(author: Frances Wilson)
The Exhale, an online holistic mastercourse and retreat for musicians, created by violinist Gwendolyn Masin, is delighted to welcome leading music educationalist and clarinettist Paul Harris to its faculty. Creator of Simultaneous Learning and author of numerous books on music teaching, music theory, sight-reading and composing, Paul will be leading a series of 8 workshops on Music Theory, starting on Tuesday 2 June with Does Theory Matter? He discusses “is theory dreary?” or can it become an engaging, helpful and practical part of music education for younger (and older) pupils? Paul will help course participants to find ways of making the inclusion of theory a meaningful part of their instrumental or singing lessons.
Renowned violinists Peter Sheppard-Skaerved and Pavlo Beznosiuk return to The Exhale to lead a range of classes on the Violinists’ Practice Desk, learning Corelli’s violin sonatas and the essentials of Baroque orchestral music. Cellist Ruth Phillips, creator of The Breathing Bow, leads a class on how to approach Bach’s Cello Suites through breath and kinesthetic learning. Gwendolyn Masin herself will be taking a class on teaching beginners.
After the success of the inaugural edition of The Exhale, which saw some 250 participants sign up for classes with leading international artists and teachers, including cellists Natalie Clein and Gary Hoffman and violinist Robert Gonzalez Monjas, Gwendolyn Masin has decided to continue The Exhale in a series of weekly events over the coming months.
The enthusiastic response to the first edition of The Exhale confirms the need musicians feel to come together, to learn, share insights and draw encouragement and inspiration from world-class artists, and also one another. The ethos of The Exhale is to create a strong sense of community and a supportive and inspiring learning experience, particularly at a time when so many of musicians are not able to engage in the concert hall or the classroom.
The next edition of The Exhale begins on 2 June. Classes are hosted via Zoom and booking can be made through Calendly https://calendly.com/the-exhale?month=2020-06&date=2020-06-03
The Exhale was created by renowned violinist Gwendolyn Masin. Originally planned as a retreat for musicians in a beautiful location in Switzerland, the coronavirus pandemic forced a rethink and Gwendolyn decided to launch the event online, offering participants a series of courses with leading artists and practitioners, covering a wide range of subjects from Baroque violin to Bircher muesli. Each day began and ended with a yoga session led by Clare Nicholls, while classes on technique, repertoire, teaching beginners, playing with freedom, improvisation and much more were interspersed with sessions on Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais, meditation, career development, and even food and nutrition. Some 250 people signed up to take part in The Exhale and over 1000 tickets were sold. Leading musicians Natalie Clein, Gary Hoffman, Máté Szücs and Robert Gonzalez Monjas joined the faculty as guest speakers.
“Incredibly uplifting and inspiring”
“huge thanks for the wonderful opportunity over the last two weeks to immerse myself in this new learning environment. I have gained a lot of insight and it has helped shift my moments of uncertainty and fearful mindset into one of positivity and hope”(participant feedback)
Frances Wilson
The Cross-Eyed Pianist
Writer | Blogger | Music PR
@crosseyedpiano
meettheartist.online