Information About Luke - Oxford teacher

Personal Description:

I’m looking to take on a limited number of private students in electric guitar, bass guitar, composition and music theory. 

I’m 34 years old and hold a doctorate from the University of Oxford having also studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Music and the University of Salford. Alongside being the Stipendiary Lecturer in Music at New College, Oxford, I'm a professional guitarist and composer/arranger. My music has been commissioned and performed by ensembles such as the London Sinfonietta and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. In pop world I've arranged and conducted for artists such as Katie Melua, Gaz Coombes, Clean Bandit, recorded at Abbey Road Studios and been broadcast on the BBC.

Generally I teach students from ages 5 and up! I’ve lots of experience teaching adults of all levels too so whether you’re looking to get out of rut in your playing, pick an instrument back up or try something you’ve always wanted to do, we’ll be ideally set.

 I generally teach from home in East Oxford.

Tutoring Experience:

I have had guitar students since leaving school some ten years ago and have been teaching composition at Oxford since 2014. Now settled permanently in Oxford, I’m keen to expand my private teaching.

 I’m happy to tailor lessons to the student’s requirement, whether they’re looking to take exams or not, but like to teach through the Rock School syllabus for guitar and bass and the ABRSM course for music theory.

Tutoring Approach:

Guitar and bass:
I teach all kinds of pop/rock, blues, and jazz, and can teach classical and fingerstyle guitar too. I use the Rockschool or Trinity Rock & Pop syllabuses, with a slight preference for the former, for the electric guitarists alongside my own material. For classical students I find the Frederick Noad book excellent. I aim to have students develop essential listening skills, playing by ear and improvising in pop and jazz styles too. I'll teach sight-reading too and more pop 'session musician' approaches too that will be helpful for any bands you might be in. Having students find their own musical voice is important to me whilst at the same time having them well-versed in the theory of what they are doing.

Theory:
Most people need instruction in the ABRSM or Trinity syllabuses. I'm happy to work up to Grade 8 level and also assist with the relevant components of the GCSE and A-Level courses. I'm a very patient teacher and having plenty of experience explaining complex ideas.

Composition:
Here I’m led more by the student’s needs. I teach through a mix of working with student compositions, to more specific technical exercises, to analysis of music from the Baroque through 20th and 21st century music. I can instruct students in all manner of historical orchestration techniques and instrumentation to contemporary pop arranging. For those composing on a computer, I use Sibelius software.