Information About Diane - Ilkeston teacher - (25 reviews)
Profile Picture
References
This is how 2 referees rated Diane:
Reliability
Trustworthiness
Professionalism
Badges
Instruments Taught
Piano |
Hourly Fee |
| Beginner | £35.00 |
| Intermediate | £35.00 |
| Advanced | £35.00 |
| Casual | £35.00 |
Guitar |
Hourly Fee |
| Beginner | £35.00 |
| Intermediate | £35.00 |
| Advanced | £35.00 |
| Expert | £35.00 |
| Casual | £35.00 |
Percussion (Drums) |
Hourly Fee |
| Beginner | £35.00 |
| Intermediate | £35.00 |
| Advanced | £35.00 |
| Expert | £35.00 |
| Casual | £35.00 |
Music Theory |
Hourly Fee |
| Beginner | £35.00 |
| Intermediate | £35.00 |
| Advanced | £35.00 |
| Expert | £35.00 |
| Casual | £35.00 |
Composition |
Hourly Fee |
| Beginner | £35.00 |
| Intermediate | £35.00 |
| Advanced | £35.00 |
| Expert | £35.00 |
| Casual | £35.00 |
Music Technology |
Hourly Fee |
| Beginner | £35.00 |
| Intermediate | £35.00 |
| Advanced | £35.00 |
| Expert | £35.00 |
| Casual | £35.00 |
Map Location
Personal Description:
Diane is a working musician from Nottingham, United Kingdom. Predominantly a drummer, she also performs as a singer, pianist, guitarist and bassist. In addition to a 1st Class Music degree with the Music Technology prize from the University of Nottingham, and a brief stint at BIMM London, she has studied with Virgil Donati (Allan Holdsworth) and Chad Wackerman (Holdsworth, Frank Zappa), as well as attending over a dozen clinics including Steve Vai, Gavin Harrison (King Crimson, Porcupine Tree), Matt Garstka (Animals as Leaders), Matt Halpern and Nolly Getgood (Periphery), and Todd Sucherman.
After years composing and producing in bands, as well as launching several successful solo projects, Diane also began scoring for film and video games. Her music has been described as intelligent, amorphous, and uncanny, and will soon be featured in the debut title from Inspiratio Studio.
When not rehearsing with bands, writing, composing or recording, Diane is reliably honing her craft on a drum practice pad for an LTCL Drum Performance qualification, and considering a Music Masters Qualification – but she always has time for one more project!
Tutoring Experience:
Diane has been teaching for over 10 years. On top of local in-person students, she teaches students remotely in North and South America, and across Europe. Her students cover all age groups, professions and skill levels.
Her reviews suggest great critical acclaim for her approach, which has so far maintained a 100% exam pass rate among students taking grade exams, and a fantastic level confidence and enthusiasm for all students, across all age-groups, disciplines, skill levels, goals, and interests!
Tutoring Approach:
Diane ensures that each student leaves every lesson with a great understanding of not just their instrument and the process of playing it, but also the physiological and psychological processes involved in developing their craft, so that every student is confidently able to create and execute their own plan to build their pathway into professional musicianship. Students don't just excel at their instrument - they also gain an excellent level of self-confidence and freedom of expression that they carry with them in all that they do, both in and out of music.
Tutor Resources: (free to download)
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Native Language: English (British)
Availability: Weekends / Weekdays (all times)
References Available: Yes (✔ On File)
Availability: Weekends / Weekdays (all times)
References Available: Yes (✔ On File)
Qualifications:
- Rockschool (2021) - Grade 8 Guitar, Distinction (Other) (✔ On File)
- Rockschool (2021) - Grade 8 Theory, Merit (Other) (✔ On File)
- University of Nottingham (2019) - BA Hons. Music, 1st class (Bachelors) (✔ On File)
- Rockschool (2019) - Grade 8 Drums, Distinction (Other) (✔ On File)
Diane's Feedback
| Total Amount Of Feedback: | 25 |
| Total Positive Feedback: |
DianeFrom Sally (3/5): The teaching method/lesson style was not quite right for my needs.
Reply from: Diane: Sally is a proficient pianist! It's always a struggle trying to plan out a first lesson, as majority of the time is usually spent gauging the skill and needs of the student - hitting the ground running with an in-depth technical lesson can often be a swing and a miss if the student's abilities are misjudged, leaving them feel either condescended by a too-easy technical lesson, or left behind by a too-difficult one.
