songs for 1, 2, or 3 players by Elizabeth Ragsdale.” Aside from these, he frequently uses the Muse Score application as a play-along practicing tool.
Gergely’s passion for music and his dedication to growing the love of music in others are the biggest reasons why he teaches guitar and ukulele. His approach to teaching involves learning through play. The material he covers with his students is always delivered in a way that is highly interactive. Most of the assigned exercises he gives involve the elements of play that students can enjoy both in class and as homework.
Get to know Gergely…Beyond the Bio!
Coming soon!
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Latest Homework from Gergely
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Homework for Feb 18-25
Henry
Fantastic work today Henry! Here is your homework for this week:
How long to practice: 5-10 minutes per day
What/How to practice:
Heart and Soul- amazing work on swing rhythms! Keep playing with Zaidie :)
Birthday Party- Review line 2; step-wise down and up from D, fingering: 2-1-2-3. Play loud.
Sandman’s Near- Review line 2; repeat each bar twice. Bar 2 is same notes and same fingering as bar 1 (2-1). Play soft. Do not slow down because it is soft, soft doesn’t mean slow.
How parents can support practice: Continuation of playing with family members is great. For the pieces in Teaching Little Fingers to Play, guide him in the speed and dynamics (loud vs soft). Remind him that the pieces should be the same speed, but one is loud and the other is soft.
See you on March 4 :)
Assignments from February 13th
Hello! I hope you all had a fun snow day!
Noreet:
When warming up this week Noreet can continue to play her G Major scale hands together, pay close attention to the fingerings in as the scale descends. D Major can be played 2 octaves hands together. Practice the A Major scale hands together slowly. We are still working on Ice Cream and More Ice Cream. When practicing please remind Noreet that the eighth notes are twice as fast as the quarter notes. I’ve uploaded a video to the google drive to help Noreet has she learns to play two different rhythms in both hands. Please play this for her so that she can follow along. The same pattern can be practiced on her own with the metronome. Have her count out loud (1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and) as she taps along. Use the metronome when playing Ice Cream and More Ice Cream. Play these pieces slowly hands together. You can find the video here.
Vida:
Today we learned the F Major scale! Have Vida practice this hands separately for warm up. When she feels confident she can play it hands together. We continued with the song in her book. She can continue to practice the first two phrases, please help her read the 3rd and 4th phrases of the song. We can talk about any questions she has about the piece and address any problem areas next week in class. We also reviewed our note values and intervals. She likes the note value work sheets so I’ve uploaded a new one for her to work on this week. Please bring this next week and we will correct it together. You can find that sheet here.
Eva:
Hello Eva! Sorry we missed you this week. I’ve uploaded a new song called “Donkey’s Love Carrots” to the google drive for you to practice if you need more material for this week. This song has stepwise motion and some small jumps. If you wanted to try reading this at home together we can address any problem areas next week. Otherwise, continue to practice “Dancing with Frankenstein”. If you feel confident with the notes in this song, practice performing the song. You can find “Donkey’s Love Carrots” here.
Thank you everyone! I hope the weather is better for next weeks lessons. Happy practicing!
Preferred Books for Gergely’s Students
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Hal Leonard Guitar Method
The second edition of this world-famous method by Will Schmid and Greg Koch is preferred by teachers because it makes them more effective while making their job easier. Students enjoy its easy-to-follow format that gives them a solid music education while letting them play songs right away. Book 1 provides beginning instruction including tuning, 1st position melody playing, C, G, G7, D7, and Em chords, rhythms through eighth notes, solos and ensembles and strumming.
Four Star Sight Reading and Ear Tests
