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!
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Latest Homework from Gergely
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Assignments for the Week of December 12th
Hello Everyone!
Good lessons all around today!
Noreet:
Noreet showed me her progress with Mr. Brahams’ famous lullaby. She has memorized the melody so next week we will work on reading from the book and correcting any mistakes. We learned the beginning of Jingle Bells today! I’ve written in the first note so she should be able to read the music as she goes; it might take her a while to remember the notes but she is capable of figuring them out. We also talked about note values and tempo today. Noreet knows that her eighth notes are twice as fast as her quarter notes (these are both used in jingle bells). Encourage her to practice the song slowly to keep reading the notes as she goes as what is written isn’t always what she hears in her head. She can continue to practice the chords for jingle bells as well. We also talked about note values and tempo today.
Vida:
We reviewed her scales today. Vida has become very comfortable with the sound of her C Major scale and wants to play it as fast as possible, so we used a metronome in class today. When practicing use the metronome (online) and set the BPM (beats per minute) to 140. Encourage Vida to play along to the clicks she hears; this will help her play at a quick tempo but ensure she has enough time to play each correct note/key accurately. We talked a lot about a few theory concepts today. We went back to the solfege (do re mi) that she learned in school to talk about intervals and how different intervals when played together create chords. I’ve given her a bit more of the melody for Everybody Wants to Rule the World. Encourage her to sight read this. We can review Everybody Wants to Rule the World next week, but have her pick a new song as well.
Thank you for your work this week! I will see you all next week for our final week of lessons before the holiday break.
Happy practicing!
Homework for December 10-17
Henry
How long to practice: 5-10 mins per day
What to practice: Combine Stepping up Stepping Down in A and C, page 28 in theory workbook
How to practice:
– Follow fingering; keep fingers on keys, do not move
– Play all repeated notes
– Look at the music to pay attention to both of the above
How parents can support practice: Listen and guide him with the playing and theory work. Remind him to keep the appropriate fingers on the right keys, not to forget repeated notes, and use the music for support.
Great job today Henry! See you next week :)
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
