Anya's Garden Natural Perfumery Institute: Student Registration Starts December 1, 2009

The next basic perfumery course offered by Anya's Garden Natural Perfumery Institute will commence in late February, 2010. The exact date will be announced at a later date. The revised syllabus and details on the course schedule will be available November 20, 2010.

The homepage for Perfume Classes.com has been updated and the latest information for the newly-revised curriculum can be found there. There are now three options for study:

Web-based:

1. An interactive, fast-paced course that is six-months long and
2. A self-paced option for those who wish to study on their own.

Distance learning non-web-based:

3. Textbook and kit supplied, no website access

Since the opening of the school in 2007, about one hundred students have enrolled, and dozens have received their certificate of completion. Since some students fell behind in their studies due to family, work or other issues, it was decided to open the self-paced option. Students can enroll at any time for that option, but the interactive course starts in February and requires a commitment to stay apace of the studies. If the student falls behind, they will be placed in the self-paced option.

Instructor Anya McCoy is an accomplished artisan natural perfumer with a history of helping people from all over the work learn about perfumery in the Yahoo group she has hosted since 2002, and her perfumes receive rave reviews from many perfume bloggers. Also available for individual consultation, she conducts her artisan perfumery from Miami Shores, Florida, where she maintains a garden of fragrant tropical plants, many used in her perfumes. Anya is the President of the Natural Perfumers Guild and in that role maintains a roster of the most respected names in perfumery, all dedicated to the use of natural aromatics.

All students will have full access to the numerous resources on the website as they move forward in their perfumery studies.

Registration is open to a limited number of students, and will begin December 1, 2009.

Updated Syllabus for Anya's Garden Online Basic Natural Perfumery Course - Fall 2008

Anya’s Garden Online Basic Natural Perfumery Course

Syllabus, Goals and Objectives

revised January 21, 2009

This course is for those who desire comprehensive basic training in:

- Natural Perfumery - to become a Professional Perfumer

- Education in a natural art

- General interest in exploring a career in natural perfumery


The course is one year in length, and consists of twelve Modules.


Materials Provided for Study:

Physical:

- An aromatics kit of 25 absolutes and essential oils, labeled with botanical name, country of origin and amount. The bottles are 4ml in size, and four of the rare essences are diluted to 10%.

- A Natural Perfumery Primer that is the main handbook for the course. The Primer is 80 pages in length and is heavily supplemented by online materials, charts, forms and links. The online material includes over 100 pages of topics, discussions and expansions on themes, numerous record keeping charts and forms, and hundreds of links. Also the student will be able to download dozens of books and articles on perfumery consisting mostly of historic materials.

- Scent strips and pipettes.


Professional:

Online website with Modules, Links, Lectures and much more. You'll be enrolled in two private Yahoo groups - one for daily interaction and live chats, one for Q&A Sessions with Industry Professionals. Also - lots of support, hands-on experience, networking and worldwide friends.

Curriculum Goals and Objectives:

Goals

After completing the course of study, you will be able to:

- Discuss natural perfumery in all contexts, including mainstream perfumery and aromatherapy perfumery and the evolution of the art.

- Be proficient in maintaining a professional workspace for perfume creation.

·- Discuss, identify and work with a wide array of concretes, absolutes and essential oils.

- Develop a comprehensive Scent Memory™ and know how to build upon it.

- Create a library of your own written, detailed notes on organoleptic evaluation.

- Be proficient in aromatics terminology and techniques that will allow you to work in a perfumery company.

- Be adept at basic blending.

- Realize the need for peer review and critique of your blends and listen to suggestions on how to refine or revise the blends.

- Know and be able to discuss the safety and regulatory aspects of perfumery.

- Conceptualize and plan for further development as a natural perfumer.

Objectives

- To successfully complete the course, the student is expected to:
- Read and review the course materials in the Primer and the online website.
- Frequently consult the Primer and the corresponding online modules.
- Complete one discussion assignment per module, more if you desire.
- Take part in the online discussion forum.
- Swap your basic blends with other students for feedback.
- Submit a perfume and essay to the teacher for certificate that you completed course (small additional fee).
Optional: the student may add to the online knowledge base, e.g. the glossary, links, book list.

