We are deeply saddened by the loss of Tina Laliachvili, who unexpectedly passed away early on Thursday the 29th of July 2021.
“A great soul serves everyone all the time. A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again.” – Maya Angelou
Tina has been a pillar of our school and part of the Shine musical family for many years. Loved by both staff and students alike.
Tina studied music in Russia for 16 years, completing her studies at a music conservatory in Georgia with Manana Neldze. She taught professionally for over 25 years, specializing in classical piano. She has been a valued teacher at the Shine School of Music for over a decade where she instructed our students in piano and prepared learners for exams.
Tina had a passion for teaching and enjoyed imparting her many years of experience with students. Tina was both kind and dedicated to sharing her love of music, she will be sorely missed by those that knew her.
“Gone from our sight, but never from our hearts. “
Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends during this difficult time.
If you wish, please leave a message or memory of Tina in the comment section.
Shine Music School in Johannesburg has been offering online music lessons in South Africa for some time, but during the Covid-19 Lockdowns, all of our teachers have moved onto online platforms. You can join in from your home. It’s safe and easy to take music lessons online, provided you have an instrument and an internet connection.
Did you know that music is good for you? Not only is it a proven form of stress relief, studying music improves brain function and makes you smarter! If you were thinking of taking up an instrument, now is your chance!
Our teachers are professional music teachers. We have years of experience under our belt. Stop trying to teach yourself with apps or online videos. Taking a one-on-one music lesson with one of our teachers will help you learn faster and better. Forget about making mistakes or forming bad habits from trying to teach yourself! With the musical knowledge that you get from Shine Music School, you can go on to be a professional musician or even a music teacher. A whole new career in music awaits!
Start your live One-on-One Music Lessons with Shine Music School and our professional team of friendly and world-class teachers. The school offers lessons in guitar, piano, keyboard, bass, ukulele, cello, violin, saxophone, clarinet, flute, singing, accordion, trumpet, trombone, music theory and harmony and a range of other instruments and music subjects.
As many of us find ourselves unable to leave home and take part in activities that we normally love, Shine is delighted to be able to still connect with students online. Not only are we able to enjoy a creative and social hour, but we have been able to stay in touch with many students who have found themselves alone during the Corona Virus lockdowns.
Contact us to find out more! Or fill out the form below to book your first lesson!
We sat down one afternoon with one of our Barcelona music teachers, Leandro Avalle, to get acquainted with his instrument of choice- the piano. Both performing and giving private piano lessons in Barcelona for a number of years, the accomplished Avalle was the perfect choice to introduce us to one of the most popular musical instruments for study today.
Relaxing in Estudio Shine amid a mish- mash of guitars, keyboards, the odd accordion and stacks of music notes Leandro told us how he began his piano career. Cutting his teeth on piano keys from an early age, Leandro watched his sisters learn the instrument. He insisted that he receive piano lessons too and was playing at age seven and performing in competitions by age 9. He dabbled in other instruments as well, like the guitar and chello but, “They were not the piano, so…” he ultimately returned to his first love and hasn’t looked back since.
Leandro believes that students should begin to study piano at a young age. Indeed one of his students at the Shine school of Music in Barcelona is only 3 years old. “I think it’s very important for the intelligence, even if most of them will not end up as pianists… It gives you tools to develop your brain, like math or language. I think it’s very important for kids to learn piano.” He explains that children’s motor skills are developed through the use of both hands on the instrument. Leandro has noted a marked difference in his students ability to concentrate as they learn to play and read music notes. “It’s amazing!”
Students at Estudio Shine are encouraged by their teachers to enjoy their instruments while learning and Leandro points out that this nurturing develops their talents even further. “Never get frustrated!” Learning will always be a part of enjoying music and studying an instrument, he continues. “You have to have this mind, where you will always learn.”
This mindful awareness allows for discovering new music and Leandro applies this to his own art. Taking a note from one of his teachers in Argentina, “she’s 85 years old and she keeps learning everyday. She goes to concerts and courses, her brain is amazing and I think that most musicians get to this moment in their life, and yet they still grow. So that’s what’s unique about music I think.”
