Winchester Flute School

ine (Zoom, Skype etc). I adopt a very relaxed approach to teaching and try to make each lesson stimulating and enjoyable, while at the same time furthering your flute-playing technique and musical knowledge. You might even get a cup of tea if you come round for a try-out lesson! I have been playing the flute since I was 8 years old – music has always been a massively important part of my life and career. I studied at the Royal Academy of Music for 5 years, winning several prizes and played professionally before I took up my full-time job as Head of Woodwind and Brass at St Swithun’s School Wi******er. Since moving on in 1999, I have completed a Master’s Degree and PhD whilst continuing to teach the flute at a high level and continue with my writing about music. I have supported numerous flute pupils doing exams and diplomas with considerable success. I teach pupils from the age of 8 to 88, at all levels ranging from beginner to Grade 8 – and way beyond that too, having played professionally at a high level myself. I have a lot of experience as a performer on flute, piccolo and alto flute, in orchestras, bands, chamber music, and as a soloist with orchestra and in solo recitals, as well as having much experience as a conductor and director. I can also help you with GCSE and A level performances, as well as programme note writing for diplomas etc, flute lessons for grade exams, specialist piccolo lessons, sight-reading, aural-tests, chamber music, flute groups and choirs or orchestras, classical composition, arranging, orchestration and adapting scores, transposing, music appreciation, recordings analysis, essay writing. At Wi******er Flute School we have regular concerts in my studio. This gives an opportunity to play your grade solos with a professional accompanist (who can also accompany grade exams) and we often play flute chamber music for fun. This all helps to build up performance confidence, and you have a chance to hear other aspiring flute players perform and some beautiful flute music. I am very well qualified: GRSM (Hons), MA, PhD, LTCL (Mus Ed), MISM. I also teach music theory to Grade 8, and have had 100% pass rate teaching Grade 5 theory, either ABRSM or Trinity. I am currently an examiner for Trinity College of Music as well as full member of the ISM (Independent Society of Musicians). I am fully insured and hold an enhanced CRB check certificate. (INFORMAL INTRODUCTION)
My musical path began at the age of 7 when I began to learn the recorder in class lessons at the local primary school. My parents were amazed when they could recognise the tune I was playing! By the way, it was Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. I don’t quite know how they did it, but they managed to get me some flute lessons from a wonderful woman, Atarah Ben Tovim, who was the then principal flute of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Of course she later became world famous for her children’s concerts with Atarah’s Band. She was an amazingly inspiring teacher, and I aim to emulate some of her enthusiasm and joie de vivre. She also sent me for piccolo lessons with Pat Morris, the then piccolo in the Liverpool Phil, who was later the BBC Symphony Orchestra principal piccolo for many years and someone you might have seen on the Last Night of the Proms TV programme. Both incredibly good teachers, and I was extremely fortunate to learn with them for so long. Playing the flute well was a natural thing to do for me, although excellence some aspects of it have only been achieved by sheer hard work (for example, double-tonging or those wretched top notes!). I went to Chetham’s School of Music for sixth form. This was superb musical training, and I continued playing in Youth Orchestras. By the age of 16, I had ABRSM Grade 8 flute, Grade 6 theory and Grade 5 piano and an O level in music – amongst other O levels. A level music followed. The Royal Academy of Music was also superb musical training. Because I won a few prizes, I was able to spend 5 years learning with another of my musical heroes, Gareth Morris, who had been for 25 years principal flute of the Philharmonia Orchestra – a truly world class orchestra. I also won Countess of Munster funding to study with Sebastian Bell, who was then a member of London Sinfonietta, and mainly concentrated on contemporary music. As a student, I was able to support myself by teaching in independent schools in London and the home counties, and this work helped me move seamlessly into freelance playing. I gave many recitals across the country as part of the Countess of Munster young artist’s scheme as well as playing concertos with orchestras whenever I could. As I have equally good facility on the flute, piccolo and alto flute, I specialised in contemporary chamber music and orchestral work, travelling regularly to play in my favourite orchestra, the Liverpool Phil. I married in the late 80s, and because we wanted to buy our own