Information About Laurence - Cardiff teacher

Personal Description:

I've been playing music since about 6 years old. Starting early on the piano and then moving on to trumpet in my teenage years.
I grew very fond of playing during these years and during A-level I began composing original music, which led me on to study a masters degree in Composing at Cardiff University.
At Cardiff I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by some truly exceptional musicians of all disciplines. We were all given excellent mentoring and opportunities to write for ensembles as well as perform! My first piece White Horses at Sea was premiered in the Dora Stoutzker hall (Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama) which spurred me on to write as often as a I could. Also, the Uni supported a Jazz Orchestra, Big Band, Brass Band, Brass Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra, all fantastic outlets for honing both trumpet playing and composing skills. Having such a wide range of influences has enabled me to have the tools to play/write/teach in many styles.
Since graduating I have had the pleasure of playing and writing with several music outfits, most notably the Afro-Funk Hip Hop band Afro Cluster and the International DJ High Contrast! Being a professional musician is a realisation of a childhood wish and I'm keen to pass on any encouragement I can to anyone interested in pursuing music!

Tutoring Experience:

I've been teaching brass privately since 2015. In School, I've been teaching since 2020; online lessons, zoom lessons, individual lessons in primary and secondary school plus group and full-class music lessons. Also, I have had a few casual students over the years for both piano and trumpet, but I'm hoping to move forward with my teaching now that I have the freedom of a freelance professional! I'm very excited to pass on the lessons I've been taught, the lessons I've learned of my own accord but also to learn more myself about the instruments I play. There is always something more to learn and experiencing development in this way is a very healthy and satisfying thing!

Tutoring Approach:

Learning music has such a wealth of potential avenues that it's difficult to choose an approach without first knowledge of the student! Music is a very personal art form. I think a teacher has to be completely open to the mentality of the student, child or adult. The most important thing for adults is the ability to experience the sessions together, agreeing on a path down which to travel and learn. The most important thing for younger students is the engaging nature of the lesson. This is true for any discipline!
Understanding of the techniques is absolutely fundamental, however, also fundamental is the joy of playing an instrument, or the joy of creating music using theory. A balancing of the two ideas is very important in my opinion, but the bottom line for me is that music is fun, really cool and therapeutic beyond measure.