Musical youth
Benedetti’s lockdown lessons keep youngsters note perfect
PARENTS who have been able to buy their child a violin, or whose offspring have been trusted with one from school, are reaping the benefit this lockdown Easter.
While others struggle to keep youngsters amused during holidays as they are confined to the house, they have the online services of Scotland’s Grammy award-winning violin superstar, Nicola Benedetti, and her army of teachers to keep their budding musicians enthralled.
The Benedetti Foundation, which exploded into action at the start of January, when 1,000 young musicians and their teachers occupied Glasgow Royal Concert Hall for the first of the Benedetti Sessions in instrumental playing, singing and musicianship, has moved all the diverse facets of its work online as the world copes with the Covid-19 medical emergency.
As of last week, the expert teachers Benedetti has recruited to her cause for the live workshops have been sharing those skills via the internet with daily lessons.
As well as Benedetti’s own thrice-weekly “Live at Five” lessons and discussions on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays via the Youtube, Facebook and Instagram platforms, sessions have included rhythm games with percussionist Elsa Bradley on Monday and double bassist Stewart Wilson’s practice tips on Tuesday.
In addition, Fife Youth Jazz Orchestra founder Richard Michael explained improvisation on Wednesday, there was violin for beginners with Rachel Cooper on Thursday, while on Friday Lucinda Geoghegan, whose Kodaly-method training is the basis of the success of the National Youth Choir of Scotland, led a singing session.
Over the past year, Benedetti has worked with 4,000 students and 700 teachers through her foundation. Now she is bringing her professional performing career and those masterclasses together in a project around her forthcoming album.
Her Decca release has a focus on the compositions of British composer Edward Elgar and is built around a performance with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Vladimir Jurowski, of his Violin
Concerto in B Minor.
The album also includes three short Elgar works for violin and piano with pianist Petr Limonov, one of which, Salut d’amour, is a familiar party piece for young violinists, and Elgar’s first published work.
With the album due for release on May 15, Benedetti will this week host a new online series, Learn Salut d’amour With Nicky, with daily Youtube tutorials running until Thursday.
Young players are then invited to send in or upload their performance and a winner will be selected to be premiered on Youtube at 5pm on Sunday.
Speaking of the project, Benedetti made particular reference to the composer’s “non-traditional training and understanding of people”.
She said: “As part of our With Nicky series, I am excited to teach this beautiful piece via social media channels and hope many, many young violinists will join me to explore it further together.”