Information About Emma - Bedford teacher -

(3 reviews)

Personal Description:

I have 20 years of teaching experience in piano, composition, aural training, theory and general musicianship, and I'm an Associate Fellow of The Higher Education Academy.
I currently offer private tuition in:
Piano
Sight reading
Composition
Aural training
Theory
A Level / IB music
GCSE music

​Emma-Ruth is a composer born in the UK in 1985. Her deeply expressive and highly charged music has been championed by many ensembles and soloists in the UK and internationally. She is acclaimed for her understanding of both instrumental and vocal writing and her music has been described as “accomplished” (Times), and “simply beautiful” (Opera North, Bachtrack) - “She is a composer at the top of her game…possessing exceptional refinement and subtlety with a gift for writing lucid, impassioned and compelling music” (Musical Opinion).
Emma-Ruth read music at Cardiff University and then completed her PhD at the Royal Northern College of Music. She has been mentored by composers such as Alexander Goehr, Oliver Knussen, Judith Weir, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, and Colin Matthews.

Tutoring Experience:

I have been teaching privately for 20 years.
I am a faculty member of the International Chetham's Piano Summer School teaching both piano and composition.
Bedford Boys School - Visiting Music Tutor 2015-2020
In recent years I have taught and/or given lectures at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Junior Academy, Royal Academy of Dance, Epta, and The Royal Northern College of Music. I have also got experience in delivering education outreach projects with orchestras such as Milton Keynes City Orchestra, Manchester Camerata and Belfast University.
I am fully CRB checked.
I also offer 30 min lessons for £20

Tutoring Approach:

I only teach students who have a piano (or graded hammer action keyboard) at home so that they can practice in between lessons.

With young children I work with a series of colours for each note on the piano and help them write musical stories with these coloured keys and stickers. I use composition and improvisation as a tool to engage very young children and develop their creativity and imagination alongside learning basic music language such as forte, treble clef, bass clef, C major scale, chromatic, crescendo, staccato, legato etc. I combine my approach with using the Fanny Waterman "Animal Magic - me and my piano" book with exercises based on different animal movements for example: galloping like a horse, clinging like a caterpillar, climbing like a spider, swinging like a monkey etc. I teach rhythm through clapping exercises and animation.

With slightly older children I focus on learning musical scales and securing a good technique whilst gradually teach them how to play fun pieces that they recognise as well as introducing them to a mixed style of classical repertoire from composers such as Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky etc. We start with playing hands separately until they are really confident with the notes in each hand and then build up a collection of easy pieces hands together.

I always discuss the possibility of doing graded exam syllabus (such as ABRSM grades 1-8) but also very happy to teach repertoire and not follow any exam syllabus i.e. to learn for personal achievement and fun. If students want to take exams I offer full tuition in all that is required to pass exams including aural, general musicianship and music theory but always supplement this process with exercises (e.g. Hanon, Czerny) and other repertoire that they want to play outside of the exam syllabus.