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ABOUT ME
Meet Dr. Nurit Jugend
Dr. Nurit Jugend is a composer, music lecturer, and private tutor currently residing in California. She gives music appreciation classes at seminars, conferences and special events across the USA and internationally, as well as teaches regularly at the Stanford Continuing Education Program at Stanford University.
Her works are played by leading performers and conductors such as the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Maestro Zubin Mehta, St. Lawrence String Quartet at Stanford University, Calarts Contemporary Ensemble, Slovenian Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Sean Edwards (Croatia) and the EurOrchestra under Maestro Franseco Lentini (Italy).
Private Lessons
Individual courses for all levels
I teach piano, composition & song writing, music theory, ear-training, analysis and music appreciation. I have extensive experience teaching all ages and levels; from beginners and music lovers whom dream to play the piano and understand music, to preparing students for college and entrance exams, as well as late bloomers in their golden years. I personalize the program and structure of my classes depending on the student's interests and goals.
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I teach piano combined with music theory as part of a student's musical education and a necessity for good musicianship and interpretation. Beginners will learn how to play the piano, read music notes and understand the basic elements of music (scales, chords, rhythms, dynamic etc.). Advanced players will deepen their understanding of a musical piece to reach a higher level of interpretation and performance.
Learn the scales, intervals, chords, harmony, tempo, meter, cadences, melody etc. Music Theory and Ear-training contribute to better musicianship for both players and composers. Acquiring these skills helps you read and write music accurately and effortlessly. Both enable you to understand the works of great composers, whether it's Bach or the Beatles, and provide an insight as to why their music is so appealing.
Learn to recognize major & minor scales, intervals, chords & progressions, master complex rhythms, identify tempo and meter etc. Music Theory and Ear-training contribute to better musicianship for both players and composers. Acquiring these skills helps you read and write music accurately and effortlessly. Both enable you to understand the works of great composers, whether it's Bach or the Beatles, and provide an insight as to why their music is so appealing.
Learn how to compose music for a solo instrument, ensemble, orchestra, or write a song. The study of composition helps you write down your musical ideas. The art of writing music goes side by side with the understanding of music theory and development of your ear-training skills.
A deeper understanding of a composition in its many layers and musical elements, such as chord progression, melodic and thematic development, musical texture and form, directly contribute to better musicianship, interpretation and performance.
UPCOMING LIVE CLASSES:
Spring Serenades: Music Inspired by Birdsong & Blossom
This course explores classical music’s tributes to springtime, from Vivaldi’s Spring concerto to Robert and Clara Schumann’s Love's Spring. During each session, we will analyze several pieces, examining how composers translate the sounds and rhythms of nature into music. We will discuss Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s “It Was in the Early Spring,” J. Brahms’s “Love Is So Delightful in the Spring!,” and C. Debussy’s “Symphonic Suite Spring," plus many more. We will place each work within the historical context of the composer’s life, examining how their surroundings and personal experiences shaped their music. From Mendelssohn’s Spring Song to Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, discover how art and nature intertwine to reveal new dimensions of music and the natural world.
Composers Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn
This course is about one of the more loved and appreciated composers of the Romantic period — Felix Mendelssohn, and his equally talented, and yet to be discovered sister and composer, Fanny Mendelssohn. While Felix Mendelssohn’s music has been widely popular and appreciated during his life time and until this very day, Fanny Mendelssohn’s music has been only recently discovered and identified as hers. The 19th century was a time when it was not acceptable for women to be composers, not to mention recognized and accomplished. While both Fanny and Felix received the same musical education as children, Felix was encouraged to pursue a career in music, yet Fanny was told that she could never become more than an amateur. Fanny did not accept this verdict, and with the encouragement of her husband, she continued to compose music. Fanny pursued her love for music by playing the piano, conducting her choir, and performing her own music during Sunday concerts at her home. During her life time, some of Fanny’s music, including several of her Songs Without Words, were published under her brother’s name. Consequently, until recently these works were considered to be Felix’s, and all of the credit and recognition went to him. In this course we will analyze and get to know one of Fanny’s works for piano solo called Lied and Lenau from her collection of Songs Without Words, a song that was considered to be Felix’s. While it’s credited to her brother Felix, is was Fanny who began to compose Lieder, but for piano solo. The Lied at the time was one of the most popular and favorable genres for composers to write for voice and piano. It was Fanny Mendelssohn who came up with the idea of assigning both the voice and piano parts to a single instrumental work for piano solo. We will also analyze Felix’s Venetian Gondola Song, volume 2, Op. 30 from his own collection of Songs Without Words. Through the analysis of both of Fanny’s and Felix’s works — Songs Without Words, we will explore their contribution to the development and evolution of this genre. We will discuss these two works through close examination of their various music elements such as texture, melody, form, harmony, key/scale, orchestration, instrumentation, word painting, and more. In this course we will also explore Felix Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony No. 4, the fourth movement — Saltarello, and discuss the extra musical origins and influences on this movement, and how Felix incorporated those ideas into his music. We will discover some of Felix’s hidden artistic talent, that enabled him to express himself at times when music wasn’t available to him. By the end of this course, you will have a better understanding of what makes Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn one of the more lovable and popular composers of the 19th century, and their significant contribution to the development of music elements and aesthetics during the Romantic era. This course is for music lovers, beginners, intermediates, and musicians who would like to deepen their understanding of Mahler’s musical signature. Duration: 1 class Length of class: 2 hours Dates: Wednesday, February 26, 2025 Time: 6:00 – 8:00 pm (PT) Tuition: $50 Minimum required number of students: 5