Curriculum

The online Modules, the Natural Perfumery Primer, the Yahoo group and the monthly online discussion chat with the teacher form the core of the course. They interrelate with each other, and the Primer is the key to entering them with a basic idea of the areas of study that they cover. There should always be an open-minded approach to how all of the information offered interrelates.

Every component of the study materials is crucial to your development as a natural perfumer. The discipline demands that you be an experimenter, a real scientist of the aromatic arts and that you use both sides of your brain at all times. You will be encouraged to engage in reverie when evaluating the aromatics while simultaneously applying mathematical and scientific rigor to your findings.

During the "live classes" held in the Yahoo group, you will be able to compare your observations with other students. You will be provided both evaluation sheets for recording your findings many charts and supplemental forms that aid in your studies.

Schedule of Modules

The nine Modules will be uploaded to the class website on the sixth of the month. The "live chats" with the teacher that will serve to answer any questions you have about the assignment will be held on the 14th of each month. Accommodations are made for those in vastly different time zones.

The Modules on Vertical accords will be expanded over two months, due to the intricacy of vertical accords and the necessity to master them.

The final Module of the course will consist of students working at their own pace as they interact with the teacher and other students, swapping their perfume blends and critiquing each others works. The students will receive verbal feedback on their perfumes from the teacher, as nuances of conversational exchange are best when finalizing the perfume evaluation.

It is strongly encouraged that each student stay on the calendar schedule of each module to best foster camaraderie and the learning process.

Grading Policy

There is no grading policy in this course other than pass/fail. Failure means you did not complete at least one assignment per module during the course. If the assignment is not handed in before the start of the next module, the student is expected to contact the teacher for assistance or an extension. Circumstances may prevent the student from completing the assignment on time, and consideration will be given to the student so that they may work at their pace.

Exceptions will be made for those who take longer than the allotted one-year time frame due to circumstances beyond their control. Contact the teacher for more information.

The Virtual Classroom

This virtual classroom is designed to be interactive, fun and a powerful learning experience. After logging in, you will be able to listen to lectures, view the modules, take part in the discussion study forum, upload pictures, download books, articles, evaluation forms, charts, other study forms, click on links, surf into Wikipedia, use the virtual library, and chat in real time.

During the course of the school year, new features may be added, as either the teacher becomes aware of them, or a student suggests them.

The Yahoo Class Group

Daily interactions can occur in the Yahoo class. Enrollment is mandatory, but participation is not. The teacher realizes that some students are shy, yet eager to learn - but they still must remain enrolled in the Yahoo group. This group is where the teacher will make announcements, where students can ask questions, conduct group buys, etc. The teacher will add the students to the Yahoo group before class commences.

The Study Schedule

It is recommended that you spend 5-8 hours per week on the study materials, which include the Primer, the study modules, the discussion group and outside readings from the reading list. If you pretend that you are enrolled in a real world school, with classroom meetings, it will help you focus and discipline yourself.

The discussion group will prove invaluable in many ways, including helping your bonding and networking with other students. You’ll be able to encourage each other, help answer questions and generally move the evolution of each of you along in the study of natural perfumery.

Course Completion

Upon completion of all of the assignments, the student will have completed the course satisfactorily with a Passing grade. If the student wishes to obtain a Certificate of Completion, that will require the submittal of a perfume within one month of the end of the school year for evaluation. A short essay should accompany the perfume, and the student will be assessed a fee of $50 for the evaluation and feedback on the perfume.

See you in class!

Register and place your deposit at Anya's Garden of Natural Perfume

Pre-Registration for Fall 2008 Online Natural Perfumery Course

From the latest issue of Anya's Garden Newsletter, July 2008:

Anya's Online Basic Natural Perfumery Course - Registration Beginning

Currently there are 40+ students enrolled in the Fall 2007 and Spring 2008 course.

Enroll now for the Fall 2008 session.


Whether you want to study perfumery for fun or with the goal of becoming a professional perfumer, you'll enjoy and establish a firm foundation in perfumery basics by taking this course.

Imagine - a full year of interactive, professional education from a teacher with thirty years experience working with natural essences!

Read on...

Your Tuition Helps Others!

$50 of every student's tuition is donated to a worldwide charity on Global Girlfriend. Donations so far have included providing goats to a Rwandan family, sending two girls to school in Afghanistan, and buying a cookstove for a refugee family in Darfur, providing vaccines for 10 animals in a shelter, Hurricane Katrina rebuilding assistance and much more.

