Information About Natalie - Rowland's Castle teacher -

(7 reviews)

Personal Description:

I am a friendly and patient tutor with a real love for my instrument and for teaching. I began learning piano at the age of 5 and was very fortunate to have had a teacher who was both inspiring musically, and great fun. I believe this experience has been influential in making me passionate about creating the most positive experience possible for my own pupils, especially beginners.

I began my musical career as a session musician in the 1980's, touring the UK and Germany for a number of years playing many different styles of music from light classical to jazz and blues. Later I began teaching and returned to full time education to complete my performance degree. I now teach full time and plan to return to performing at local venues in addition to teaching.

Tutoring Experience:

I have over 20 years teaching experience with pupils of all ages. My youngest pupil at the moment is 6, although i have taught pupils as young as 5. My oldest pupils are in their 70's and enjoy playing for fun and to keep their minds active. I teach beginners to grade 8 and am happy to say that every pupil I have entered for piano performance exams have passed with flying colours, with most achieving distinction or merit. I also prepare pupils for ABRSM music theory exams.

Although my background is in jazz and classical music, many of my teenage pupils enjoy more current musical genres, from game music to Alicia Keyes. As a result I am now well versed in teaching such popular styles of music, as well as giving instruction in composing popular music.

Tutoring Approach:

It is my aim to create a friendly and relaxed environment in which to teach, as in my experience this leads to more productive lessons. It is much easier for pupils to learn if they are actually enjoying themselves. However, the content of each lesson is always structured to provide consistent guidance regarding all aspects of music making.
I am especially focused on ensuring my pupils adopt good technique from the outset and in helping them to develop a solid sense of time as early on as possible.

My approach is tailored to suit each pupil; at higher levels the lessons tend to be more intense, whereas for very young pupils the lessons tend to be more light hearted.

My belief is that it is essential to teach good technique from day one and the first few lessons emphasize the importance of this. I also like my pupils to think about what they want to achieve from lessons and what sort of music they enjoy listening to. Keeping pupils aware of their goals as well as having some fun along the way all goes towards keeping motivation high.