Who can learn? 

 

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In short - anybody. ( as long as you can devote some regular time in each week to practice )

 

I truly believe in two main aspects for success.   The first is a happy, humorous and fun / relaxed environment full of motivational material, and the second is mastering the absolute fundamentals and skillset for being a great pianist.  

 

A nice positive atmosphere relaxes you and this allows you to get the most out of the lesson.   It's much easier to learn from your mistakes if you don't view them as a disaster.  Yes of course, making mistakes is never a great thing to be doing and can be sometimes frustrating,  BUT if you aren't stressed about it, find the funny side etc, you are much more likely to be able to take a look at why it happened, and most importantly to be able to learn about preventing it in the future.  Your brain works so much better when it isn't in a stressed state, and is relaxed.  

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My philosophy / teaching Strategy 

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Fun, Humour, Laughter, Relaxed, Methodical, Thorough, Progress!

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The tuition you receive will be fully tailored and personal to you. Unlike a lot of video tutorials or apps, I am proud to be able to use my 35 years worth of experience to give you all the tools and skills you need to progress, and most importantly, at the right time for you, and only you.    This means you won't be trying to learn and struggle with something in Grade 4 standard when you are at Grade 2 etc,  This may sound like a very obvious thing, but I see this sort of thing a lot.  'correct skill / method, at the appropriate time '  

 

You will learn pieces you want to learn as part of your musical journey in addition to the fundamentals. I can extract technically difficult sections of any style of music, and use them as an exercise to improve that area, rather than always resorting to classical studies or exercises.  I love to be creative with these aspects of musical education.     

 

I will provide you with a firm grasp of the musical language whilst having lots of laugher and fun along the way.   You will have the option to take graded exams and also learn extensive music theory if you wish.  

 

Below are a few highlights of what I can offer you.....

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Classical Style Tuition (the very best form of musical education for any instrument) 

Graded Examinations 

Music Theory

Tonal Colour

Phrasing / Shaping

Musical Interpretation

Performance Skills / Performance Anxiety 

Sight Reading skills

Technical competence

Improvisation/Composition

Orchestrating, layering and texturizing / enhancing modern music and songs,  ( making the piano sound like a full orchestra rather than just a few basic chords )

Accompaniment

Following a conductor/Working in ensembles

Conducting or Musical Direction

Practise techniques and the philosophy of piano, music, how to practice etc

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In addition to classical piano I also teach other styles of music, such as Musical Theatre, Pop, Ragtime, Rhythm & Blues / Rock 'n Roll solo's and more.

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The phrase 'you cannot run before you can walk applies to learning a musical instrument too.  I take immense amount of pride in providing great long term skills, and work in such a way that allow students to progress, gaining knowledge techniques, and methods that allow them to have a 'skill for life' way of working, rather than just showing someone how it should sound and then letting them copy.  This just means that without full understanding of how and why to do something a certain way, they will just end up back to square one with the next piece they play.    By providing a thorough working method, theoretical understanding and most importantly 'how to practice efficiently ' each student is able to make much more progression than if they were learning through apps or YouTube tutorials.   You are making a great financial investment, that providing you practice the techniques and the methods that I show you,  you will make excellent progress.   

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Qualifications / Experience

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I have been playing since the age of 4, and a professional theatre and choir accompanist when I was around the age of 13.  I have been teaching for over 15 years and have a healthy variety of experience in different areas of the music industry.  It equates to over 20,000 hours of playing.

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I am a member of the Incorporated Society for Musicans and I am one of their registered private piano teachers on their database.  It is a powerful union  that is set up to look after musicians, teachers but also students and parents so you can have total peace of mind. If you want more information about it, please visit their website www.ism.org

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In addition to this I have all ABRSM practical exam grades including Grade 8 Distinction, and also Triple Distinction in BTEC National Diploma in Music.  I have gained the specialist piano teaching qualification; the Associated Board Diploma in Instrumental Teaching (DipABRSM).  I also graduated in 2014 with a BMus (Hons) Degree from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff.

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Lessons can be arranged to suit your financial and time needs.  

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There are videos of my students and myself on my YouTube channel.   

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BOOK YOUR FREE INTRO HERE

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Teaching Venue