Information About Carl - Mitcham teacher -

(2 reviews)

Personal Description:

CJ is an experienced pianist and teacher who has developed a total fascination for the piano over the many years in which he has devoted himself to the instrument. His talent and enthusiasm for the piano developed surprisingly quickly from its initial stages, which started at the relatively late age of 11 where he was self-taught, and shortly later continued under a local teacher. In the space of under three years, he passed grade 5-8 examinations with Distinction and took a Diploma in Piano Performance from the London College of Music (Dip.LCM), which attained a 95% result. His alma mater include the prestigious junior department of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (piano, composition) and the University of Manchester (MusB Hons Music, First Class Honours), studying under eminent concert pianists Stephen Coombs and Andrew Wilde respectively. His bachelor degree studies were consistently characterised by the very high standard of his performances, participation in masterclasses, and success in competition environments. He is currently finishing his master's degree in musicology from the University of Manchester, which concentrated on theory, analysis, and historical performance, and plans to continue his studies at Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London, where he will study for an MMus in Piano Performance. He has performed some of the most challenging repertoire in the piano literature, including concertos, and has experience performing at the harpsichord both in solo and orchestral contexts.

Tutoring Experience:

I have experience in teaching a range of abilities. This has included absolute beginners, intermediate, and advanced students, covering the full gamut of young children, mature adults and everything in-between. I am happy to cater to a student's particular musical interests, but am equally comfortable guiding individuals through the graded examinations and auditions processes for conservatoire study if that is what they wish to work towards. I am also comfortable teaching music theory and analysis topics. My experience in preparing candidates for graded exams has included very high distinction-level results.

Tutoring Approach:

My approach is, by necessity, tailored to each individual student and their own musical interests and needs; no two approaches to my teaching are the same. I place importance on calm and focus, but also on fun and enjoyment as well, since an appropriate balance of these qualities will yield the most long-term success and enthusiasm for the piano. It is incredibly important for me to develop your 'musical' ear alongside the manual dexterity of the fingers, and to encourage your musical curiosities through the music we learn and study. These were the key components to my own rapid development and success at the piano, and with enough discipline and determination from the student, I believe there is no reason why they cannot achieve similar results. While I am a classically-trained pianist, I am very happy to teach other styles, including jazz and popular song, of which I have experience also.