The People

Who we are -What we do – How we think

Core of our pedagogical thinking

The early years of instrumental learning are formative years: here  love and joy for music making are nurtured and important musical and technical foundations are laid. 

Supporting children’s natural ability to freely express through their instruments what they hear and feel inside is at the core of our pedagogical thinking. We strive to lay the foundations for a lifelong, joyful relationship with music.

 

 

 

Colourstrings Worldwide 

Colourstrings Worldwide is dedicated to the Colourstrings methodology, the internationally established and successful string teaching method developed by Géza and Csaba Szilvay at the East-Helsinki Music Institute.

The purpose of Colourstrings Worldwide is to organise, facilitate and coordinate Colourstrings teacher training courses, lectures and workshops in collaboration with various partner organisations around the world.

In order to maintain a consistently high standard of teaching, Colourstrings Worldwide, together with Géza Szilvay, has developed a three phase teacher training system culminating in the unique Colourstrings Certificate.

The highly experienced teachers on the training team are the closest colleagues of Colourstrings founder Géza Szilvay.

 

Training Team

Yvonne Frye

The year 1996 turned out to be a cornerstone in my life: I was a young violin student at the Detmold Academy of Music, studying with Prof. Helge Slaatto and John Lambos. Géza and Csaba Szilvay came to Germany to give a 5-day workshop on their Colourstrings method. At that age I was not really sure if I wanted to become a teacher, but my curiosity and interest in string pedagogy was already there.

After the workshop I was hooked: the depth and musical quality of the material and how well all the technical, musical and theoretical steps were constructed. I knew: I want to teach with this method and I want to know as much as possible about violin pedagogy in order to serve my future students in the best possible way. My own upbringing with the violin wasn’t the best, and I had to relearn a lot of the basics. I wanted to do better with my future students.

Before I dedicated myself fully to teaching, I completed my artistic studies with Prof. Helfried Fister at the Kärtner Landeskonservatorium in Klagenfurt, Austria.

In 2007, after several years of teaching and playing in various orchestras and chamber music groups in Germany, I received an invitation from Géza Szilvay to teach at the East Helsinki Music Institute – the cradle of Colourstrings.

A dream came true.

Soon after I started giving presentations and workshops on Colourstrings and pedagogy in general.

In 2009 I became a part-time teacher of violin pedagogy at the University of the Arts Helsinki (Sibelius Academy), and since 2021 I have been a lecturer of violin pedagogy there, responsible for developing and implementing up-to-date, research-based violin pedagogy. I also teach a violin class at the East Helsinki Music Institute.

I travel around the world, giving teacher training seminars, workshops,  pedagogical lectures, and violin and chamber music classes at various institutions: Münster Musikhochschule, ESTA Germany, ESTA Austria, AUSTA Australia, Sibelius Academy Helsinki, Bundesakademie Trossingen, Hochschule für Musik Hans Eisler Berlin, USA – Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Boston String Academy, University of Pretoria, Chile, Poland, Spain, Greece, Switzerland, Denmark etc.

CONTACT: violin@colourstrings.fi

Noora Voima

For me personally Colourstrings is most of all about creating a foundation for a lifelong relationship to music.

As a 6 year old (1991), enthusiastic violin student I was lucky to begin my musical journey with Colourstrings.

The passionate musical atmosphere of the East-Helsinki Music Institute and it´s orchestra, The Helsinki Strings, inspired me to make music into a profession.

After graduating from high school, I moved to Austria to study violin (performing arts) with professor Helfried Fister. During my studies home and abroad I became more and more fascinated with teaching. Colourstrings was naturally the way to go in making teaching ”art”.

After finishing my pedagogical degree (2009), I have been teaching at the East-Helsinki Music Institute together with all of my wonderful Colourstrings colleagues. Besides teaching we are working on making Colourstrings recognized and available to teachers and children around the world.

I hope that our enthusiasm for Colourstrings will inspire you to dive into this musical treasure!

