Thanasis Polykandriotis has been conducting seminars on Folk Music Tradition in Conservatories, Music Schools and educational institutions in Greece and abroad since 1993. The seminars are divided into cycles (4, 6 or 8). They are addressed to any interested performer of folk musical instruments. Depending on the style of the seminar, Thanasis Polykandriotis chooses participating teachers – soloists, from our traditional instruments.
The seminar cycle may include the following sections:
1. Familiarity with the instrument and its anatomy
2. Treatment of the instrument
3. Pen and strings (Exercises)
4. Change of strings and tuning
5. Proper placement of right and left hand
6. Acquaintance with the notes on all strings (Exercises)
7. Ladders used in our folk music
8. All chords in three positions (Analysis and exercises)
9. Skill exercises
10. Double pen, trembling, grabbing (Exercises)
11. Various playing styles (Songs)
12. Your own taxi (Improvisations)
13. Style exercises of great teachers of the instrument
14. Changes of popular roads (Technical exercises)
15. Rhythms of folk songs
16. Composition of folk songs
17. History and morphology of folk music
18. Teaching ways of singing on popular streets
19. Organology, Greek musical instruments
20. Musical ensembles
21. Discography of Greek composers
22. Maintenance of the instrument
23. Popular harmony
24. Orchestration
25. Correlation of Byzantine sounds with popular roads
26. Introduction to folk music tradition
27. Musical skill
28. Folk culture in five periods
THANASIS POLYKANDRIOTIS
“Seminar music programs in penitentiary institutions.”
June 2012
Thanasis Polykandriotis, having spent several years in the field of education and having organized seminar courses in major educational institutions in the country, conservatories, school complexes, University institutions, etc. In his capacity as a specialist scientist at the University of Western Macedonia, in the rank of lecturer, he has prepared a course for the country’s penitentiaries.
After the musical events of Thanasis Polykandriotis in prison shops in Avlona and Korydallos, it was found that the detainees treated the music with great enthusiasm but also showed special interest in musical instruments. Driven by this reaction of the prisoners, it has taken care of 2 thematic sections, which will arouse the interest of the prisoners, will motivate them to deal with an object such as music and most importantly, the fact that they will be given an alternative
proposal for professional rehabilitation after being released from prison. In addition, their involvement with music will give them a new perspective within the penitentiary, they will be able to work their free time, study in groups and through this whole process to create their own works.
The first thematic unit concerns the learning of folk musical instruments. Instrumental music teachers, soloists and virtuosos of the genre, will introduce those interested to the world of music. Guitar, tzouras, baglamas, violin, clarinet, percussion, singing – vocals will give them the opportunity to discover new aspects of their personality, to do something new and to learn to play a musical instrument, an opportunity they have never had before.
The 2nd thematic unit concerns the construction and maintenance of musical instruments. An art not at all saturated nowadays and very interesting. A job that could be promoted to a professional career. They will learn from beginning to end, all the stages of handmade construction of musical instruments and will animate their own creation with their own hands.
SEMINAR IN INSTABUL (ITU Turkish Music State Conservatory)
In December 2019, Thanasis Polykandriotis was invited by the Istanbul Technical University (ITU), by the Turkish Music State Conservatory to give a seminar in which he presented the different variations of the bouzouki (three string and four string, tzoura and baglama) to the students of the University
