chris sprague |
Chris plays and teaches guitar, sitar, surbahar, oud and mandocello. He has 15 years experience as a teacher and performer, and has explored a wide range of styles during this time, including jazz, rock, blues, metal, celtic music, acoustic songs, the music of the middle east and north india, and experimental improvised music. (listen)
Chris is interested in teaching all ability and age levels. He believes that music should be joyful and accessible to everyone, and that, whilst learning an instrument requires dedicated time and energy, enjoyment should be a major focus right from the start.
Creating a nurturing environment for students of all ages and abilities is important. Beginners are welcome, and Chris is particularly interested in working with people who have been playing for some time but feel that their playing is stale or become ‘stuck’.
Lessons are aimed specifically at the individuals level of proficiency and confidence. Material is chosen in conjunction with the student and is highly flexible, rather than learning through a predetermined system of pieces and exercises.
Though he is a capable music reader himself, Chris prefers to teach mainly without written notation, using simple written devices as a memory aid, but with the primary focus on listening and memorisation.
For students with a desire to learn notation, Chris has found that a strong focus on aural skills from the beginning serves only to enhance ones ability to make sense of the written page.
After studies in guitar and improvisation at the Victorian College of the Arts and the Gordon Institute, Chris went on to study
oud with Christos Baltzidis (Greece) and Fouad Haraka (Lebanon), and the classical Dhrupad style of North India with the Gundecha Brothers (India), as well as Pandit Pushpraj Koshti (India), Beenkar Asit Kumar Banerjee (India) and Debi Prasad Chatterjee (India). He has taught guitar and VCE jazz at the Trinity Grammar School in Melbourne since 1998, Geelong Grammar school (Corio) and the Warranwood Steiner school, and has been guest lecturer on North Indian Dhrupad at Monash University.
Chris also offers recording at very reasonable rates in his home studio, and lessons in music theory, composition and song-writing.
contact chris.
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glen kniebeiss |
Glen is a very experienced and inspiring teacher. He gives tuition to students ranging from beginning to advanced levels, in both guitar and tabla. Glen takes an enjoyable, creative and flexible approach to all lessons, which are practically based and aimed at increasing the student's confidence and proficiency. All lessons proceed at the student's own pace and are adjusted according to their needs, in a nurturing and relaxed atmosphere.
For more info, visit Glen's homepage: www.tabla.com.au
tabla lessons
Since 2000 Glen has been teaching tabla students privately. He encourages the student to begin in one style and systematically develop their tabla repertoire step by step, in the traditional aural manner. The student learns through the recitation of “Bols”, or syllables and thus establishes the connection between the words, the strokes, and the sound produced. This system of learning has existed for centuries in India and Glen has found it to be an extremely effective way of absorbing and memorising material. Technical advice is given, along with traditional tabla “Taals” (time cycles) and pieces. Through focused practicing of this material, the student acquires proficiency and discovers their own unique musicality, expressed through a highly refined and beautiful system of improvisation and composition.
Glen has undertaken several intensive tabla training tours to India, where he has studied with many wonderful teachers. He has focused primarily on the Delhi gharana of tabla playing through his guruji (Late) Ustad Anthony Dass, who himself studied with Khalifa's Ustad Inam Ali Khan, Ustad Gameh Khan, and Ustad Munnu Khan. In addition, Glen has also studied Benaras and Lucknow gharana through his Guruji Sri Pankaj Kumar of Rishikesh, who is a disciple of Pandit Lachu Maharaj, and the famous Pandit Kishen Maharaj. Glen also studied Benares tabla with Sri Vibhash Maharaj. In addition, Glen has studied tabla with Sri UmaKanta Dash of Puri. Glen's playing reflects the clarity and austerity of the Delhi style, however he can also play Purab baj.
Watch a movie of Glen playing tabla
Guitar lessons
Glen has been teaching guitar since 1990. He teaches a diverse range of styles including Blues, Jazz, Rock, World Music, Folk and Indian Music. He is equally proficient on both acoustic and electric guitar, and is a creative improvisor. Glen takes a thorough yet caring approach in teaching technical and theoretical material. He believes that no matter the seeming difficulty of musical concepts or ideas, if it is clearly explained and demonstrated in a practical way, the student may then gain the necessary insight which takes them on to the next level. He has had the pleasure of seeing many of his students overcome all kinds of obstacles in their playing and understanding through this approach.
Glen has played guitar since 1985. He studied Jazz for many years and has a Bachelor of Music Performance degree from the Victorian College of the Arts (1998), majoring in Improvisation. He has also completed the Advanced Certificate in Music Performance (Jazz/Popular) from Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE in 1995. Glen won second prize in the Victorian Guitar Solo competition in 1998. He has recorded and performed in many bands and musical projects. Glen has held a number of teaching posts in schools, including Sacred Heart College Kyneton, Geelong Grammar School–Glamorgan Campus, Learn Music Kew, and Paradise Music Richmond.
contact glen.
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guitar teacher melbourne, oud teacher melbourne, tabla teacher melbourne, indian music, arabic music, music teacher melbourne, world music teacher melbourne, mandocello. chris sprague glen kniebeiss |