Students from British International School Phuket enjoy Study, Stress and Music.
Workshops for students
Learning Music: Practice and Performance
Swing it Simple: Jazz improvisation for beginners
In the Pocket: Polishing the jazz band
Simply Stunning! Getting that Choir Sound
How did he do it? The Secret of Beethoven's Success.
Michael Griffin playing Beethoven Symphony No.5, Ist MM on piano
Podcast: Learning Music: Practice and Performance (6.5mb, 16 minutes)
Testimonials:
Michael Griffin was extremely well prepared, responsive to the size and nature of the individual boys, and made his points relevant and interesting (rather than sounding nagging about doing more practice). It was an excellent session and the boys still comment about various things that were mentioned. Several parents also attended and it was also valid and suitable for their ears. I would thoroughly recommend him.
The Hall School, London England
This talk was perfectly suited to our IGCSE and A Level music students. The information was presented clearly in an engaging, relaxed manner. The demonstrations on the piano, combined with the power point presentation, use of humour and the involvement of the audience meant that everyone was thoroughly attentive and focused throughout. However, the real test of the success of this talk lies in the legacy it leaves behind. I was delighted by the number of music students who approached me in the days and weeks following Michael's visit to tell me about how they are using his methods in their practice. It has also helped me as a teacher, when helping students to overcome a particular problem with their playing, I only need to give a gentle prompt and they quickly recall the steps they need to take and are able to go much further in solving their own problems. This talk gave a real boost to our music students and has given them the confidence to take more responsibility for their own progress.
Garden international School, KL Malaysia
It has been a wonderful experience having you here this morning with us. Your message was very clear and I am sure children will start using their full brain! Maybe some will start learning music instead of being passive listeners. I am optimistic our children will now look at music differently. Looking forward to having more such sessions in future.
A K Shrivastava Principal Birla Public School, Qatar
The kids really enjoyed your workshops, and some are quoting you in their level 3 topic essays! Thanks for the inspiration.
Long Bay College, Auckland New Zealand
I can’t thank you enough for the presentations you made at our school today. You know things have gone well when you catch the students talking about it after school.
MYP Coordinator, Greenfields Dubai UAE
It was a very good, engaging talk. The students loved hearing from someone who is out there doing it. I think of greatest value was perhaps the particular aspects of how to approach performance, ways of handling performance nerves, etc. Your comment of staying in the present moment and handling errors was very valuable; I saw a few kids jump for their pens when they heard this. Your comments on the brain/brain research and music were extremely interesting. Please come back next year.
St Michael’s College, Australia
It was great to be able to have an intelligent discussion with someone as knowledgeable, experienced and passionate about things as Michael Griffin is. It’s terrific for the students, but also refreshing for teachers.
St Mary's College, Australia