Information About Andrew - Dover teacher -

(3 reviews)

Personal Description:

I am a tutor of violin, viola to diploma level and I also teach piano, clarinet and music theory to students from beginner to intermedia**Contact Detail Removed**vel. I am a freelance viola/violinist living in East Kent who has performed with various ensembles, orchestral and chamber in London and Kent , since the mid-1980s after studying English at Cambridge University then viola postgraduate at the Guildhall. My career in education has continued to combine professional music with my main career teaching of English and Drama in schools, first in primary, then in secondary before moving to teach at Canterbury Christchurch university where I also completed a PhD in English Literature. I am now fully teaching music and freelancing on viola/violin mainly in Kent.

Tutoring Experience:

I have taught pupils of all ages on violin and viola from beginner to Grade 8, both privately and as a peripatetic visiting violin teacher while in London.
My professional music qualifications are an ARCM from the Royal College of Music on viola, and a Certificate of Advanced Study from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama but I also have a PGCE teaching qualification.
As an English specialist also, I have an MA (English) from Cambridge University and a PhD in English literature from University of Kent. I currently teach pupils at home privately (though also online during the lockdown) ages from 8 to 50.
More broadly , though, I have a great deal of experience as an educator, having worked as a teacher for 4 years in primary school (where I was music coordinator) and 8 years in Secondary school teaching English and Drama, then 17 years at Canterbury Christ Church specializing in English, Drama and Education but also teaching on modules for primary school music. As lead tutor of the PGCE English and Drama course for many years, I was responsible also for teaching and examining trainee teachers. I feel this gives me a strong background for understanding pupils of all ages and preparing them systematically towards success through enjoyment of their subject. My knowledge of adult learners has helped greatly with my one-to-one teaching of adults on violin, piano and now also clarinet.

Tutoring Approach:

As a teacher I like lessons to be lively and interactive and I seek to bring to bear my long experience of teaching and enthusing pupils of all ages in a variety of settings. As a keen chamber-music player and orchestral player who has performed in a number of groups I am keen from the start to make pupils feel that their instrumental learning is a social and enjoyable skill they can share with others and all efforts to involve learners in opportunities to perform and play together continues to be my focus as a teacher. Every lesson face-to face includes ensemble playing where I will either play duets with pupils or accompany on the piano. I also like to integrate a more general academic understanding of music (theory, history, cultural impact) appropriate to the age and level of the pupil. I love teaching the violin but particularly want to encourage more specialists on the viola in this part of Kent , either by graduation from violin or because they want viola from the start. So that will always be part of an ongoing conversation. Ideally, pupils will want to be able to specialize in both instruments and I would like to think I will be able to model that approach. I also am an experienced pianist and I studied composition at teh Guildhall and am able to teach up to Grade V Music Theory. I am also a clarinettist of many years experience and already teach pupils from beginner to intermediate on this instrument.
I generally aim to teach from home face-to-face but recent times have called for some variation on this. I do not travel to teach unless this is part of a block of work at an institution or school or by negotiation.

View from a parent:
"Andrew has been teaching our son violin for six months so far and the progress we have seen in our son's musical literacy has been phenomenal. Andrew is a passionate musician who exudes enthusiasm for both learning and music in every lesson. Andrew helped our son feel at ease from the outset due to his encouraging and caring character. Andrew has been a great source of inspiration and fun ever since. This has been particularly apparent during the last few months of lockdown when the schools have been shut. Andrew immediately embraced videoconferencing lessons to ensure there was not a break in learning and we have been impressed by how well they work. None of the attention to detail or teaching quality has been diluted despite the lack of face-to-face contact - Andrew can still spot a misplaced finger via the webcam! Andrew provides clear feedback during and following the lesson, including written notes for the forthcoming week's practice, which are incredibly helpful. We will go back to in-home lessons when lockdown ends as my son prefers the face-to-face contact. But that doesn't negate how impressed we have been with the quality of Andrew's remote teaching. We are so impressed in fact, that we have asked Andrew to also teach our son English from next week! In short, we wouldn't hesitate to recommend Andrew to teach anyone - child or adult!" Helen & Nick Lester