Applications for winter courses now open at Malta Society of Arts

● Complete list of MSA’s popular courses published for lessons in visual, applied and performing arts

The Malta Society of Arts (MSA) recently published its list of winter courses and this is more dynamic than ever, including saxophone training and music improvisation, as well as other highly-anticipated new additions. Other already-popular courses include human figure nude painting, cake decorating and crib building, and these are all bound to fill up fast ahead of the October start date.

The MSA was the first organisation to offer training in skills related to the arts, and to this day is still offering high-quality courses taught by some of the best tutors in their respective fields. Winter courses will be starting this October, with some being completed by January, and others continuing through the scholastic year until May 2017.

Highly-acclaimed musician Carlo Muscat will be joining the MSA’s team of teachers this year to give training in saxophone to pupils of all ages. This will be the first time that saxophone will be taught at the Society. Carlo will also be teaching music improvisation, which is another novelty on the list of courses. This course will focus on helping musicians to understand the meaning of music improvisation and the skills required to become proficient in it and will include theoretical aspects like harmony, melody and rhythm, as well as music listening repertoire and ear-training exercises.

This autumn artists of all genres and forms can join the Art workshops taking place at the Palazzo de La Salle, where the group will get together every week between October and June to create, discuss ideas and generally encourage each other. This is a new concept being introduced by the MSA to promote the idea of an artist community that supports its members in the creation process.

Then, like every year in the runup to Christmas, tutor Charles Bellia, president of the Għaqda Ħbieb tal-Presepju, will be giving a Crib-building workshop aimed at building a traditional crib. Other courses in the applied arts will include cake decorating, lace making, crochet, tailoring, curtain making, knitting, clay modelling and more.

In the visual arts section, children over the age of 11 can already start preparing for their Art ‘O’ Level exam by attending a course designed specifically for this purpose. Younger children can join the Art for juniors, while adults can attend Art for leisure or Art for mature students. The Human Figure Nude Painting course given by established artist Jesmond Vassallo continues to fill up fast and those interested should make sure to book their place early.

In the performing arts, students of all ages can learn guitar, violin, pianoforte, the accordion, or even improve the use of their voice in the voice studies course. A complete list of courses, as well as details of each course, can be found on the MSA’s website www.artsmalta.org, on the Facebook Page Malta Society of Arts or by calling on 2124 4339, 2124 4400. Applications are to be sent by post or handed in at the Palazzo de La Salle, 219, Republic Street, Valletta.