April 2008

Finally SUMMERTIME! This month sees the results of my ABRSM examination entries coming in, there looking great, I’m so very pleased with all my students who entered. Check out the results page of my website for more info… www.stephenvincent.co.uk

Also this month I will see my year 13 at Dartford Grammar School leaving to go to University, it’s such a shame when this happens-but inevitable! I wish them all success in their chosen fields of further education.

April also sees the release of the first volume of my Arrangement series© of books/registrations and CD’s for the EL90 Yamaha Electone®. It is available as a download but when two or three volumes are complete it will get published in ‘hard’ copy.

Lots of new students are enrolling for lessons at DGS, which is great! but it’s finding time for them AND ME!! If you wish your son/daughter to be included please email me at admin@stephenvincent.co.uk ASAP. A very exciting DGS project is in talks at the moment and details of this new development at the school will released as soon as all the wrinkles have been ironed out, it will involve an awful lot of work for me but it’s such a good idea.

Please leave any comments either here or on my site: www.stephenvincent.co.uk

Bye for now.

Stephen

An Evening Of Piano & Wind Music

Hi,

Students of mine recently played in a Piano & Wind Concert – Held at the Mick Jagger Centre in Dartford on 3rd March 2008. The evening was a great success and they all played so well. I managed to get a recording of the night and some my students pieces are available to listen to from my site. www.stephenvincent.co.uk

Congratulations to them all!! It’s great to hear them and to give them support and encouragement.

Stephen

The Future of Electone?

Hi

It seems an impossible task to try to keep alive an instrument that is no longer produced or supported by the supplier. Every day I see in my work teaching at schools that young people are still interested in this field of musical education, they are the ones who have no preconceived ideas as to what they want ‘things to be’ or superficial ‘snob’ value… ” my little Jane want to the learn the piano & NOT a keyboard thing” and it’s normally because they don’t know the difference and mainly just because they want something polished, wooden or black sitting in their lounge! So many people from the outside view this instrument as a ‘toy’ and group it with keyboards and not REAL instruments! RUBBISH i say!! those sort of blinkered people will never view the Electone as it really is. AN AMAZING INSTRUMENT!

 Every time I introduce a new young student to the Electone they are all, without exception, absolutely amazed! It’s a shame that a lot of the 30-45 mid-generations age groups have this unfounded, blinkered view of the Electone (organ) - born through ignorance.

I think one BIG way Yamaha went wrong with the Electone was that they never produced a ‘serious’ version, like the way they produce the CL range of Electronic Clavinova as opposed to the CVP Clavinova range of Electronic Pianos, the CL pianos have been widely accepted throughout the musical world and Yamaha have successfully shielded the CL Clavinova from the prejudice that the CVP suffers, what a shame that they didn’t see this clearly with the Electone!!!!!

Forgive my rant. It’s just so VERY annoying when I see this going on.

I will try as much as possible to keep this Electone alive in my world,  I believe that it is truly a fine instrument, all my students will get exposed to it’s potential and hopefully, in time, ‘Yamaha’ will have the foresight and breath life back into this fantastic instrument.

Stephen

Hi & Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! I hope this will be a great way to start conversation topics, tips and just about anything EL related. So why not give it a go and see what happens…

Stephen