More about Colourstrings

Colourstrings is an approach to teaching music to young children that was devised by the Hungarian-born violinist and teacher Dr Géza Szilvay. In small age-related groups of the Music Kindergarten, children learn to develop their senses of pitch and rhythm through games and activities together with the training of the inner ear.

Based on the principles of Zoltán Kodály, traditional folk songs and classical music are used to introduce the children to the basic music concepts of high/low, fast/slow, loud/soft as they meet the characters who live in ‘Musicland’. Singing, rhythm games, movement to music, playing tuned and untuned percussion instruments, listening to music and performing, composing and improvising all form part of the training in Music Kindergarten for the youngest children where each child is treated as an individual.

Children under three years are accompanied by an adult and Music Kindergarten classes cater for children up to the age of seven years after which they may go on to take part in our instrumental programme.

The Music Kindergarten provides the foundation for the instrumental tuition programme that we offer for violin, piano and cello.  Here we simplify the process of learning to read music through the use of colour, with a strong emphasis on continuing to develop the inner ear: the ability a Colourstrings-trained child has to hear inwardly what they are seeing allows a much more profound understanding and interpretation of the music which will hopefully last for a lifetime! The Musicianship  and Ensemble classes which run alongside the instrumental training  further enhance their musical skills and provide a wonderful social opportunity to make music together.

Tuition begins generally between the ages of five and seven, when the children have completed at least two years of the Music Kindergarten training.