When mum has a mission you can pretty much guarantee she’ll see it through. This is exactly what Olga Trzebińska has done with her ambitious Colourstrings music school. Poland prides itself on having schools dedicated to musical excellence, but only the most disciplined of students will make it through the grueling schedules to become professional musicians. For Olga sacrificing her children’s playtime for music practice was not an option. She knew that the two had to be compatible. It was not long before she was in direct contact with Dr. Geza Szilvay, the Hungarian violinist and creator of the Colourstrings method.
Her eagerness to introduce this method to others led to her opening the first ever Colourstrings School in Poland. The schools philosophy is simple: add fun to learning with improvisation and create an environment where music, singing and instruments are accepted as part of the daily lifestyle. Following music sheets transformed into colorful characters, children are encouraged to experiment with instruments and song as they would with their toys.
Olga has recruited an impressive array of qualified music teachers. Children 6-12 years old can sign up for weekly piano, flute, guitar, cello or violin lessons that match to their individual schedules. Group classes, for a gentle introduction to music and song, are available for 4-7 year olds.
The Polish/English website is informative and personal, but what really sold this school to me was the opportunity to take classes as parent and child (duo packages). What better way to introduce the more sensitive or reluctant child to the world of music than watching mummy or daddy make fools of themselves first! So, after years of drowning my voice under the shower and hiding behind song sheets during December carol singing, I think my New Year’s resolution will most definitely be signing up for some singing lessons. Of course, my daughter is the perfect excuse to hide the fact I am secretly quite looking forward to it. The school is located at two city central locations and reasonably priced classes are held in either Polish or English. (GBB)
