Information About Tom - Bordon teacher

Personal Description:

I've been making music almost as long as I can remember. My passion for guitar in particular started when I first heard Dire Straits, and have since fallen in love with music of all kinds, from blues and rock to jazz and metal. In 2009 I graduated from the Academy of Contemporary Music with a BA(Hons) in Popular Music Performance. This gave me a great foundation in all these different styles, as well as in music theory. I've been writing music and playing in bands since my teens; sometimes it's been just me on an acoustic guitar and a singer, sometimes it's been a metal band, and in recent years it's also been a case of producing whatever music the client needs! Variety is the spice of life, as they say.

Tutoring Experience:

I first began teaching guitar in 2006, and have never stopped. Since then I have always had students that would come to me directly, but I have also taught as part of a teaching staff at Tremolo Guitar School, Fleetcroft Guitars, Guitar Lab, Play Live and The Band Project.

I have a Child Protection In Education (Music) certificate from TES Safeguarding, and an Enhanced DBS certificate.

Tutoring Approach:

The hundreds of students I've had over the years have spanned the full age and ability range, and each one had their own goals and starting points. The ability to tailor the lessons to everyone's individual needs and wants is central to how I approach teaching, and is a great advantage of one-on-one lessons. If someone would like to go through the grades, I'm always happy to help them along that path. In my experience though, most people would like to learn a specific style, particular songs, or just generally improve their technique, compositions, improvisation or theory.

My style of teaching is always friendly and laid back, although I do of course set tasks at the end of each session. I see a big part of my job as being encouraging and inspiring enough that these tasks (homework, if you like!) don't feel like chores. I'm never going to tell anyone off for not doing them, as I know that life can get in the way sometimes. If you're looking for a stern scary tutor, I must admit that's something I'm unlikely to provide!