Polite notice: Regretfully, my books are closed for the foreseeable future.
If you are looking for private tuition, whether in person or online, I can recommend any of these excellent teachers at The Voice College:
www.thevoice.college/private-singing-tuition.html
General information
Regular one-to-one lessons take place in my dedicated home studio every Mon, Tues & Weds mornings at 11am and 12pm.
I am a fully-trained teacher with a Cert.Ed in Further, Adult and Higher Education, which combines with over 30 years of teaching experience and voice research, plus a lifetime of performing, recording, session work, writing and arranging. I also continue to study and train year on year. As a colleague of mine is fond of saying, "If you think you already know everything, that's the time to stop teaching!" I work with singers of all levels from top West End and recording artists to absolute beginners.
Your first session will be slightly different to the norm because I will need to ask you all about your background and requirements, and to assess your voice in order to gain an understanding of what it already does. A lot of high-end professionals come to me for troubleshooting, or to prepare for a tour or special event. For beginners, it's often a case of "I just want to sing better" - and that's fine too!
Students sometimes ask if I teach to any particular 'method' such as Estill, SLS, CVT and the like. The answer is no, I don't. I have a strong working knowledge of and respect for each of those schools of thought and more, but personally I don't believe that teaching from a "one size fits all" approach works particularly well. Everything I teach is based on well-researched voice science, and of course I will tailor our sessions and the required technical approach to suit your individual needs.
If you need my help in preparing for an audition, I will ask you to email me a copy of the appropriate sheet music and / or a backing track if you have it. If you are not sure what repertoire you need to prepare, then I will gladly help you to make choices. I am very experienced with audition preparation and have an in-depth knowledge of what song or type of song would be right for your voice, plus a good working knowledge of what other people expect and want to hear. I can also provide sheet music / backing tracks / piano accompaniment to practise with, or advise you where to source such things where needed.
I have loads of facilities in my studio, including the capacity to video your online session should you want me to, plus audio recording, my trusty piano, sheet music, backing tracks, handouts and much more. Before we start our session, I will also fetch you a cup of tea, coffee, water or one of those peculiar herbal brews that so many of you like! Everything else we will need is right at my fingertips and ready to share with you.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me and I will be happy to try to help. If it transpires that I'm not the right teacher for you, or we can't find a suitable lesson time, then I will always be happy to recommend other teachers who either work in your area, or teach online.
Anyone who's ever trained with me will tell you that I love teaching and have a reputation for getting the very best out of singers. I always do everything in my power to get the results you want, in the most efficient way possible, and while we're busy doing that, we'll also be having LOADS of fun!
I am a fully-trained teacher with a Cert.Ed in Further, Adult and Higher Education, which combines with over 30 years of teaching experience and voice research, plus a lifetime of performing, recording, session work, writing and arranging. I also continue to study and train year on year. As a colleague of mine is fond of saying, "If you think you already know everything, that's the time to stop teaching!" I work with singers of all levels from top West End and recording artists to absolute beginners.
Your first session will be slightly different to the norm because I will need to ask you all about your background and requirements, and to assess your voice in order to gain an understanding of what it already does. A lot of high-end professionals come to me for troubleshooting, or to prepare for a tour or special event. For beginners, it's often a case of "I just want to sing better" - and that's fine too!
Students sometimes ask if I teach to any particular 'method' such as Estill, SLS, CVT and the like. The answer is no, I don't. I have a strong working knowledge of and respect for each of those schools of thought and more, but personally I don't believe that teaching from a "one size fits all" approach works particularly well. Everything I teach is based on well-researched voice science, and of course I will tailor our sessions and the required technical approach to suit your individual needs.
If you need my help in preparing for an audition, I will ask you to email me a copy of the appropriate sheet music and / or a backing track if you have it. If you are not sure what repertoire you need to prepare, then I will gladly help you to make choices. I am very experienced with audition preparation and have an in-depth knowledge of what song or type of song would be right for your voice, plus a good working knowledge of what other people expect and want to hear. I can also provide sheet music / backing tracks / piano accompaniment to practise with, or advise you where to source such things where needed.
I have loads of facilities in my studio, including the capacity to video your online session should you want me to, plus audio recording, my trusty piano, sheet music, backing tracks, handouts and much more. Before we start our session, I will also fetch you a cup of tea, coffee, water or one of those peculiar herbal brews that so many of you like! Everything else we will need is right at my fingertips and ready to share with you.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me and I will be happy to try to help. If it transpires that I'm not the right teacher for you, or we can't find a suitable lesson time, then I will always be happy to recommend other teachers who either work in your area, or teach online.
Anyone who's ever trained with me will tell you that I love teaching and have a reputation for getting the very best out of singers. I always do everything in my power to get the results you want, in the most efficient way possible, and while we're busy doing that, we'll also be having LOADS of fun!
Fees (in person or online)
One-hour lesson £45
Block of five lessons (5% discount) £213
Block of ten lessons (10% discount) £405
Please note: I don't accept cheques, but will supply you with details in order that you can make a direct transfer via online banking. Otherwise, cash is always fine!
Cancellations: if you have to cancel, please give a minimum of 48 hours' notice. Lessons cancelled with less than 48 hours' notice will be charged at the full rate.
Special note: I will always cancel lessons if I have a throat infection, and will ask that you do the same because it's best to save your money and wait until you're better. I would also ask that you don't attend in-person lessons if you have a cold or even the suspicion of one. If I catch a cold it affects my entire working world and I run the risk of passing it on to my clients, so please re-arrange your appointment if you're germy! No charge will be made for lessons cancelled under those circumstances, of course. The good thing is that, if either you or I have a simple, non-serious head cold without an accompanying sore throat we can still train online, as I don't think they've yet found a way to transfer the common cold via the internet... The same applies if you've booked an in-person lesson and then find that your car won't start, or your childcare arrangements have fallen through, or the trains' been cancelled, or whatever it might be; we can transfer the lesson online so you don't have to miss out. It's a little different to training in person, but it works very well indeed!
One-hour lesson £45
Block of five lessons (5% discount) £213
Block of ten lessons (10% discount) £405
Please note: I don't accept cheques, but will supply you with details in order that you can make a direct transfer via online banking. Otherwise, cash is always fine!
Cancellations: if you have to cancel, please give a minimum of 48 hours' notice. Lessons cancelled with less than 48 hours' notice will be charged at the full rate.
Special note: I will always cancel lessons if I have a throat infection, and will ask that you do the same because it's best to save your money and wait until you're better. I would also ask that you don't attend in-person lessons if you have a cold or even the suspicion of one. If I catch a cold it affects my entire working world and I run the risk of passing it on to my clients, so please re-arrange your appointment if you're germy! No charge will be made for lessons cancelled under those circumstances, of course. The good thing is that, if either you or I have a simple, non-serious head cold without an accompanying sore throat we can still train online, as I don't think they've yet found a way to transfer the common cold via the internet... The same applies if you've booked an in-person lesson and then find that your car won't start, or your childcare arrangements have fallen through, or the trains' been cancelled, or whatever it might be; we can transfer the lesson online so you don't have to miss out. It's a little different to training in person, but it works very well indeed!