Instead, I usually focus my intro lesson on the fundamentals of good practice habits, muscle memory development fundamentals, and rhythm skills, as these are universal to all players regardless of ability, while I prepare a more specific lesson plan for following lessons. This introduction via breadth rather than depth is not suited to every player, and so hopefully Sally will be able to find the right teacher for her learning style elsewhere on FirstTutors!
Instead, I usually focus my intro lesson on the fundamentals of good practice habits, muscle memory development fundamentals, and rhythm skills, as these are universal to all players regardless of ability, while I prepare a more specific lesson plan for following lessons. This introduction via breadth rather than depth is not suited to every player, and so hopefully Sally will be able to find the right teacher for her learning style elsewhere on FirstTutors!
From Mahesh (/5): One of the greatest things about Diane is that she listens to the student's learning objectives and focusses the sessions accordingly. Furthermore, the classes are expertly tailored to our 10 year old's learning. Couldn't really have asked for more.
Reply from: Diane: Really glad to have helped! I always try my best to fit my curriculum around each student rather than visa versa, - every musician I meet is at a unique point in their journey, so working to individual experience and needs is always the best way to help students develop their playing!
From Tracy (/5): Diane is extremely friendly and her style of teaching is working really well for my 17 yr old.
She has really helped him with his Music Theory already in the last 3 lessons and we look forward to more going foward. She is also very patient with responded really quickly to my endless questions.
Massive thank you
She has really helped him with his Music Theory already in the last 3 lessons and we look forward to more going foward. She is also very patient with responded really quickly to my endless questions.
Massive thank you
Reply from: Diane: Really glad the lessons are helping! Especially with the higher theory grades, where it starts to get pretty tricky if you're not comfortable with the concepts already!
From Andy (/5): I'm only three lessons in with Diane, which we both agree isn't enough to make meaningful strides. What I can say however is that her method of teaching is one I enjoy greatly. Rather than teach you how to play songs, she instead focuses on building a strong foundation of techniques and form that will allow you to create your own music. I'm looking forward to continuing my lessons and have no doubt Diane can help me get where I want to on my piano journey.
From Alexandra (/5): Great lessons , I've had two so far and looking forward to the next. I'd definitely recommend Diane for guitar lessons.
From Tim (/5): My son ( 14) been having guitar lessons with Diane for a few years now and he has really developed over this time. He enjoys his weekly lesson and Diane manages to challenge him whilst also keeping him engaged and allow him to enjoy himself. I have no hesitation in recommending Diane for guitar tuition.
From Angelica (/5): amazing teacher!! i am so happy with how quick i have learnt things. i was at a dead end with music and felt like giving up but she has made my connection with it so so so much better again. really thankyou
Reply from: Diane: Glad to be a help! Theory and composition feel insurmountable sometimes - even before progress happens, knowing what path it is that you're supposed to be walking goes a long way to making the process of walking it easier!
From Nina (/5): Diane is excellent. My son is very shy and has been struggling in school with his music composition piece for his GCSEs. Since Diane has started teaching him his understanding has greatly improved but more importantly so have his passion for music again. Would recommend.
Reply from: Diane: I'm glad to be helping! Composition skills are tricky, but half the battle is maintaining confidence and passion - which isn't easy in the face of horrible chord progressions, weird scales and sneaky key changes! If you can see how the puzzle pieces fit together, it's much easier to feel confident that you're moving in the right direction, and everything else follows from there!
From Livia (/5): I would recomand Dianne as a very good teacher because he tryed to the best and to get results quicker .
From Caroline (/5): Diane responded instantly, and was very friendly. We haven't had an experience of having lessons with her as my child preferred another teacher.
Reply from: Diane: That's a shame, but the right teacher is the right teacher - if the student knows they like a teacher, then they're definitely the right teacher!
From James (/5): Diane is super friendly, and teaches in a way that is not only fun but also really intuitive and informative. It's almost surprising that after every lesson I've learnt so much, yet I never feel like I've been in school. On top of that, her knowledge of so many different areas of music only accentuates her teaching ability; I've progressed in areas outside of piano such as music production and music theory. I wholeheartedly recommend Diane to anyone wanting to learn piano, or music production, or any of the lessons she has to offer.
