Available slots on: Mondays, Tuesdays
MUSIC LESSONS
For Adults and Children
VIOLIN | PIANO | MUSIC THEORY | DRUMS | VIOLA
In person
Beginner to Advanced
Private & shared lessons
Online & in person
Beginners
Online & in person
Beginner to Advanced
Private, shared & group lessons
In person
Beginner to Intermediate
In person
Beginner to Intermediate
Private & shared lessons
Lessons from £25(shared) & £45(private)
and Summer supervision for most instruments
MAIN LOCATIONS - SW London
ONLINE
KENSINGTON & CHELSEA
STREATHAM
NORTHERN LINE
CIRCLE & DISTRICT LINE
WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE BETWEEN STATIONS MORDEN-EUSTON
WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE BETWEEN STATIONS WIMBLEDON-WESTMINSTER
(AND WIMBLEDON- HIGH ST KENSINGTON)
MERTON
EUSTON
WIMBLEDON
VICTORIA LINE
WANDSWORTH
CROYDON
WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE BETWEEN STATIONS BRIXTON-KINGS CROSS
(Don't hesitate to get in touch if your area is not on the list!)
Learn Fun New Skills at Any Age
Each lesson provides a relaxed environment for young beginners to adult professionals to enrich themselves with an exciting and fulfilling new skill. I teach most age groups from adults (whether retired, working from home or otherwise!), homeschoolers and peripatetic in schools during the day, to primary and high school aged students on afternoons/evenings.
Whether you're preparing for exams or learning for leisure, each lesson will look at technique, aural (listening) skills, theory and musicianship, to encourage full expression and enjoyment of the music making process. In your lessons, as well as learning a new instrument and the joys that music brings to everyday life, you'll develop awareness and problem solving skills to apply to your own practice during the week. In this way, each week will see sustained consistent improvement with measurable progress whilst developing transferable learning tools to all aspects of life, work and school.
As somebody who grew up learning music in an area with little connection to the wider world of music education I am aware of how daunting learning an instrument can be for the first time. Because of this I put in the work to keep my students informed and prepared to be able to access the wider performance opportunities that will accelerate their learning, for example, by connecting students to appropriate ensembles and music hubs they are ready to join. For school aged students this means they’ll be able to connect with other young musicians from different schools, perform in world class venues, travel on summer tours and where appropriate, be directed towards school programmes and scholarships for more focussed musical training.
Lessons typically take place at the student's home. If you’re the parent/carer of a younger student it would be fantastic if you could join each lesson to help take notes and understand what your child will be practicing during the week, as this will also enable you to support them confidently if they need help between lessons. If we haven't already met beforehand, your first lesson will focus on finding out your goals and aspirations for your instrument, evaluating your current skill level in technique, theory and musicality, and ensuring that you have the tools you need (e.g. instrument, accessories, books etc) to get all the value that you can out of future lessons.
Lastly, some more info about myself: I’m a violinist, multi-instrumentalist and composer whose performance styles range from classical to jazz and contemporary music as both a live and session musician. As part of my work I play large events and festivals throughout the UK, and have written live music for audiences ranging from 5-15,000 people, including 2 orchestrations played in the Royal Albert Hall (once in 2023 and a return in 2024).
I started learning to play through ABRSM piano before picking up the violin as my main study and earning 8 distinctions in violin grades 1-8 in less than 6 years. Following a BMus in music at Newcastle University from 2015-2019 I began to develop my arrangement and orchestration skills as an intern in the classical department of a large West London parish church. I now work as a gigging and session musician playing live shows and events, and recording in the studio, and utilise this passion and experience for music performance to inform how I teach.
Violin & Viola
The violin is the main instrument that I teach for students ranging from complete beginners with no musical knowledge, more relaxed hobbyists and focussed students taking their graded exams and/or pushing themselves to play as well as possible.
Musicality is at the heart of every lesson. Beginner lessons start by learning foundational technique and musical understanding, with the first 2-3 lessons dedicated to understanding how to use the bow before incorporating the left hand step-by-step. This highly focussed approach ensures that the student can make a more beautiful sound at the earliest opportunity by internalising healthy playing habits from lesson 1, and often makes for increased enjoyment for both the player and listener!
Students at a more intermediate stage take an increasingly detailed look at more specific elements of their technique for a continually improving quality of sound, using their exam syllabus or current repertoire to identify technical issues and learn to make informed musical decisions.
Viola lesson take this same format with any key changes in approach relating to the clef, size of the instrument and bow, and gauge of the lower strings.
Piano
I teach beginner piano lessons up to grades 2-3 and currently offer a choice of online and in person lessons for adults and child learners.
