Information About Matt - Hythe teacher

Personal Description:

Aged 29 Matt has played for over 120 different artists including Grammy nominated piano player Judy Carmichael, 60's chart topping band The Bachelors and several Tony nominated Broadway stars. Matt has also played in over 30 different musical productions including runs of Fame and Little Shop of Horrors in regional theatre and an original musical Broke Britannia which ran for two weeks at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Matt has spent over 600 days working in different show bands on the luxury cruise line Seabourn. Before finishing his time on ships Matt got to visit 6 continents of the world and has had the pleasure of playing with musicians from these regions including Chinese Dulcimer players, Argentine tango harp players and Australian Drag Queens. The variety and challenge of playing different styles of music with authenticity is something Matt relishes.
Matt has actually played the drums since he was 4, performing at The Millennium Dome at the age of 10 and appearing on BBC 1 **Contact Detail Removed**vision’s ‘Blue Peter’ with his band at the age of 11. As well as teaching others to play drums Matt had already played more than 200 live shows with various bands by the time he was aged 16.
As a result of the recognition of his musical ability (which saw him awarded a ‘special achievement’ award from the Zildjian cymbal company aged 16) Matt was invited to commence his 3 year degree course at the London College of Music a year earlier than normal. There he studied with teachers such as Darryn Farrugia, Elliott Henshaw, Erik Stams and Hadyn Callow.
Aged 20 Matt graduated with ‘First Class Honours’ at B.Mus degree level. Subsequently, in acknowledgement of his musical potential, the College awarded him a full scholarship to continue his post-graduate studies. He went on to complete a Masters degree in music performance (M.Mus) passing with ‘Merit’ in the autumn of 2011.
It was on leaving University that Matt turned professional. In late 2011 he undertook a long-term residency in the Warner's Hotel Holme Lacy House in Herefordshire, playing with the house band ‘Shades’ for over two and a half years.
A highly competent and successful drum teacher, Matt has to date guided his students through more than 80 grade examination. As well as teaching privately Matt also teaches at a prestigious Preparatory School in London.
Seeking continual professional development for himself, Matt has continued to study his craft since graduating. He was a Bob Armstrong student for over seven years and has taken lessons with Pete Cater, Will Kennedy and Dave Weckl.
Comfortable and extremely proficient in performing all styles of music, Matt has the ability to play to click, is a highly competent sight reader, has his own top quality equipment and transportation.
In the last year Matt has played on a variety of shows of different styles in theatres around the country including Swingin' At The Sands!, The Rat Pack Live, Delightfully Dusty, Walk Like A Man, Frankie's Guys and The Elvis Years.

Tutoring Experience:

I have over 10 years of teaching experience both in private one-on-one lessons and also within a school classroom environment.
I have had over 80 grade passes where students have achieved over 70% and have a 100% pass record.
Currently teach in a independent preparatory school.

Tutoring Approach:

I strive to make my students progress as fast as possible. Nobody has time to waste and it is important to make the most out of your time and that is particularly important when learning a musical instrument. It is such a huge topic it is easy to get lost in possibilities. The way I do this is by customising the learning material to suit your personal wants and needs as a musician and by helping organise focused constructive practice sessions between lessons.
I find one of the most important ways of encouraging this is by enjoying what you are doing and seeing results for your hard work. This creates a cycle of learning. (Kolb, Experiential Learning Cycle)