Hello and welcome.
If you have arrived at this page, I suspect you are either a student looking for music lessons or a parent looking for lessons or tutoring for your child.
I have over 30 years experience teaching clarinet, recorder, piano, choirs and theory as well as classroom music experience.
I began learning the piano aged 5 and then the cello aged 10 because I ‘wasn’t allowed’ to learn a woodwind instrument as it was believed that my lungs were not well enough developed! Oh thank goodness things have moved on!
At the age of 17 I attended the London College of Music where I studied the clarinet and then progressed to the University of Huddersfield to study for a BMus (Hons) under the tutelage of Alan Haydock then of the Halle Orchestra.
After my degree I moved to the University of Durham whereupon I gained my PGCE and went on to teach for several years in Newcastle upon Tyne. During this time I also played clarinet with the New Tyneside orchestra. I have also played principal clarinet with the Abingdon Symphony Orchestra. I then undertook a Masters of Arts in Music Education at Trinity Laban Conservatoire.
Until recently I worked as a music teacher in a primary and secondary school and as head of Religious Studies, as well as working as a moderator at Trinity Laban Conservatoire. I have also worked with young people on improving their study skills. I have since taken very early retirement from classroom work to concentrate on my private students, performing and studying part time for a PhD at Birmingham City University.
I teach to suit the student and there is never any pressure to take exams or to learn other than for pure enjoyment. My youngest student is 6 and my oldest is in their seventies!
On the other hand, for those that are wanting to take exams, I have significant experience and a 100% pass rate with ABRSM, Trinity College and LCM. I have also taught many students with specific learning needs such as dyslexia and ASD. My pedagogy includes many teaching methods to aim to suit the student. I am also a trained Montessori teacher. Please contact me using my contact page to discuss you or your child’s needs.
Qualifications:
University of Huddersfield - BMus (Hons) 1983
University of Durham - PGCE 1984
University of Bedfordshire - Diploma in Higher education - Antenatal Education
Diploma in Early Years Education - Montessori International
Trinity Laban Conservatoire - MA The Teaching Musician 2021