house, we started to look at moving away from London – there was no way we could afford London prices! I was lucky enough to land my dream job with the first application. As Head of Woodwind and Brass at St Swithun’s Wi******er UK, I was able to develop my flute teaching, directing and conducting – we all had conducting lessons as part of the GRSM course. It was a marvellous job and lovely to be working with keen teenage musicians. My favourite moments there include directing the Jazz Band, conducting Kurt Weill’s Threepenny Opera Suite and leading the whole school informal carol singing with the help of the Concert Band. We had a couple of flute choirs too, one of which was grade 6 and above, as well as post-grade 8 flute quintet. I’m happy to tell you more about this time of my life when I meet you – it was musically very busy and at a very high standard. After a brief move back to London in the early noughties and a brief foray back into the independent school flute-teaching scene, I have been teaching at home, combined with my academic studies, which you can read about in more detail on https://www.academia.edu/. I regularly attend British Flute Society (BFS) events and the occasional academic conference. Sometimes I write and present an academic paper myself as well as contributing articles to the BFS magazine, Pan. I keep up to date with all the current examining board exam requirements and pieces plus the supporting tests. Although I teach both ABRSM and Trinity exam syllabuses I prefer Trinity, not just because I am an examiner for them, but feel that it is more useful musical training and fits well with GCSE music if you are doing it. Trinity theory is especially good because again it complements GCSE music and provides a really good grounding for any would-be musician at any level, in a way that other exam boards do not. Lessons take place in my own spacious and light music studio at home where we also have a good quality upright piano, which has a beautiful tone! We have a parking space on the drive for students. I hold regular concerts in the studio using a professional accompanist. I believe that it is really important to practice performing if at all possible in order to build up confidence. I use the same excellent accompanist and recommend that she is used for other concerts and exams. It is lovely to play in front of an appreciative and supportive audience, especially if you are going to be doing an exam or diploma. I hold concerts regular concerts: in winter it’s nice to get together to play and sing a few carols, and the 12 Days of Christmas is a fun favourite. In summer it is nice to spill out into our beautiful garden, and maybe enjoy a convivial glass of wine or juice with your fellow performers and audience after performing. I am a full member of the ISM (Independent Society of Musicians) which provides me with professional and legal advice and support, together with further training opportunities and Public Liability Insurance. I am also a member of the Royal Musical Association (RMA), and the University Women’s Club. As a member of the British Flute Society I keep up to date online and through their journal Pan. Trinity College of Music provides a link with other developments. I teach lessons of 30, 40 or 60 minutes, depending on the standard and age of the student and whether or not they are studying for exams. Parents are encouraged to stay during lesson if they wish to, especially with small children. Parental input is quite important with supporting very young children in building up a good practice habit and backing up what is said in lessons. Whereas some music theory is taught during the lesson, if you want to take a music theory exam you will need additional lesson time. In preparing for exams, you may also need to learn scales, arpeggios, and polish up your sight reading skills. Fortunately, in Trinity grades there are some alternatives in the lower grades, and it is important to prepare for the parts of the exam that everyone dreads! I aim to teach scales in an interesting way, and quite often we do a bit of improvising to help this and build up confidence, though there is never a substitute for putting in enough concentrated time to feel secure with these – after all, most music is made up from scales and arpeggios! Aural training is another useful skill, most notably in hearing how you yourself are playing and checking if what you are playing is right. Trinity Aural tests are very different (and very do-able) and much more use that other exam boards. I enjoy helping this aspect, and it is again very compatible with GCSE requirements or even what you might need in a choir. The most important thing to me when teaching the flute is to see players gain confidence and enjoy what they are doing. Everyone is so unique and special, and it is a matter of pride for me that I help each individual to learn the flute and play as well as they can, at their own individual standard.