Stanislav Samuel Raška – piano and button accordion, diatonic button accordion
• teaching children and adults
• jazz, musette, tango, pop, rock, disco, folk songs
• accompaniment on the accordion and percussions (cajon) during lessons
• possibility to focus on technically more advanced pieces or improvisation
• price for individual lesson 18 EUR / 55 min.
• consultations as well as regular lessons, Prague
• online lessons by Skype
It’s hard to say what makes a drummer and pianist return to the accordion, but still, my musical “trips” enabled me to get myself acquainted with other instruments. My teaching is therefore guided by the idea that there’s only one music and it doesn’t matter on which instrument you play it.
I studied the button accordion (B-Griff) at the musical coservatory in Brno and currently I play the piano accordion, so I teach both systems. And I also used to play the helicon accordion in my younger years – why not add that as well?
I enjoy variety in life as well as in music, therefore I play all genres possible, be it Czech, Moravian, Austrian or Irish folk songs, jazz, Balkan music, musette Argentinian tango, or even pop and rock, and I’m ready to teach you any of these and help you adapt any song or composition you’d like to learn. Thanks to my conservatory studies, I’m also able to help you with technically more advanced playing.
Žaneta Vítová – piano and button accordion, singing
• teaching children and adults
• folk as well as other songs, klezmer, musette, classical music
• beginners and advanced players
• consultations 400 CZK / 60 min., regular lessons 350 CZK / 60 min.
• consultations as well as regular lessons, centre of Brno
I am a graduate of a classical music conservatory, which has provided me with technical skills and the knowledge of notation. Although these are useful tools, they aren’t everything. What is most intriguing about music is the happiness that transfers from the player to the listener and then back again; it’s this exchange of emotions that I like most. I aim for it while playing and teach it to my students: to awaken their happy feelings and spontaneity, but also diligence and strong will.
The result depends as much on the process as on the character you give to it.
These are things that I’ve learned only after leaving school, when I ventured to create my own, alternative-style band and later got in contact with free and, marginally, also jazz improvisation. At the same time, I’ve begun to attend to my voice, and this has shown me an entirely new world. By developing your voice, you develop your own personality as well – just try! Not to mention the incredible experience of joining your voice with the accordion’s…
I work with my students individually, depending on their needs, taste and talent (visual – using scores, auditory – using hearing). It’s possible to make your first musical steps with me, or focus on more demanding technical skills. Looking forward to meet you!
Jindra Kelíšek – piano accordion, singing, guitar
• teaching adults
• songs of all kinds
• playing together with other instruments, playing in a band, composing, notation software Musescore
• accompaniment on the accordion, guitar or harmonica during lessons
• price for individual lesson 500 Kč / 45 min.
• consultations as well as regular lessons, Prague and Turnov
How does it happen that a biologist becomes a musician? What strange evolutionary mechanism could have caused such phenomenon? I’m not quite sure, but it did happen. Maybe you have to spend 10 years playing the accordion and teaching others, and not once during that time consult a botanical to find out the Latin name of some flower.
I focus primarily on the teaching of adults, beginners as well as advanced players. I teach them that playing a musical instrument is a joy as well as a bit of hard work, and I teach my accordionists to be independent.
I like singing and accompanying myself on the accordion, so it is through songs I teach my pupils play, listen and feel music. However, I don’t avoid instrumental music.
I encourage my pupils to play with others: it’s something completely different, one has much larger motivation to exercise. It’s not easy to find someone to play with, but it’s worth the time.
And what’s best about playing? Don’t let yourself be limited with scores and make up, compose, your own music. It’s nothing diffilcult, you can begin with a simple melody. Play with the notes, chords, rthythms, and soon you’ll have your own piece in your hands.
Ondřej Zlevor – piano accordion, tuba
• teaching children and adults
• folk as well as popular music, jazz, klezmer, dixieland, classical music
• beginners and advanced players
• price for individual lesson 400 CZK / 60 min.
• only consultations, Prague
The accordion (or squeezebox, as you wish) has brought me lots of musical, but also other experience during my life. This instrument isn’t just about music. It’s an instrument that entertains, brings enjoyment and makes friends. You can hear great music played with accordion all over the world.
Currently, I study piano accordion play at the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory. Thanks to the fact that accordion fits in well and is necessary almost in any sort of music, I get in contact with classical music, jazz, French mussette, folk or popular music as well as klezmer.
Scores can be a great support and they often save the performance, if the player’s memory fails. However, you can’t rely just on them. The possibility to play a song according to a melody in your head can extend your repertoire to many hours. In teaching, I therefore promote the understanding of scores, but my learners still have to maintain their musicality and use not only their hands and eyes, but also ears while playing.
And I’m not just an accordionist – my another musical instrument is the tuba, in my opinion the best combination of instruments possible!