The online interactive course has been a huge success for several reasons:

- 12 learning modules full of both traditional and innovative materials

- 16 recorded lectures that bring the modules alive, including a fun lecture on pronunciation of perfumery terms

- Dozens of downloadable venerable perfumery books, modern articles and related materials

- A Primer that outlines the materials covered so the beginning student gets a handle on the scope of topics

- Numerous charts and professional data recording forms

- Intensive work on developing a Scent Memory ™ , the key to becoming a perfumer

- A kit of 25 exquisite aromatic essences to use during the course.

- Monthly - sometimes bi-weekly - "live chats" with the teacher

- A private Yahoo group for classmate interaction and teacher involvement

- A different guest professional from the perfumery industry joins a live chat every two months in a Q&A session to give the students a glimpse into the different facets of the business and art.

Space is limited - click here to pre-register- six students are already enrolled.

Tuition is only $1400 for all the benefits listed above. You can choose to place a deposit now to hold your place in class, pay the full tuition or make payment arrangements. Tuition is non-refundable.

The students have given me feedback that they find the way I teach the course warm and supportive and they even like my East Coast accent in the lectures! In the next week, I'm going to post some snips from the lectures and a glimpse inside the learning environment that the students enjoy.

Note: several students were unable to keep up the course due to illness, business or personal matters - even a hard drive crash. They expressed appreciation when I wrote all the students announcing they can stay in the course for an extra year, reading all the archived chats and correspondence. It was quite a relief for them, and made me feel that the decision to conduct this class online in the manner selected was the right thing to do.

Student Testimonials:

"As a member of the inaugural online Natural Perfumery Class offered by Anya I have had the great pleasure of being part of a tremendous learning process in a growing field.

Anya is a gifted teacher who has obviously given much thought to the structure and method of teaching this class. She cares about the students and is receptive to their needs. She has also made an obvious effort to include everyone in the educational process.

We are all benefiting from her great store of knowledge and her ability to impart that in a thoughtful and meaningful manner. Anya takes you through the perfuming process thoroughly from learning the scents of the oils in the kit through how they blend together to, finally, making a perfume. By the time you get to the perfume making you have an excellent grounding in both theory and practice. I highly recommend the class!"

Elise Pearlstine, USA, PhD Ecologist, Certified Aromatherapist and Perfumer at Tambela

"The knowledge level of the class before the start goes from blistering beginner, (ME, good at herbs, and somewhat knowledgeable in aromatherapy, bloody lacking at perfume) to folks who have been doing some significant perfume blending, but who wanted to advance their practice. Those bonds I believe will serve me well, and have been my pleasure, hopefully to continue for years as we all advance from NEWBIE status.

I think I can say with some confidence, even after the class, I could go to Anya, and ask her advice on a perfume subject, she would give it willingly, that's just her to the core. I can honestly say, I have already gotten my monies worth out of the class, and we're just beginning month 5. The class is very forgiving of life getting in the way, if you get behind, there is wiggle room to catch up, which , for a single working mom is also nice. "

Lynn Weaver, USA, Registered Nurse, Natural Skin Care at Gentry Scents

"I had no idea what to expect when I signed up! I am passionate about natural perfumery and have lurked on Anya's Yahoo group for years. I knew it would be a great experience because of her participation on Yahoo, so I plunged in.

From the first day, I was impressed by Anya's logical progression teaching us "Scent Memory" as she calls it, and her teaching aids, like the recording forms, Key, and various charts are the bomb!

When I had a family emergency, Anya was compassionate and worked with my schedule. I have learned so much and feel so safe and secure with this class I can't put it into words. I found the best teacher in the World!

Heather Light, UK, newbie in perfumery

Register now - secure you place in the most dynamic, interactive one-year online class in perfumery! Click here to register.

Will Lapaz of Eden Botanicals - Guest Q&A Expert in Anya's Garden class

On Saturday, June 28th, students in both the Fall 2007 and Spring 2008 online class were able to ask an expert in the field of natural aromatics numerous questions in a "live chat" session. From Australia to Denmark, through numerous time zones, the students were able to ask Will Lapaz, one of the most respected suppliers in the business questions on everything from the price of patchouli to the availability of organic products.

