Information About Emma - Ardrossan teacher -

(7 reviews)

Personal Description:

I am a graduate of the Newcastle Folk Degree and I'm now based in Ayrshire. I have been playing the fiddle for 21 years and the clarsach (celtic harp) for 18 years. Since then I have become an accomplished player of traditional music. I attended the RCS Junior Academy when I was younger where I developed my technique and ability greatly. In 2007, I won the North Ayrshire Traditional Musician of the year. Throughout my years of training in music, I have been taught by many great players of Scottish music including Catriona MacDonald and Patsy Reid.

I have a great deal of experience in performing. As part of a traditional group I was involved in as a teenager, I performed gigs in Sweden, Spain, France and Slovenia. I have performed at many big venues and events around the UK including King Tuts in Glasgow, The Cavern Club in Liverpool and The Sage Gateshead, amongst others. I also regularly perform at weddings, ceilidhs and even on cruise ships.

Tutoring Experience:

I have been teaching music since I was a teenager in various environments including private tuition and leading and assisting in group workshops at festivals. I have always had a passion for education and helping others. I started off as a shadow tutor for my teachers, and learned lots of useful skills through this.

I have been teaching one to one lessons for both adults and children for around 9 years. Throughout my time teaching privately I have been praised for my friendly and patient approach to teaching and helping all of my pupils to overcome issues in their playing.

I have also been teaching harp at Arran High school for 6 years. I taught an adult fiddle and harp class for 7 years through North Ayrshire council and prepared arrangements for the groups, leading to an end of term concert.

I have been a regular fiddle tutor at both the Cambridge Folk Festival and Sidmouth Folk Week in England. At these festivals, I taught fiddle workshops to a range of ages and abilities which often lead to a showcase performance. I taught beginner fiddle to kids and adults and have also lead a 'learning by ear' workshop to adults. I have also initiated and lead my own fiddle workshop at the Marymass Folk Festival in Irvine and taught in harp workshops for beginners.

I have a wealth of experience and knowledge in teaching music which I further developed at university through modules which were specifically about music teaching.

Tutoring Approach:

I seek to always provide the best possible service to my pupils and for me that means catering to meet each individual pupils needs. I am an experienced and friendly teacher who has worked with a range of ages and abilities. I can help with learning tunes, technical ability and learning by ear on both fiddle and the clarsach. I seek to work on music which the tutee is interested in, whether that be folk, blues or pop - I am happy to help! I also help my tutees to read music - if that is something they are interested in.

I seek to help every person I work with to reach their full potential. I am understanding of the challenges of learning an instrument and am very supportive and encouraging of my students, whilst offering constructive advice to help make good progress. I want all of my students to develop a love of music and so it's important to me that lessons are fun and effective. I also offer my students performance opportunities, which are optional.

I can help students work towards graded exams and school exams in Scottish music, however this is not something I will push on students. I understand that exams can provide a goal to work towards and can help students progress, but they are not for everyone and also they are not the only marker for success. Every student has their own musical goals and I want to help them towards that, whether that's working towards exams, becoming a more confident player or just wanting to learn for fun!

If you would like some more information on the services I offer, please do not hesitate to contact me.