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 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 currently play principal clarinet with the Abingdon Symphony Orchestra.
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 graduate forum moderator at Trinity Laban Conservatoire. 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 learn other than for pure enjoyment. 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. 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