Reply from: Diane: Thanks very much, I'm glad you're enjoying the lessons! I always aim to train up musicians, rather than pianists, guitarists, etc - it just so happens that good musicians make very good pianists, guitarists, etc!
From Amanda (/5): Really enjoying guitar lessons with Diane. She is excellent at teaching techniques and cool songs. The lessons are great fun. Much better than my previous guitar teacher. Very much recommend.
Reply from: Diane: Really glad you like the material!
From Ma'an (/5): Diane is an excellent and thorough teacher who pays attention to details. She is assuring and encouraging and I will definitely ask for few more lessons from her.
From Andreea (/5): Diane is a very well prepared teacher with a very professional attitude and musical enthusiasm. Her explanations are clear, interesting and she made sure to give in-depth answers to my questions. I like her approach of focusing on your ideals and her flexibility to adapt to your needs. Would definitely recommend her to anyone that loves music and wants to delve into new areas of sound exploration!
Reply from: Diane: Always a fan of sound exploration - calling it "sonic exploration" makes it sound a lot more exciting!
From Simon (/5): The kids both really enjoy their lessons with Diane. She has encouraged them to play for the love of playing rather than out of duty which makes a huge difference.
From Adam (/5): Diane is excellent. Simple as that.
She is friendly, approachable and very professional.
She knows exactly what she is talking about regarding composition. I am an electronic music producer, and she catered to my needs perfectly and gave me a solid foundation to progress.
I would recommend anyone writing electronic music to have lessons with Diane. Although she will still be able to help with any genre.
She is friendly, approachable and very professional.
She knows exactly what she is talking about regarding composition. I am an electronic music producer, and she catered to my needs perfectly and gave me a solid foundation to progress.
I would recommend anyone writing electronic music to have lessons with Diane. Although she will still be able to help with any genre.
Reply from: Diane: Thanks, It's great fun to talk about composing and musical production for a change!
From Mark (/5): My son is a grade 6 drummer looking to be equipped with a ‘toolkit’ of music theory that will allow him to access higher GCSE Music grades, maybe A Level and possibly even degree level eventually… rather than the theory exams.
I think Diane has been perfect for this - she has a percussion background and understands that drummers need very specific instruction to make the jump over from drum notation to standard music notation. She has an energetic and enthused style which helps keep everything moving as well.
She isn’t what you might expect when she turns up for the first time, but I really like her, she really cares about doing a good job, and as importantly very quickly cares about her student getting what they need to enable their success.
I think Diane has been perfect for this - she has a percussion background and understands that drummers need very specific instruction to make the jump over from drum notation to standard music notation. She has an energetic and enthused style which helps keep everything moving as well.
She isn’t what you might expect when she turns up for the first time, but I really like her, she really cares about doing a good job, and as importantly very quickly cares about her student getting what they need to enable their success.
Reply from: Diane: Thank you very much! Most people don't expect the long hair and leather jacket, but they're my rock musician roots - even if I went on the straight-and-narrow into teaching!
From Kate (/5): What a great teacher! Perfect for my 8 year old granddaughter … Kept her engaged throughout and has endless patience. She can't wait to go again next week
Reply from: Diane: Glad she enjoyed it, I'm always happy to teach excitable learners!
From Ted (/5): Diane is a natural teacher. The lessons are intelligently planned and engaging. I'm very impressed!
Reply from: Diane: Glad you're finding the lessons helpful!
From Anna (/5): Diane is very reliable, patient, trustworthy. She never cuts the lesson short. She will rather stay couple of minutes over time to make sure my daughter knows what to practice for next time. She is very professional but friendly and approachable. My daughter really likes her. She never makes her feel bad if she makes a mistake. I am very happy with the work she is doing.
Reply from: Diane: Thanks very much!
From Helen (/5):
From Nick (/5): Diane is a very friendly, knowledgable tutor who has a vast amount of experience within many areas of music. She has a great teaching style which puts you at ease, whilst also providing a very clear structure for learning. Since starting guitar, piano and music production lessons with Diane, I have found her musicianship to be second to none and she's able to answer absolutely any question that I may have. I'd highly recommend Diane to anyone looking to become a better musician - from beginners right through to advanced players.
From Asieh (/5):
From Richard (/5):
From Imogen (/5):