Instrumental Tuition

I teach private music lessons from my home in Bristol where I have my piano to accompany and a large range of musical resources. I also obtain an enhanced CRB check and therefore am able to teach both children and adults. I encourage adults to attend the first few lessons with their child to ensure that the student feels comfortable in a new teaching environment.

Each lesson is tailored to each individual student. I am sensitive to each pupil's expectations from their lessons - some are learning for fun whilst others are working towards grades and University qualifications. Nevertheless, some aspect of enjoyment must be injected into each lesson. 

I aim to infuse as much variety into each lesson as possible, so that pupils enjoy their lessons and a large range of content and technique is covered to enhance learning.  Lesson content includes:

• The essential warm-up (scales, long-notes etc...)
• A range of studies to improve technique
• Musical works in a style chosen by the pupil
• Duets to improve sight reading and for fun
• Music Theory exercises
• Aural exerises for graded exams

I try to link each activity to maintain a sense of continuity.  For example, studies often focus on a technical aspect that a student finds difficult in a piece that they are learning.

I firmly believe that learning will progress more effectively if the pupil enjoys the music that they are creating. Therefore my lessons are flexible and genres of music are determined by the pupil. Nevertheless, I try to introduce pupils to a range of content to broaden their musical knowledge and introduce them to new styles.  I am an encouraging teacher and use constructive criticism that is always positive.

Beginners

With beginners I aim to encourage progress through including a fun element in each lesson - I use lots of duets to improve the reading of a musical stave, fun exercises and games to incorporate theory, and well known pieces (such as The Lion King) so that students enjoy their repertoire and feel a sense of progression. I am also conscious of improving technique (ensuring the correct embouchure, tonguing and breathing), although I aim to do this through using fun exercises to initiate a natural progression.

Advanced

With my more advanced pupils, I aim to increase the variety of repertoire and concentrate on technique. I generally incorporate a different study each week that focuses on an element that needs to be improved in addition to working on a selection of musical works. With those students who wish to take exams, I generally follow the ABRSM board, and therefore repertoire is pre-determined; however, I still encourage a range of styles to be studied. Within my teaching, I aim to improve aural awareness through briefly analysing the music with the pupil and I find that this improves the pupil's interpretation of the piece. 

Music Theory Tuition

An element of music theory is incorporated into my instrumental lessons.  However, music theory examinations are essential to those pupils who wish to take graded exams and excel from grade 5.  My method of teaching involves many exercises and practise exam papers that I usually issue as homework to be discussed in the following lesson.  I also incorporate my own exercises, such as compositional tasks, to revise the theory that has been taught.  I find that these lessons also improve a pupil's performing abilities in instrumental lessons, such as sight reading and aural awareness.

GCSE/A-Level Tuition

Pupils follow different exam boards depending on their school, and therefore each lesson will require different content.  I include tasks that I also incorporate in my school lessons to broaden a student's knowledge.  Pupils will have difficulties with different areas and therefore, once these areas have been identified, I aim to devise tasks that focus on these areas of the syllabus.  I try to make these one-to-one lessons exciting and aim to use musical examples that appeal to the student to maintain their interest and enthusiasm.