The piano is an approachable instrument with lessons being appropriate for anybody wanting to get started with learning music. This instrument is how I got started, learning the piano up to ABRSM grade 8, and served as a strong foundation for picking up other instruments with intuitive ease. As a professional musician I now primarily use my piano skills as a composer and music director.
Depending on how old you are and whether you are working towards your first exams or just want to learn a song in the next few weeks, we can tailor our lesson plan to fit your goals. And in the process of learning you’ll pick up all the fundamentals for a lifelong enjoyment of music that can be transferred to almost every other instrument you may learn next.
If a music course is right for you, children will start with the John Thompsons Easiest Piano Course, whilst adults will use the Alfred Adult All-In-One piano course.
Music Theory
Theory shows us what’s happening under the surface of the music, and helps us to play with more colour, expression and overall, musicality. By learning these building blocks, beginners can read and write music for themselves and intermediate to advanced performers are helped to perform with more sensitivity, awareness and control.
These lessons are available in person and online as private 1-1 tuition or group classes up to 5 at a time. Most of these lessons will be built around the ABRSM syllabus starting at grade 1, with any advanced topic beyond grade 8 being addressed on more of a case-by-case basis.
Like learning to read and write a spoken language, theory gives us the vocabulary and grammar to communicate musical ideas and explore complex sound worlds that may not be accessible through playing on its own. As a result, the music we play becomes much more exciting as we explore the new possibilities available through understanding the theory behind the music.
Drums
The drum kit is a fun and intuitive instrument to play and one of my favourite ways to have fun in my free time. However, whilst anybody can hit a drum, almost all students of this instrument quickly realise how much coordination, timing, musicality in feel and brain power is really required to rise beyond a basic to intermediate level.
New students will begin with the basics of hand technique and timing, using concepts by the likes of Tommy Igoe and Tony Royster Jr to develop a posture that will serve for a lifetime of learning and sustained improvement. From there we’ll develop grooves, fills, techniques and learn songs in genres including pop, rock, jazz and Latin music.
These same concepts have empowered me to play for thousands as part of my professional work.
Practice Supervision
Practice is the most important part of learning any instrument and is the number 1 reason why some children quit learning whilst others exceed their peers in a short period of time.
Practice supervision sessions are designed to maximise the practice sessions between weekly lessons with structure and years of expertise that will help each student to rapidly improve. An important advantage of taking practice supervision is being able to make sense of the practice process during the week, ensuring that the right things are being reinforced correctly so that by the time the next lesson takes place your teacher can focus on making progress rather than correcting the mistakes made through misunderstanding or lack or careful practice.
These sessions are available for most instruments in addition to the instruments mentioned on this page, so whether preparing for a cello exam, exploring new areas of music on the guitar or looking to improve as much as possible between lessons, practice supervision is a fantastic way to make the most out of your weekly music lessons and see real progress from the very beginning.
FAQ
I want to start lessons. How do I book? The Easiest way to get started is to submit an enquiry with the form at the bottom of this page. It will ask you for the following details: Your name and contact info Location Instrument (e.g. violin, piano), Topic (e.g. music theory) and/or session type (e.g. practice supervision) Whether you want Private, Shared or Group lessons Your location Preferred Availability (the days of the week and times of day you are best available for lessons) And if you can, be sure to write a little bit about why or what you want to learn and/or what your aims are. Once you submit the form I'll message back via email to set a date for our first lesson.
How far in advance can I book my lessons? Summer is a busy time so you can book your first lesson up to 2 weeks in advance, or even begin scheduling for September onwards Once we've arranged a day and time our lessons will happen on a weekly basis until September unless cancelled or rescheduled beforehand. Lesson packages are also available to plan ahead or where more comprehensive scheduling is involved e.g. if booking multiple sessions of practice supervision per week.
Where do lessons take place? Lessons take place at your home, online (available for piano and music theory only) and for a limited number of students in my local area (or anyone willing to travel!) at my home studio in Southwest London Should none of these options work for you, we can arrange a 3rd party location, e.g. at school if teaching a group, or at a local church or practice studio, provided you’re happy to cover any potential costs of using an external space.
Do you teach outside of your main teaching locations? Still be sure to get in touch if you live outside of the Main Teaching Locations on this page. As well as teaching further away students online, I take on students outside of my usual areas on a case-by-case basis: 1.Teaching days are grouped by location, so if we find you live a practical distance from one of my other students, we can try to add you to the teaching programme for that day. This is how some of some newer locations were added to my list e.g. Streatham used to be out of range but is on the way home from a school I teach at for the day in Euston. 2.If you’re looking for multiple lessons a day (e.g. for 3 or more children), traveling out of range can usually be justified because there won’t be additional travel between these lessons, thus balancing out any potential lost lesson time making the trip. 3.Depending on how far you will be from my other students, if online lessons are not an option, in person lessons may be an option for those willing to pay a higher fee for travel time and expenses. This can range from only covering additional costs (e.g. fuel or a train fare) to covering any potential teaching time lost getting to and from your lesson.
