Sheila Mary Nelson (5 March 1936 – 16 November 2020) was an English musician, music educator, writer and composer. She had played with the

English Chamber Orchestra The English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) is a British chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and their ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall. With a limited performance size, the orchestra spe ...

, the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...

and the Menuhin Festival Orchestra but was best known as a

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

and

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

teacher. She is usually referred to as Sheila Nelson but appears in her published works as Sheila M. Nelson.

Biography

Nelson studied at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...

and had a B.Mus degree from

London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...

. She also studied at the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

and in Denmark. In 1976 she went to the United States on a

Churchill Fellowship Winston Churchill Memorial Trusts (WCMT) are three independent but related living memorials to Sir Winston Churchill, based in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. They exist for the purpose of administering Churchill Fellowships, a ...

to study with the eminent

string String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

pedagogue Paul Rolland, and in the 1980s directed an innovative group-teaching project in the

London Borough of Tower Hamlets The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London boroughs, borough in London, England. Situated on the north bank of the River Thames and immediately east of the City of London, the borough spans much of the traditional East End of London and ...

. The Tower Hamlets Project taught strings and piano to whole school classes in a deprived area of London, and was featured in a six-part TV documentary series, ''Beginners Please''. Nelson was co-author of the ''Essential String Method'' series and author/composer of many other music instruction and repertoire books, published by

Boosey & Hawkes Boosey & Hawkes is a British Music publisher (sheet music), music publisher, purported to be the largest specialist classical music publisher in the world. Until 2003, it was also a major manufacturer of brass instrument, brass, string instru ...

. She was an Honorary Member of the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

(Hon RAM), a distinction limited to 300 musicians. Nelson died aged 84 on 16 November 2020 having lived with Alzheimer's disease in her final years.

Publications

Nelson was a prolific writer and composer. Selected works include: * ''Christmas Tunes'' for strings * ''Technitunes'' for individual strings or ensemble * ''Octotunes'' for individual strings or ensemble * ''Quartet Club'' for string quartet * ''Stringsongs'' for violin/viola and piano * ''The Violin and Viola: History, Structure, Techniques.'' 1972 book republished 2003

References

External links

Special Sheila Nelson edition of ''Arco,''
the journal of the European String Teachers Association {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Sheila Mary 1936 births 2020 deaths 20th-century English classical composers British music educators English women classical composers Violin educators British women violinists English women music educators 21st-century English violinists 21st-century English women musicians 20th-century English women composers