49A Pender Street, Thornbury VIC, Australia
Violin Lessons | Artist development, Aural Lessons, Song Writing Workshops, Theory Lessons, Composition Lessons, Jazz Improvisation Lessons, Mixing and Mastering Lessons, Skype Lessons
Bio
I began teaching in my third year of University in 1997 when I helped my student prepare for her successful audition into the Bachelor of Music course for the University of Southern Queensland. After graduating I moved to the UK and started teaching privately, as well as playing music for weddings, bands and theatre companies.
I moved back to Melbourne, Australia early 2020 and now teach students learning Classical, Folk and Jazz. During the Melbourne lockdown I completed a solo album of Eastern European folk songs mixed with electronic beats and bass for a new project called: ‘Vampire Pumpkins & Watermelons’ which I look forward to performing live. I also recently formed a gypsy jazz group called ‘Tiger Jam’ and a weddings/function band playing old style jazz ballads.
I am a very friendly and easy going person and have adopted a relaxed yet goal-oriented approach to teaching that can reach the highest standards. I believe the more comfortable a student is during a lesson the better the musical results!
Teaching Info
I like to focus on playing rather than talking, so the first thing to do is to get out the violin and have a go at playing what you want. That could mean going through the piece you’ve been practicing, a new piece you’d like to work on or if it’s the first lesson then play for the feel; experiment with the sounds that come from slow bowing, fast scraping or even plucking and tapping. From here we can go through the specific techniques to support whatever music the student is working on. These include bowing and finger techniques; how to read music notation and memory work. I support students by demonstrating technique, then playing along as they apply what they have learnt.
When it comes to beginning specific pieces I like to start with the classics; ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ and ‘Dark Eyes’, which are simple to learn without music. When we have applied the basics of technique to these simple tunes it is time to move on and learn new pieces/improvisation in the style the student prefers: Classical, Folk, Gypsy or Jazz improvisation.