What instruments do you teach?
In Summary:
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Flute, Electronic Keyboard & Saxophone: up to Grade 8
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Clarinet to Grade 4
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Recorder to Grade 2
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In Detail:
Flute – Having gained my Grade 8 at the age of 16 this was my principal study during my degree in Music at the University of Liverpool, I also studied under the guidance of Ruth Morley at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (formerly RSAMD) as part of their Continuing Education programme.
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Electronic Keyboard – this was the first instrument that I had lessons in. I took exams through the Victoria College of Music and was awarded a Fellowship Diploma in teaching from this college aged 17. As a teacher I now prefer to enter my own students for examinations through the Trinity Guildhall School of music as I feel their syllabus is better at preparing students for the transition from Keyboard to piano.
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Saxophone – When my first recorder pupil decided that she would like to progress to Saxophone I took up the challenge of teaching myself the instrument ensuring that I was always at least a couple of pages ahead in the tutor book. That pupil went on to continue her studies at the Saturday Morning Junior School of the Royal Conservatoire of Music in Scotland, so my lessons can’t have been all that bad! Since then I continued to teach myself, gaining a distinction in Grade 8 in spring term of 2012 whilst 4 or 5 months pregnant with my son. Earlier the same year I played the most prestigious gig of my life in the horn section of 80’s Ska Legends Bad Manners. I also regularly “depped” on the saxophone for Edinburgh based Ska Band Pork Pie, my biggest gig with them being the party to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Forth Road Bridge, a gig attending by around 5000 people.
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Clarinet – the latest string added to my bow so to speak. Many of the skills of playing Flute and Saxophone are transferable to the Clarinet. I feel confident teaching this instrument to Grade 4 standard after which I would help any aspiring Clarinettists to find a specialist teacher.
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Recorder – I find that playing the recorder beyond Grade 3 or 4 is incredibly difficult, I miss having all the keys and levers that make playing other woodwind instruments so much easier in many respects. For this reason I only teacher recorder to beginners until they decide it is time to move onto another woodwind instrument. In the event I do get a pupil who wants to get into some serious recorder playing I’ll either need to find a specialist teacher or will need to get practising to improve my own skill level on this instrument.
