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 from March 29th
Hello!
Great work this week!
Berke:
For Mozart’s Minuet in F, please ensure Berke labels the Macro beat for the bars he finds difficult to play hands together. We did an example of this in class today. I’ve uploaded a new piece, Ecossaise in E flat Major by Beethoven, for Berke to sight read at home, please have him read the right and left hands separately. For Moonlight Sonata, this week please review the first 4 bars of the song as we made some corrections to the chords in measure 3. Please encourage Berke to play this slowly to ensure he has time to play the correct notes. Measure 4 is to be played VERY slowly as this bar has 4 different chords played in a row. Encourage Berke to practicing building these chords slowly so that his fingers get used to playing the different keys in each chord. Once Berke is familiar and comfortable with the notes in each chord he can slowly speed up the tempo. If he feels confident Berke can also sight read the next 4 bars and we can correct them in class if need be. The new Beethoven piece can be found here!
Happy Practicing!
Looking forward to more great work in April.
Assignments from March 27th
Hello Everyone!
Great work this week all around!
Noreet:
Noreet informed me that she will be away on vacation for a few weeks in April and May, thats so exciting! Please make sure to cancel any lessons scheduled during that time to ensure you are not billed for these lessons. You should be able to do this yourself through Opus, but if you have difficulty please confirm the Thursdays you will be away, and I would be happy to assist in the cancellation process.
For this week Noreet can warm up with the E Major and B Major scales hands together in two octaves. She can also practice the F Major scale hands separately, one octave. Remember, F Major has 1 flat; B flat. Please continue to practice Mr. Haydn’s theme. We reviewed the first phrase in class together. Noreet is to sight read the second phrase on her own. Please remind her that the first note of the second phrase is C, she can find her way from there by asking herself if the next note is higher or lower than the one she just played, and by how many steps. Noreet can also practice “Daydream” hands separately. We will review this in class next week.
Vida:
Please continue to practice Theme and Variation and Home on the Range. Pay close attention to the eight notes in Theme and Variation. Encourage Vida to count these out loud (1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and) like we do in class to ensure all eighth notes are equal in length. Focus on the transitions between phrases in Home on the Range. Encourage her to play this slowly. I have also uploaded a work sheet to reinforce some of the concepts we talked about in class together. Please help Vida fill this out, it asks her to label both the Macro beat and the Micro beat of the phrase provided; see the example for clarification. The second phrase is a fill in the blank for note values. The phrase is in 4/4 so each bar has to add up to 4. Bring this with you next week and we can correct it together. You can find the worksheet here!
Eva:
Please continue to practice Little River. Eva might need help with the second phrase as we haven’t seen many notes written in the bass clef, but it is all stepwise motion. Eva can also continue to make up songs with the note value cards I’ve uploaded to the google drive. Start by asking her if she wants to write the song in 4/4 or 3/4, then work together to choose notes that fit the time signature. Each bar should add up to either 3 or 4 depending on which time signature Eva chooses. Encourage her to play these for you when finished and to count out loud when doing so. You can find the note value flash cards here!
Thank you everyone!
Looking forward to more great lessons in April!
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
