My rates are from Grade 1-4 £38 per hour and from Grade 5 £40 per hour

I have kept my rates lower than most teacher for many years. However, I also have to be competitive and over the past 5 years I have noted that my charges for teaching Grade 5 upwards was at least £5-10 below the standard charges of most teachers.

No you do not need to undertake any exams if you wish to learn a musical instrument.

Exams are benchmarks for you to understand where you are at that given time. However,exams mean nothing if you do not keep up your study.

It's your choice.

You need firstly to make sure you wish to undertake the whole process of learning and be able to commit to practice. Price is another factor as well as space. If you wish to learn for fun and also exams there are many good keyboard out there. Electric pianos are no more common and a good starting piano would be something like the Yamaha P45. Above Grade 3/4 you may wish to spend around £800 for an electric piano such as Roland or Yamaha

Unfortunatley, I do not travel to people as I do not have the luxury of time to do so.

Presently, 90% of teachers have moved to online lessons as now this seems to be the most practicle way to learn a musical instrument. For my current students over 98% now prefer online lessons and only a few would like a mix of both. This is something that I would hope to return to when it is safe to do so because of Covid.

I will be offering students the opportunity to attend face to face lessons just before their examinations. They will attend 2 sessions. I am also considering opening face to face for 1x per month for students who really want face to face but also happy to be taught online. Masks will be required and anyone who has had contact with someone with Covid, will need to be taught online. ( Those with Colds/Coughs will not be allowed face to face)

presently all my students are taking Trinity Online Examinations for their Grades from Grade 1-8. It is now the preferred Exam Board and the music involved seems to offfer my students more Character and is more enjoyable.

I have always had a strike system in place. This is to preotect my business reputation and also that of the parents spending money on a service that is not working because their child may not wish to learn or their is no support from within the family.

A strike will last the whole year and is removed at the start of the following year.

Sadly, many parents do not realise that their children do not study and will try and find every excuse to escape from learning. The Strike System is not meant to be based on fear but to let both pupil and parents that to learn one must be willing and be honest. It works very well.

No they will not certainly not until 2025 when I may have to review, however, it is very doubtful that I will do so as I will always remain competitive and never over charge for my services.

Most teachers charge £2-3extra pr year. I have kept my charges lower for the last 6 years. Unfortunatley with electric prices and other charges I now have to compete with other teachers.

1) To teach music based upon the students capability

2) To enable the students to have a skill for life

3) To allow the student to explore a new skill, reading and composition

4) To have fun, to smile, learn from their heart

5) To increase the students capacity to learn other subjects

6) To allow the student to make friends

7) To take a shy student and break down barriers for life

8) To enable a student to understand how to work with time, deadlines and exams

9) To enable my students a wealth of knowledge, not just in music

10) To allow my students to be creative, positive and to accomplish their goals, to understand themselves and opening their hearts and minds.

My lessons are 1 hr long and nothing less as you won't learn much under that time. There are schools and teachers that will offer 30, 45 min services but it something I have never done due to how quick 1 hour goes in a music lesson. They are also 1-1 lessons

This is based upon the need of every student as every student is different, however I do keep to the same teaching style with all regarding their homework etc. The style of teaching may change if a student has learning difficulties but I treat them all the same.

An hours lesson is required because one can't teach a studnet who might be upset about something, or that they may have had a difficult day at school or somnething is on their mind. My first step is to establish how their day or week has been. This gives me a better idea as to how the lesson will flow and follow. If a student has concerns, it will affect their lesson.

I have found in many of my lessons that students feel much better to talk about an issue before they begin. I do have to try and be aware of time in cases like this and on the odd occassion my lessons have engaged in trying to comfort, help and possibly reason with the student in their own problem. For instance ( bullying). A child may feel the need to talk about a situation and too afraid to tell their parents first. They may wish for me to intervene and if it is suitable to do so I will. If there is any endangerment and I beleive that the child is at risk I will condider what is in the best interests of those all involved and use the resources that I have at hand to do so.

The Lessons

1)This will start with the engagment of how their day and week has been.

2) Scales

3) Learning from the books that are suggested and I have used for years this will include homework given the week before.

4) New pieces

5) Question and Answers.

6) New Homework given