• Presentation :

The Georges Bizet Municipal Conservatory is a public artistic education service of the City of Le Vésinet (Yvelines). It teaches theatre, classical dance and music in various forms, with of course classical music courses, but also group practice (instrumental ensembles) and a department dedicated to contemporary music.

I have been teaching classical guitar classes there since 2010, to which were added in 2016 the computer music (Computer-Assisted Music) class and in 2017 the guitar ensemble class (activities developed on page 13).

Currently, at the Vésinet conservatory, the traditional music department has not yet been created, but within my classes and with the approval of my superiors, I regularly offer various pieces from the traditional Latin American repertoire: bossa nova, tangos, boleros (Mexico), cueca (Chile) and valsa (Venezuela)...

With the exception of adult students, the Conservatory's curriculum is divided into three cycles. Each cycle is further divided into four levels, corresponding to the normal annual progression. It should be noted that the first cycle can be reduced to three years for students with exceptional aptitudes. Furthermore, if a student is not yet ready to advance to the next cycle, they are granted an additional year.

• Evaluation methods:

Classical Guitar: At the end of the year, students present one, two, or even three pieces to a jury of professors, with the Conservatory director in attendance. The same pieces are presented by students of the same level. Evaluations are graded as follows: TB (Very Good) with unanimous approval and/or congratulations, TB (Very Good), B (Good), AB (Fairly Good), the latter grade resulting in repeating the year.

To prepare the children for this exam, I conduct a kind of continuous assessment throughout the school year, giving each student grades for their individual work, sight-reading, fingering, playing with a metronome, and interpretation. These grades, often encouraging, do not count towards the end-of-year exam, but they motivate the child to continue improving.

Guitar Ensemble: These group practice classes are offered at two levels: Ensemble 1 (Beginner) and Ensemble 2 (Advanced). There is currently no formal academic assessment. However, students are graded based on their performance in concerts, attendance, and conduct.

Computer Music (MAO): For this newly created class, an assessment is planned at the end of the year. During this assessment, each student will be expected to complete various exercises using iPad applications and computer software: entering musical scores, creating music sequences. They will also need to know how to make an audio recording and program MIDI files.

Below you will find a presentation of the objectives of each cycle of the guitar class, followed by a presentation of the computer music and guitar ensemble classes.