Avalle advocates a curious mind. Although trained as a classical pianist in Argentina, when he arrived in Barcelona, he found that music continued to give him new experiences, and allowed him to connect with people in ways he did not expect. “I’m Argentinian and although I never played Tango, suddenly I was playing Tango!” In Barcelona, he now performs as part of a tango group. “You can learn like a kid! You will never finish learning!” He smiles.
True to his word Leandro is now discovering contemporary piano music and continues to expand his knowledge and love for music. He plays in a classical duo with a violinist from Chile performing all over Europe. Leandro reflects on performing as a soloist and as a group. “With a classical performance, you have to prepare a lot of pieces and you play once. The moment is unique!” As a group it’s very different, it’s fun, he gestures, playing the same numbers each concert. Traveling biannually to Argentina to play piano, Leandro is also kept busy with his Tango group as they tour, playing up to 20 concerts together at a time. All this while still giving piano classes in Barcelona.
We asked him if he thought the piano was still popular as an instrument. Responding with a grin, he affirms, “It’s a complete instrument. It’s easy and gentle to learn initially.” He goes on to explain that piano has a large range and can be played expressively, from soft to passionate, “so people enjoy listening to the piano in concerts.” Interestingly he tells us that in Barcelona people enjoy understanding the music and the story behind the pieces. He has learned to converse with his audience, drawing their attention to certain parts or explaining different melodies and meanings. This gives people a better grasp of the music he explains, and although he was surprised by this style of concert initially he now really enjoys sharing his knowledge and the history of the piano with his audiences, taking his music teaching out of the classroom.
Teaching piano at Shine Music School in Barcelona for a number of years, Avalle points out, “I think it’s the first instrument that you should learn.” From a technical point of view, if students learn to read piano sheet music, both the treble clef and bass clef gives you a bigger understanding of music. He continues to explain that from this point, students can read any music notation written for other instruments. Studying piano gives a fundamental understanding of music.
“Secondly it develops your sense of harmony and melody at the same time. This is quite unique to the piano. It’s a harmonic and melodic instrument and the repertoire of the piano is extensive.” Piano is a visual representation of music. Learning piano, the keys and notes, show how music is structured, making understanding music easy. The greatest composers, Avalle extrapolates, have been writing music for the piano for centuries. The methods these composers used and history is expressed through the music. Studying the piano affords you a wider, more complete musical base upon which to build. “You develop more accurate methods of study, ” Leandro explains. With the skills gained from learning the piano, it’s far easier to move onto another instrument and to be a successful musician.
You can watch Leandro perform as part of his duo and tango group, by keeping up to date with his piano concerts in Barcelona on the Estudio Shine Facebook page. You can also study piano with Leandro at the Shine School of music. The school has a number of piano courses from intensive piano course to piano courses for beginners. Contact Leandro at the Shine Music School and apply his thoughtful comments on learning and playing the piano to your own study and enjoyment of this classical instrument. Perhaps you will be lucky enough to be invited to one of his private piano concerts in Barcelona! The Shine School of Music rents pianos and offers piano summer courses. You can study in Spanish or English and we have a range of styles available from contemporary jazz piano to classical piano. The school also offers piano lessons over Skype. Thank you to Leandro Avalle for his time and to Rachel Huffman for conducting this interview.
Shine Music School held their 60th student music concert on the 29th of November 2015 much to the enjoyment of all who attended. The concerts continue to foster a love of music within the community, where both our beginner and advanced students can showcase their preferred musical style, instrument and what they have learned in the past months. It is an opportunity for all our learners to play in front of an audience, something the school strongly advocates as a huge part of studying and appreciating music.
We were very pleased to welcome back the Prof and Zana Sajin after their stay in Spain. A fantastic time was had by all as we listened to students perform pieces on a variety of instruments, from violin to drums as well as singing! Thank you all for coming!
Professor Sajin has had a facebook page created for him, so that he can connect with his students, new and old. He would like to kindle old friendships and stay in contact with his students, during his travels in Europe and Africa. If you are a student of his, or happen to have had lessons with him in the past, we would like to encourage you to connect with him on his new facebook page.