Can you help me prepare for my exams? Yes! I can help with ABRSM, TRINITY and Rockschool exam prep. For any other exam boards let me know the board and grade you are taking and I’ll let you know if it’s something I am equipped to help with.
What teaching methods do you use? I use the Suzuki Method for most violin/viola beginners, the John Thompson course for young piano beginners and reference the Alfred Adult All-In-One course for adult piano learners. For more advanced students we'll use your current repertoire as well as introducing new pieces and exercises that will stretch you to work on specific techniques with a healthy focus on improving overall musicality to become a better, well rounded musician. If you're practicing for exams we'll take a similar approach, incorporating other materials as necessary whilst covering everything in your syllabus to master the exam material. Most theory lessons will focus on completing the ABRSM theory exams and will be tailored towards the capabilities of each student group. For drums we start with basic hand technique, patterns and fills, incorporating rudiments into our practice at an early stage. From there patterns, technical points and coordination exercises will gradually build in complexity. We'll also learn songs as a way to learn basic theory skills and explore new ways of playing, and lessons will likely pull ideas from the likes of Tommy Igoe.
Do you offer discounted lessons? Yes, you can enjoy full length lessons for a cheaper rate by taking shared or group lessons. Whilst you’ll get the same level of teaching for just over half the normal cost as a private lesson, benefits of group learning includes improved listening, timing, team work and musicianship, as well as faster learning from hearing more advanced students play.
Is the first lesson free? Yes, our first lesson will take the form of a short consultation (ranging from 15-45 minutes) for us to get introduced, find out your goals and make sure you have everything you need to make the most out of your upcoming lessons. By taking the time to get to know each other and evaluate your baseline skill level we’ll be able to choose the most appropriate learning path and teaching methods (e.g. some people start learning with method books whilst some may start with a song they want to be able to play). We'll also go over any necessary logistics such as lesson expectations and scheduling for the next few weeks of lessons. That said, the only time the first lesson won't be completely free would be: 1. If your location is quite out of the way of my main teaching locations and it won’t be possible for me to arrive to the introductory lesson either on my way to, in between of, or coming from my other prescheduled lessons. In such a case (where your location is a considerable journey from my main advertised teaching areas) I’d let you know from the beginning of the conversation if travel costs will be included in your lesson fees to cover costs and transit time, as these travel expenses will likely apply to all our lessons including your free introductory lesson. 2. If we've already spoken extensively enough that everybody is happy to jump right into the full practical sessions e.g. after a lengthy phone or zoom call where all the above has been covered at length and we all know we're a good fit for ongoing lessons, or if we've already built rapport in person and don't need to get introduced before committing to a lesson plan.
How do payments work? Summer lessons are booked and paid in advance by bank transfer using your student reference. It’s your choice whether to pay weekly or in monthly or termly instalments. For the rest of the year, an invoice will be sent at the end of each month and would typically need to be paid before commencing your next set of lessons. Whilst you have the choice to also pay weekly or bi-weekly, a monthly invoice is the easiest way to keep track of lessons each week and also saves the awkwardness of having to fetch your wallet every week!
How do shared and group lessons work? If you know who you intend to share your lessons with make sure you include their details alongside your own using the “…about yourself” text box, and use the location box to show where you want your lessons to take place (if you all live in a different house you may need to decide who will travel to who, or arrange a neutral location e.g. at school). From there we'll book our first lesson in as normal. If you don't have a lesson partner or group to share your lesson with but still want to learn with someone else for the learning benefits and/or reduced fees, submit the form as normal including inputting your own location, but request a shared or group lesson in your enquiry to be paired with another suitable student. In most cases a suitable student to pair with will be of a similar age, location and ability so that everybody is learning together. Group theory lessons don’t currently have a minimum size (provided it’s more than 1 person), and if you opt into group learning and don’t initially have your own group set up, your group can grow to 5 maximum students.
Is there a cancellation policy? To keep things running smoothly lessons can be rescheduled 48 hours before the start of your next lesson to later slot in the week. Because I’m an actively performing musician, this period is as short as possible for flexibility on both sides whilst ensuring lessons are undisrupted around my schedule. This also ensures I have enough time to use the slot for another student if needed.
Can I see your Enhanced DBS Certificate? Yes! For peace of mind I can send a copy of my enhanced DBS (albeit with sensitive info like my address and D.O.B redacted). If you want to see the physical copy, let me know before our first lesson and I'll make sure to bring it with me.