Cello for Adult Beginners
What you'll learn
- The basics of how to play cello, even if you've never touched an instrument before.
- How to play beautiful music - 2 études, and 5 pieces, with video accompaniment provided when applicable.
- Fun facts about the history of the cello, and tips about getting a cello if you don't have one yet.
- The fundamentals of rhythm, music theory, and how to read music through my included companion course lessons.
Requirements
- A love for music and the cello.
- Cello, bow, and a few inexpensive accessories (suggestions provided in Lesson 2)
Description
Hi there, and welcome to my course page! My name is Ben Fryxell, AKA Cello Ben, and I'm a professional cellist and cello teacher. I've been playing cello now for over 15 years ever since falling in love with a Beethoven string quartet when I was a kid, and I've been teaching for 7 years. I hold two performance degrees, and I want to pass my love for music and the things I've learned along to you. So it brings me so much joy to welcome you to my online course for adult beginners, where I'm offering not only a comprehensive selection of video lectures, but as much personalized feedback from me as you need...because working together is the key to you having the best experience you can at the cello. I've been teaching consistently satisfied students for years now, and I can teach you, too, using my new online course. Even if you've never picked up a musical instrument before, all you need to succeed in this course is a love for the cello, a bit of patience, and your gear.
Here's what one of my students had to say recently:
"I studied Cello Ben’s videos and material for two weeks before receiving my cello. Since receiving my cello, I’ve been playing for 3 weeks, and I continue to use Ben’s videos and guidance. I’m extremely pleased with the results I’ve been able to achieve so far. I’m already playing scales and etudes, and it is attributable to Ben’s well thought out program. Ben is extremely responsive and professional. I upload videos, and he has responded within minutes every time with insightful guidance to help me improve at the pace I’m comfortable with and learn with the best habits. If you want to learn the cello and be good at it...I highly recommend Cello Ben."
-Ron W, Cello Ben Online Course Student
My goal was to create a course that gets as close as possible in this medium to a 1-on-1 experience. This course is for anyone who wants to learn to play and enjoy the cello as an adult. It'll be sure to bring you both emotional fulfillment, and for intellectual nourishment. To help you achieve that, I am here as your resource. My virtual door is always open. And you’re encouraged throughout the course to send me audio and video, so that we can make sure together that you’re on the right path. You’ll get great-quality feedback, and you’ll get it promptly. You don't need any musical experience whatsoever to get started...I provide everything you need to know to get started, including companion course materials (the last 3 lectures of the course) to teach you the fundamentals of rhythm and music theory, and the basics of reading music, in case you don't already know how.
Besides all of the videos, which have Spanish subtitles available, the following are all also available to you:
Downloadable warmup packet and method book, specifically created for this course
Videos of all of the music we cover
Access to my feedback anytime...through email, Udemy, my forum, or the handy upload form that you'll find in the course resources.
I'm confident you're gonna love this course, and again, on the off chance you don't, it's backed by Udemy's 30-day money-back guarantee. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out, and I look forward to seeing you in my course soon!
Yours in Cello,
Cello Ben
Who this course is for:
- Any adult who loves the cello and wants to learn the basics of how to play and learn some wonderful pieces from the comfort of their own home.
Course content
- Preview14:05
- Preview15:10
- 07:53Caring For Your Cello
Instructor
Ben Fryxell is a cellist from Cincinnati, Ohio, who is now in his second year as a Fellow at the New World Symphony. Since his teenage years, he has been a regular presence on the concert stage and a frequent winner of awards and competitions. He has performed as a soloist with the Kentucky Symphony, Blue Ash-Montgomery Symphony and the combined forces of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra/Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra, the National Repertory Orchestra, the Brevard Music Center Orchestra, and more. He was the recipient of the 2019 Samuel Mayes Memorial Cello Award from the Tanglewood Music Center. When he returned to the Tanglewood Music Center in the summer of 2020 (in a virtual capacity, of course), he had the great honor of being selected to play for Yo-Yo Ma in an online class. Ben has also been a winner in concerto competitions at the Brevard Music Center and the New World Symphony.
Besides playing, Ben is a firm believer in the power of education, and the sacred obligation to pass on knowledge and wisdom to others, and is gaining a worldwide reputation for his masterful teaching. After the COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread event cancellation, he began teaching students online from the Iberacademy in Medellín, Colombia, thorough their partnership with the New World Symphony, where he is currently a Fellow. Furthermore, as his online presence, “Cello Ben,” he has recently conducted a series of online masterclasses with students around the world, made available for public learning, and also launched a well-received online cello course for adult beginners.
Ben received his master of music degree from the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Yeesun Kim, and his bachelor of music degree from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Natasha Brofsky. He has also studied with AliceAnn O’Neill and Alan Rafferty, and has studied chamber music with members of the Juilliard, Borromeo and Emerson string quartets, as well as Emanuel Ax, Norman Fischer and countless others.
When he is not at the cello, he enjoys cooking, watching stand-up comedy, and exploring his inner computer geek.