Tag: teaching

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A New Beginning

My 28 years of working as a full-time member of the chorus at English National Opera will come to an end this spring. It has been a difficult couple of years for the company, and their decision to make all their musicians redundant is incredibly sad. But I am one of the lucky ones; it was always my plan to step back from performing and embrace the teaching full time, so this is the perfect opportunity to make that leap.

There have been so many amazing moments since I joined the company, and it has been a privilege to work with some of the world’s finest musicians and directors on the best stage in London. Too many wonderful moments to mention, although there is a clear winner for my favourite costume:

But no more balloon tutus for me! We must move on… and I am so excited to be able to teach full time. As all my pupils will know, fitting their lessons around my rehearsal and performance commitments has sometimes proved challenging, so being able to offer regular weekly lesson times is just one of the changes I’m really looking forward to.

I’m also excited to be able to offer piano lessons and music theory as well as singing. My approach will be the same: work on the things that you enjoy, focus on solid technique and the improvement and confidence will follow.

So please do get in touch if you would like to book a lesson, or if you have any questions. I look forward to hearing from you!

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New (old!) venue

The office space was an interesting experiment, but we decided early on that it doesn’t quite match up to the experience of singing in a space with a great acoustic and a real piano. So we have converted the front room of our house into a full time teaching room! I am so pleased with the result and can’t wait to start teaching there again. 

This year has been a real education in risk assessments! I am a member of the Incorporated Society of Musicians and have been following their guidance throughout, so the room has been designed with all their recommendations in mind. We will stay 3m apart during the lesson, I have scheduled gaps between students so there will be no crossover between you and anyone else, and the room will be fully ventilated and cleaned between each lesson. If you have any questions or concerns or would like to see the full risk assessment, please get in touch and I’ll be happy to share it. 

We have also made some acoustic adjustments, so it is a gorgeous space to sing in. The party wall with the neighbours has been fitted with soundproof insulation and acoustic plasterboard so we can make as much beautiful noise as we like without worrying about disturbing anyone else!  What a great way to end the year.