Will's company,Eden Botanicals, is based in Northern California, and Will was not sure at first if he could make the chat, since wildfires have been smoldering in his area for several days, and the smoke was forcing him to get out of the region. Coordinating with teacher Anya McCoy, he was ready to relocate to an internet cafe to conduct the chat, and everyone was very appreciative of his efforts to keep the appointment. There were so many questions, Will stayed online for three hours, helping the students gain deep insights into various subjects such as the differences between orris butter and orris CO2, how attars are (perhaps) now being stretched because of the sandalwood scarcity, fair trade issues and opportunites and much more.

The students were very appreciative of all the time and knowledge Will shared with them, as one wrote: "I can't thank you enough! This is a great opportunity to speak to a real-deal supplier. And, I have purchased from Will, so, I can speak from previous experience and say it was wonderful. Again, thank you BOTH so much and I am very into the group buys." A group buy did arise spontaneously during the chat and the students who participate will be able to obtain some great supplies at a good price - another benefit of being enrolled in the class.

Past Q&A experts in the course were Mandy Aftel, the perfumer of Aftelier, who chatted about perfume creation and David Mark Covill, Egyptologist and Nose of Renaissance Aroma, who spoke on ancient Egyptian perfumes.

The Three Stages of Public Acceptance of Natural Perfumery - Natural Perfumers Guild President Anya McCoy's latest article on Basenotes

I had a lot of fun writing this article looking back on the past three years that natural perfumery has had a presence on the Internet. I hope you enjoy reading it and look forward, as I do, to the ongoing development and acceptance of our naturally-fragrant art.

Later today I'll post a great letter that Steve Earl wrote in response to Mr. Subrenat's caustic comments at the World Perfumery Congress in 2007. Such a big ruckus a one-year-old Natural Perfumers Guild caused for Mr. Subrenat - it's actually quite an honor that we were on his radar with only minor press and even less distribution of our perfumes as we struggle for a corner of the market. The world of perfumery is changing, and thus the concept for my article was born - enjoy!

Wake up! It's Study Time and Natural Perfumery is the Subject

Monica and Gloria hit their alarm clocks to make them stop ringing at 5 a.m. in their respective homes in Taipei. Viv and Wendy struggled to find their coffee and limber up their typing fingers at 6 a.m in different towns in Australia. On a Sunday.

On the other side of the world, Lisbeth in Denmark logged on at midnight on Saturday. Everyone else was joining the monthly live chat in time zones spread out between Taiwan and Denmark.

Occasionally we switch the time around, and admittedly we're still trying to find the best times for the Spring 2008 class.

The Module 3 discussion was lively and a lot of fun. Questions came at me fast and fabulous, with the topics ranging from how to fill in #4 on the evaluation sheet to requests for clearer definitions on the order and significance of the aromatics family list versus the fragrance family list. I enjoyed every single moment of it, and the students posted their satisfaction and comprehension levels were high after the chat. All of the chat material is archived on everyone's hard drive, even if they weren't able to attend, so all a student has to do it check the messages at any time revisit the Q&A.

Some couldn't make it this time for work or log-on issues - one student was at a friend's house and on dialup and checked in just as we were signing off. I'm going to schedule a "shortie" live chat in the next week for those who missed the scheduled one. We communicate with each other on a daily basis in our private Yahoo group, so nobody feels left out. In total, there are almost 50 students, and many just lurk and soak it all in, much like the big Natural Perfumery Yahoo group. It's the nature of the artist, as I've found many are just shy and won't put their works or questions out there. Essentially, just like a real world classroom in a brick and mortar school ;-)

Today I held the live chat for the Fall 2007 students on a Sunday this time. They're in Module 7 and we were there help them work their past observations on the aromatics they're studying into workable vertical accords. Saskia in Belgium logged on despite a headache and a long day working - it was 9 PM her time. Lara in Spain was full of energy and brimming with lots of accords and observations to share. Our AU student was MIA, as were some others - the long holiday weekend definitely caused a bit of hookying! However, these students are well advanced in their studies, and know they will be able to catch up by reading the chat.

I originally held the chats on the class website, but found sometimes the javascript there booted people out - myself included. Yahoo has some problems, but so far nobody has been booted, so we using it exclusively now for chatting.

