Information About Pablo - Hampstead teacher

Personal Description:

I'm a 23 year-old guitarist, singer/songwriter and composer from Madrid, Spain, who has just graduated from the Guildhall School of Music with a First Certificate and a final grade of 74.4. My parents both being classically trained singer/songwriters, I grew up in a very musical environment, developing a close relationship with instruments from a young age. I studied classical guitar at a prestigious music school in my home town for 10 years before going at Guildhall. Although I am currently working as a soundtrack composer for the Royal Court Theatre and have written music for various contemporary dance pieces, my main passion is songwriting. I have played my own songs at a variety of venues including Windmill Brixton, The Roundhouse (in support of my father's headline show there), at the Teatro Konex un Buenos Aires in support of Kevin Johanssen, at the La Serena Festival in Montevideo, Uruguay and in the Espacio Abantos in Madrid.
When I'm not writing songs, composing or teaching guitar you'll catch me immersed in a novel, watching films or doing sport in Hampstead Heath. Of late, I have been most interested in Russian and Spanish 19th century realism (Tolstoi, Dostoievski, Alas Clarín) as well as literature by black authors such as Bernadine Evaristo and Ralph Ellison. My favourite film directors include Aki Kaurismaki, the Coen Brothers, David Lynch and Paolo Sorrentino.

Tutoring Experience:

I have taught popular and classic guitar for around 4 years both independently and via agencies such as the London Music Centre and Fireworks music schools. At the moment I have 6 students spread across central London.

Tutoring Approach:

Over the years I have learned to value the importance of finding different approaches for each of my students. However, what is common to all is perhaps a continuous linking of the piece/song we are working on with their day-to-day experience. Towards the last segment of a lesson, I always try and leave some time to ask the student what music they have been listening to recently. I then learn that song or piece and teach it to them at the end of following lesson, once, say, the Grade exams material has been duly covered. After that, I discuss with the student the possible harmonic or rhythmic relations between the piece they have to study and the song. I believe that this is an effective way of maintaining that precious connection between a student and their instrument. Going further, I would say it avoids disenchantment with older forms of music by helping the pupil understand that all types of music are related to each other like one large family.