TEACHING
I have over 20 years' experience teaching pupils from primary school level to secondary school and university students.
Between 2012 and 2025 I was Director of Music at Westminster Abbey Choir School, teaching 8 to 13 year olds a specialist music curriculum that took pupils through to ABRSM Grade 5 theory and beyond with a curriculum that included theory, composition, analysis and music history, alongside elements of music technology and production. . Previously I was composer-in-residence at Bedford School, teaching GCSE, A-level and IB music. I have also supervised harmony and counterpoint, composition and dissertation subjects for the University of Cambridge music tripos. Besides my work in professional theatre I have a successful track record of directing music for youth theatre, leading courses for several theatre summer schools including Pollyanna Summer School in Wapping, TwoCan Inclusive Summer School, Theatre Studio Summer School at the Cheltenham Playhouse, and the Cheltenham Everyman Summer School.
I offer both online and in-person* tuition in the following areas:
- Aural training including preparation for auditions and for ABRSM and Trinity exams.
- Music theory including work towards the ABRSM theory exams.
- Composition lessons: creative advice and technical foundations for composition in any style. This can include work towards the ABRSM's new Creative Musicianship qualification.
- Tuition and revision support for GCSE and A-level music topics.
*Haywards Heath or East London
My lessons are tailored to meet individual needs: music is a broad and technical subject, and my approach is to identify and cultivate strengths as well as offering clear and accessible support for weaker areas. I am experienced in demystifying the challenges of music theory and at finding strategies that make sense of tricky exercises. Practice is often the key to mastering musical skills and I set regular, focused exercises to develop fluency, but as a composer I am always alive to creative approaches to ensure that written work feels relevant and applicable (I don't believe music should ever remain purely as ‘theory’!). By engaging with real musical examples in different genres, I seek to encourage and develop a genuine enthusiasm for the subject in all of its variety and complexity, building an understanding that will open up musical expression at the highest standard. My pupils consistently achieve high exam results, and moreover often come away with a love for music that has been successfully pursued at university and beyond.
For further details and to register interest in lessons, please get in touch!