CONTACT: colourstrings@colourstrings.fi

Pirkko Simojoki

Pirkko Simojoki is currently a viola teacher at the Sibelius Academy and the Metropolia University in Helsinki, and the music institutes of the cities of Espoo and Porvoo.

She started playing the violin at the age of five with Géza Szilvay and changed to study the viola with Matti Hirvikangas at the age of fourteen. She pursued her studies at the Sibelius Academy receiving her artistic diploma from there in 1996. She has since studied the viola with professor Yuri Gandelsman at the Rubin Academy in Tel Aviv and conducting with the Finnish conductor Jorma Panula.

From 1993 to 2001 Pirkko Simojoki played in the Finnish National Opera Orchestra, first as a tutti player and later as section leader.

Ms. Simojoki has been the conductor for several youth and children’s orchestras and is currently working as the conductor two children’s orchestras at the Espoo Music Institute.

In addition to teaching viola and conducting orchestras Ms Simojoki is also an acclaimed teacher of music pedagogy specializing in positive approaches to teaching music to children.

Géza Szilvay (Founder)

Professor Géza Szilvay, born in Budapest, Hungary, is the originator of the meanwhile internationally renowned and successful Colourstrings teaching method which at present comprises 42 publications. He has developed the method step by step from the very beginning of teaching small pupils, adding exercises constantly. By integrating the development of musical hearing, musical intellect and emotional world of the child to his teaching of violin technique he applied the principle of reinforcement of perception through joint functioning of the senses. Right from the start he added group teaching to individual tuition and established string orchestras. His 1972 founded and conducted The Helsinki Junior Strings orchestra (now known as The Helsinki Strings) has become renowned through 38 international concert tours worldwide and 28 published recordings under Fuga, Finlandia, Apex and Warner labels.

Szilvay’s way of teaching the violin had soon a strong impact on the musical education in Finland and a large percentage of his students over the years became professional musicians. He inspired young parents and little kids all over the country with his TV programme “Minifiddlers in Musicland” in 55 series being broadcasted in the 1980’s by the Finnish Television YLE. As author of the screenplay and performer-tutor throughout the series he smuggled in violin teaching whilst visiting the various places of the “Musicland” with his little pupils.

Géza Szilvay gained international recognition not only as violin pedagogue and creator of the Colourstrings method but also as educator and conductor of children’s and youth orchestras.

He has given more than 200 lectures and workshops on his teaching method and philosophy not only in Europe, but further afield in China, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, USA, Canada and Australia.

In the year 2017 the President of Finland awarded Géza Szilvay with the White Rose Knighthood.

 

Csaba Szilvay (Founder)

Csaba Szilvay, born in Hungary, is a worldwide renowned cello pedagogue and – together with his brother Géza – founder and long-term conductor of the Helsinki Strings.

He studied the cello at the Béla Bartók Conservatory and the Budapest Music Academy as a student of professor Antal Friss. After having received his diploma in Budapest in 1970 he studied at the famous Sibelius Academy in Helsinki with Prof. Erkki Rautio.

Csaba Szilvay has taught the cello at the Jyväskylä Conservatory in Finland from 1971 to 1976, the East Helsinki Music Institute since 1976, and the Sibelius Academy since 1978.

Csaba Szilvay and his brother Géza Szilvay have gained international recognition both as string pedagogues and as conductors and educators of children’s and youth orchestras. They are authors of the Colourstrings method based on Zoltán Kodály’s philosophy, which at present comprises 40 publications, and they have given hundreds of lectures on this teaching method and philosophy all over the world.

In recognition of their work for youth culture they were awarded the Knight Order of the Finnish Lion in 1981, The Culture Prize of Finland in 1983, The Hungarian State Award for Cultural Activity in 1990, the Culture Prize of Helsinki and the Fazer Music Prize in 1995, the Pro Musica Award in 1999, and the International Kodály Prize in 2007.The President of Finland decorated him with the White Rose Knighthood in 2011 and he received the Hungarian State Award (Magyar Érdemrend Tisztikereszt) from the President of Hungary in 2013.