HOW EVERYONE CAN LEARN TO PLAY MUSIC
Show notes and quotes from Marlene Bartsch
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Show Notes and Quotes from Marlene Bartsch
Marlene Bartsch is the owner of the Yorkson Music and Art Studio in Langley and has been teaching music for 38 years imparting her love of music to children, teens and adults. She teaches piano, theory, music history, and in the past she has taught voice, flute and violin. She hopes to impart her love of music and understanding to her students, so that no matter where they go and whatever music they are hearing they can understand and appreciate what they are listening too.
Marlene and her teachers are opening up the world of music (piano, voice, string and wind instruments) and art to all ages and levels through excellent musical and art education, utilizing many varieties of musical styles, and creative activities.
Marlene likes the café culture, being on the water and skiing. She dislikes coming home to a dirty house and not being able to get things done on her to do list.
Marlene realized in university that teaching music was her passion.
She loves to sit one-on-one with the students. She finds it so much fun to impart the language of music because it can go way beyond the piano and into people's lives and homes.
Of course, there are those students for whom music is their world to and they just love it and go for it too.
With her kids now out of the house, she’s been able to convert her media room into a music and art studio.
Recently, Tim Olsen, who is a guitar teacher, has been added to the team. He taught guitar to Marlene's family members and worked with a number of music professionals.
She has another piano teacher who will be working with younger students.
Every Thursday evening Alexandra Fischer who teaches art will be teaching drawing charcoal and different shading techniques, and just creating art. She has her art degree from the University of Alberta. In January, Alexandra is going to be teaching painting too.
The studio is located in Langley and people come from all over the Lower Mainland.
Marlene says the thing that differentiates the Yorkson Music and Art Studio from other studios is the personal learning approach that she takes and is encouraging her instructors to take this approach as well .
You want to teach to the students according to their best learning style.
Also all the studio’s teachers are accredited and educated in their discipline.
People often send or come to Marlene for instruction because they know that they’re that the student won’t feel discouraged. She helps her students feel like they are a success. And she loves it when her students make mistakes because we learn from our mistakes.
Wouldn’t it be great if we all embraced mistakes, learn from them and tried again?
Marlene invites parents and potential students to come and meet her and her staff to make sure there is a good fit first.
Marlene has a ton of student stories that she could tell and she tells us about her student named Kaylee who went on to get her Masters Degree in music and now teaches music herself.
There are many others who are high school music and band teachers and have their own private music studios, so it’s been very rewarding.
Marlene visited her teacher, Dorothy Davis and discovered that she has quite a musical lineage that has come before her including Johann Sebastian Bach in 1865 and Beethoven.
Since Marlene is opening a second studio space she obviously has room for more students who want to learn music and art. Spots are going fast so she would recommend that you contact her soon.
Marlene could never play by ear she has always read music. This little party trick that she teaches us is a way to play music that almost anyone can do without having to read music.
Pattern play* lesson (Anyone can play the piano!) from Marlene...
Left Hand plays/taps...
F# and C# both down at the same time
(These can be tapped/played 4 or 8 times, or just held)
Then switch the Left Hand to the black notes one step down the piano keys (to the left) to....
E flat and B flat
(Now these can be tapped/played 4 or 8 times, or just held)
Then repeat this pattern as many times as you like.
At some point add the Right Hand playing any black note on the piano that you feel like. It can even be two Right Hand black notes at a time. Experiment!
Hint: I always hold down the right foot PEDAL while doing this for a more beautiful sound.
Enjoy the beautiful music you create :)
She tells her students "come play with me" and "there’s nothing you can do that’s wrong."
Basically, on the black keys you play the same pattern with your left hand and then you can play whatever notes you want with your right hand.
She does this even in jazz club or a hotel and says who wants to play with me?
*Marlene learned this technique from Forrest Kinney
Contact Marlene and the Yorkson Music and Art Studio
Via email at Yorksonstudio@gmail.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/yorksonstudio
Website Yorksonmusicandartstudio.com
Call 778-988-3560
