Testimonial
English version (my translation)
Didiers lessons are truly enjoyable. His enthusiasm is contagious. I've learned much in a short amount of time. He is very knowledgeable and really knows how to bridge the gap between theory and practice. My musical development is in full swing, I love it! Linking theory to piano, ukulele, guitar: it's all possible. He can get into the fine details and is flexible. Questions are always answered elaborately and clearly. I'm going to keep enjoying these lessons!
- Bernice, takes lessons in songwriting and musictheory.
The original Dutch version:
Les van Didier is een feest. Zijn bevlogenheid en enthousiasme werken aanstekelijk. In korte tijd al veel geleerd. Hij is zeer kundig, weet theorie en praktijk goed samen te brengen. Mijn muzikale ontwikkeling is in volle gang, heerlijk! Theorie koppelen aan piano, ukelele, gitaar. Het kan allemaal. Hij beheerst het tot in de puntjes en hij is flexibel. Vragen worden uitvoerig en helder beantwoord. Ik blijf nog wel even hangen op dit feestje!
- Bernice, volgt les in songwriting en muziektheorie.
If you're interested in songwriting lessons or musictheory lessons, you've come to the right place. Maybe you want to prepare to apply at a conservatory. Maybe you just enjoy music and want to learn more about it as a hobby. Maybe you want to write a song for a loved one, or to express yourself for, lets say, therapeutic ends. In all these cases and more, I can help you get where you want to go.
I love analysis and theory, but let's face it: music was around long before we started theorizing about it. Practice always comes first. And while I'm on topic: practice should be fun! If you're having fun, you're engaging with an activity out of intrinsic motivation, which activates a healthier and more energy-efficient part of your brain. (Healthier, because it generates less stress). Fun is actually quite important: if you want to get good at something, you need to do it a lot. If you're having fun, it's much easier to keep yourself engaged. Besides, I tell my students all the time: "it's good to come to the lessons, but the real learning happens out there. Practicing, playing, writing, improvising, this is where you apply what you learn and that's how you deepen your understanding". Okay, I might not use this exact wording every time, but you get the point.
Songwriting lessons can be very fun and rewarding, but being able to play some chords and sing a little bit is a must. Also, I only really speak English and Dutch, so if you want to discuss lyrics with me, it would help a lot if you write in one of those languages.
Musictheory lessons do not have quite as harsh a requirement, although it comes close. Playing an instrument and applying what you learn on your instrument is absolutely fundamental to a truly deep understanding, but if you are simply interested in music and want to hear and understand more about what you're listening to, it's not an absolute must to play an instrument. Some people rather wouldn't. But I will tell you right now: the road gets a lot easier to travel, when you can apply musictheoretical concepts to your instrument. It all becomes a lot more intuitive that way.
General information:
- Lessons take 45 minutes.
- 50 euro per lesson
- Lessons are at my home or online (We can use zoom, skype or teams)
- If you're looking for a different lesson length, location, or some other variation on what I normally do: we can always talk about it. I can be quite flexible.