Beginner level :
Expected duration: approximately 12 and 18 months / 1 hour of lessons per week
1. 3 or 4 music theory sessions containing instrument structure and Western notation (with a brief historical explanation of why we use this notation system today).
2. Start with the first and second music conservatory books which emphasize precise execution of notes and rhythm.
Concrete listening exercises: Before explaining a musical concept, students are encouraged to listen to suggested examples of a specific form, genre, or style and express their analysis in class.
3. Teaching correct posture and how to focus on body and breathing during play.
4. Beginning of improvisation exercises based on the rhythms of Persian poems: At this level, we do not use Western notation and we rely solely on the repetitive rhythms of the poems and melodic creativity.
Intermediate level :
Expected duration: approximately 2 and 3 years / 1 or 2 hours of lessons per week
1. Teaching studies and technical pieces with emphasis on the use of Western notation and paying attention to verbal points that are not included in the notation (At this level, students should not have any difficulty reading notes).
2. The beginning of teaching Radif (practical repertoire of Persian music) without using notation and entirely orally.
3. Continue the listening exercises to understand the difference between modes and concepts related to Iranian music.
4. Memorize the pieces, perform them based on memory and precision of sentence logic and modal precision.
5. Improvisation exercises based on Iranian music modes. The student is asked to make musical sentences after having learned each mode (according to the logic that he has heard and learned in the pieces).
6. The first concert and professional recording experiences of the pieces taught with the advice of the teacher.
Higher level :
Expected duration: approximately 2 and 3 years / 1 or 2 hours of lessons per week
1. Achieve a comprehensive understanding of the modal system in Persian music through the interpretation and analysis of the Iranian musical repertoire.
2. Beginning of composition exercises based on the rhythmic and modal system of Iranian music.
3. Teaching the principle and methods of modulation in improvisation in three stages:
• Listen, memorize and accurately perform the improvisations of the ancient masters.
• Make a collage of phrases from the master's recorded improvisations.
• Create pieces based on the common logic of improvisation in Iranian music.
Additional explanation:
- This planning is a completely personal method and its auditory and oral aspects are different from the academic method.
- As is evident, my teaching style is based on the knowledge and ability to use European music theory while preserving the traditional and historical characteristics of Iranian music. I have two reasons for using and emphasizing learning Western notation: first, it has become the common way to write and record our music today. Substituting any other method will cause problems for the student. Second, using Western notation speeds up the training process (especially at the elementary level). From experience, the training time of those who have only been trained in the traditional and oral way is longer, and in addition, in the oral way there is no analysis in the way to train.
- Traditional and oral teachings are anchored in the concepts of Iranian mysticism. The use and reference to Persian poems, the discussion of ethics, appreciation and reliability of the artist are all positive points of this method, which I also try to address in my teaching.
