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!
Hobbies:
Musical influences:
Favourite food:
Least favourite food:
Favourite music:
Favourite album:
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Favourite musical theatre/opera:
Best quote from your teacher:
Favourite quote:
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Latest Homework from Gergely
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Using the Hello Everybody App
Hello Everybody!
As you know, we are now officially CD-Free for Music Together and Rhythm Kids!
This means that you have to use the Hello Everybody App, available for download for both iOS and Android.
Open the front cover of your family music book (or bilingual Spanish Translation book) to find your unique access code for the music and collection assets.
Using the App
Watch this video to get a brief overview of how to access your music.
Remember – if you are a Music Together (not Rhythm Kids) family you also received the bilingual English-Spanish music translation booklet with your regular book. We are strongly recommending this as another tool for developing your Child’s ear. Use the download code from this booklet to access this bilingual music and use it as you primary listening.
An area to watch out for is the setting at the top right-hand corner of your screen when listening to music. There is a switch to have the music stream, or download. We recommend that when you put in your download code, you go right to the new music and set this to download, so you don’t eat up you data streaming the music.
Family Music Zone
If you are like your teachers, you probably want to have this music in iTunes, or your Android music player, rather than the app.
To port the music over, you’ll need to download the music from the Family Music Zone at musictogether.com. Click ‘Login’ at the top of the screen, and be sure to use the same email you use(d) in the app.
Once logged in, you’ll see the main welcome area:
Take note of the Access Code link in the menu at the top right of the screen.
From here, all you have to do is scroll down the page to find the most recent collection of music you have entered a code for:
If you can’t see the current collection’s music haven’t entered the code yet. Go back up to the top of the page and use the Access Code button to enter your code and unlock your music and resources.
To download the whole collection of music to your computer, use the dark blue Download Collection button instead of going song by song.
Questions, Confused?
Call us! We’ll help get you sorted out.
If your code doesn’t seem to be working, or logging in is a problem, we also recommend you reach out to [email protected] – they are very speedy and helpful with these things.
Engaging your Rhythm Kid!
Hey, Hey, wha’ do you say?
Barnaby here! I had the pleasure of sitting in on some Rhythm Kids 1 classes this past weekend, and had a blast! I can’t tell you how fantastic a job you are all doing as parents, singing, and participating.
I did want to weigh in with some guidance, which I hope will help you deepen your experience, and that will help transition your kids to more structured activities as they learn at school, and grow through Rhythm Kids 2 towards music lessons.
At 4-5 years old structures are just being learnt, so we have to temper our expectations of what we can reasonably expect them to do with us. They are still very free spirits, and while it is OK for them to run-and-roam, we want to also start to structure their activities so they can develop musically.
How to do this? Well, there are a lot of options, but here are some simple guidelines:
- Don’t be embarrassed, they are just being natural
- Don’t be frustrated, they’ll pick up on that
- Don’t do it for them, Show Them you are doing it
- Do be silly, and engage in what they are doing part of the time, while singing with the group
- Try different levels of engagement with them from week to week if and while they wander
If I was in your class, you may have noticed that I didn’t always ‘stick’ with the class. Like Yoga, you should consider Rhythm Kids your ‘practice’, which means you have freedom to adapt to meet your (kids’) needs from week to week. We want you to understand and try to be a bit improvisatory in class, both for the sake of your kids, and for the sake of contributing to our class and musical community.
I hope this has been of use to you and that you got some ideas about how to engage a little more effectively. Things are so energetic in our classes, and we thank you for that! It is so much fun!
We are very excited about TREE FROG coming up this winter, full of Japanese inspired rhythms.
See you soon!
Barnaby.
Preferred Books for Gergely’s Students
Click to buy them here, and they’ll come right to your house! What could be easier?
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