All the live chats are held about two weeks after the Module begins. When a Module launches, the students go to the class website to check the list of topics for that month's studies, find the checklist and assignments, listen to my recorded lecture and download any of the numerous forms I've provided for their record keeping.

I'm getting feedback that the lectures and live chats are the favorite parts of the learning experience. I have a (to me) funny Philadelphia accent, but feedback from the students is so very nice. They say they find my voice soft and soothing, and they like my sense of humor. As far as the chats to, it really helps to have "real time" feedback and the ability to interact with me and the other students as we work through questions about the assignment.

In the next week or so I'll upload bits of my lectures and snippets from the live chats here so y'all can get a glimpse of what is offered in the course.

What you won't get a glimpse of, just because it's so detailed and so full of educational materials is the enormous amount of information on the class website. The Primer is the core of the study, but it's just that - a Primer, a basic publication that is merely an outline and reference point for the entire body of work made available to the students. Every topic in the course is fleshed out by articles, downloadable forms, lectures, chats and detailed materials.

Perfumery study is long, involved and intense. There has to be dedication and passion - and my students, whether rising at 5 a.m. or staying up until Midnight, show they have it, and I am humbled and honored by their dedication.

Egyptologist David Mark to Guest in Natural Perfumery Class on Kyphi Incense

David Mark of Renaissance Aromas (website TBA shortly) and an Associate Member of the Natural Perfumers Guild will be a Guest Expert in my online Natural Perfumery class. David's topic will be Kyphi incense, the ancient Egyptian blend whose mystique and legend persists to this day. There are many "recipes" for Kyphi and for the Module 1 History section of my class, I give the students the option of choosing an ancient perfume or scent formula to recreate so that they get a hint of what was fashionable then. Overwhelmingly, they choose Kyphi. David has conducted scholarly research into Kyphi and graciously offered his services to me. I'm very thankful for his generosity, as it will give my students access to a great repository of information.

Here's how I broke the good news of David's schedule being firmed up in our class:

Well, guess why David can't meet with us this Saturday? Because he's going to a fabulous Egyptologist convention in Seattle! How cool is that?! Our Kyphi expert is right in the thick of it and I'm sure will be brimming with incredible facts and recipes to share.

So I've booked him for Saturday, May 3, 6PM Eastern US, 5PM Central US (his time) and late night in the EU and early morning the next day on "the other side of the world"  for our far-flung student body. David says he's longwinded, and will stay on board as long as you want him. ;-)

I think he might prepare a written outline for y'all before the class, and I'll post it here if he does. Then the questions will all be open freeform style.

Sounds great!

Anya
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Here's a quick Kyphi recipe I googled:

Kyphi is a mixture composed 
         of sixteen ingredients; of honey and wine, raisins and galingale, (pine) resin and myrrh, aspalathos and seseli; moreover, of mastic and bitumen, bulrush and sorrel, together with the two kinds of juniper berries (of which one is called major and the other minor), cardamom and sweet flag. And these ingredients
are not mixed by chance, but according to instructions cited in holy books, that are read to the incense makers while they mix them. Plutarch

yet another recipe:

"[Take 273 g each of mastic, pine resin, sweet flag, aspalathos, camel grass, mint and cinnamon.] Place the items in a mortar and grind them. Two-fifths of this will {turn out to} be in the form of liquid to be discarded. There remain three-fifths in the form of ground powder. [Take 1.5 lb each of cyperus, juniper berries, pine kernels and peker (unidentified)] Reduce the ingredients to powder. Moisten all these dry ingredients with [2.5 lb] wine in a copper vessel. Half of this wine will be absorbed by the powder [the rest is to be discarded].

Leave overnight. Moisten the [3.3 lb] raisins with [2.5 lb] oasis wine. Mix everything in a vessel and leave for five days. Boil to reduce by one-fifth. Place [3.3 lb] honey and [1,213 g] frankincense in a cauldron and reduce volume by one-fifth. Add to the honey and frankincense the kyphi macerated in wine. Leave overnight. Grind the [1,155 g] myrrh and add to the kyphi".

(Lise Manniche, Sacred luxuries, p. 51. See also Lise Manniche, An ancient Egyptian herbal, pp. 57-58.)

I'm so very pleased to be able to offer a glimpse into an ancient fragrant incense recipe from an expert in the field. These classes are so exciting!