My music school has been established since 1986. After  playing the piano from the age of 8 and working through grades, I then took a break from lessons to get married and raise my 3 sons. When they started growing up I found myself with more time, so spent a year playing and studying before I then went back to lessons. I was delighted to find that after a break of almost 13 years I was able to pick up from where I had left off all those years previously. When I met my new teacher, the first thing I said to her was ‘I want to teach’. Within a couple of years I gained my Associate Diploma (with honours) in piano playing.

I started teaching piano and at the same time started to study singing. Less than 4 years later I had achieved an Associate Diploma and a Licentiate Diploma (with honours) in Singing.

 

During the 1990’s the London College of Music introduced a Music Theatre exam syllabus, which I decided to explore. Although musicals had been around for a lot of years the genre seemed to be becoming increasingly more popular. So I started offering lessons in Music Theatre, concentrating on songs from the shows and Disney songs. I was amazed at how quickly this grew and within a short time I was giving anything between 60 - 80 one to one lessons each week. Now as well as show songs, and Disney, the older ‘standards’ from anywhere between 1900 and 1950, have become popular with many students, and we even throw in some Old Time Music Hall. I am also the Nuneaton and Bedworth representative for the London College of Music, holding exam sessions twice a year in Summer and Winter. 

 

In recent years I think the piano has seen a revival and is now becoming increasingly more popular, especially for children. For a time the electronic keyboard became a favourite. I think mostly because they don’t require much space and can be easily moved around from place to place. Also, with all the different rhythms and instrument sounds they were considered more ‘fun’ than the piano. However, the piano is now a favourite, and I have a few parents who also take lessons along with their children.

 

Over the years I have taught many students who have gone on to study music or performing arts at universities and stage schools and quite a few have then gone on to perform all over the world, including the West End stage. Also, some have set up and are now principals of their own successful performing arts schools.