Benjamin

I graduated with First Class Honours in History from Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge. I now work as a freelance classical musician and as a tutor.

As a historian I specialise in the early modern and modern periods, focusing on intellectual, artistic and religious movements, as well as the global exchange of materials and ideas. My prizewinning dissertation was entitled, 'The role of music in encounters between Europeans and non-Europeans in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, to c.1820'. In this I discussed the changing imperial role of musical performance in a previously overlooked zone of musical interchange.

Whilst my Bachelors Degree was in History and my Masters was in Music, I am equally comfortable teaching English Literature and Latin.

First Class Honours Degree in History from Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Oxbridge entry tuition
Lectures given on imperial history
Dissertation won Alan Coulson Prize for History of British Imperial Expansion
Dissertation won Maritime History Prize from British Commission for Maritime History

Tutoring Experience

Five years' experience of academic and musical tutoring, teaching students aged between 11 and 68

I have worked extensively in interview and examination preparation for Oxbridge applicants, with an excellent track record for my tutees.

I have also worked with students with learning difficulties and severe dyslexia.

I have been invited to give academic lectures in schools, and as a music teacher I have given singing masterclasses with Sixth Form Students.

Tutoring Approach

I start by ascertaining the specific requirements of my student. Do they need to develop their skills or increase their knowledge? What result are they aiming for? What is the time scale?

Then I consult the specifications and focus on the main areas which we will need to address.

In the time in between lessons, I write practice exam questions and collect relevant materials from textbooks and, if appropriate, academic articles.

My style is to help the student develop in understanding and enjoyment of their subject, without taking my focus off their exam targets.

I am always respondent to feedback from students about how the nature and content of the lessons. However, I do expect students to complete the work that I set them in between lessons. I firmly believe that tutoring only works when the student is fully committed.