I know of many piano, guitar and singing teachers in the Yorkshire area that are constantly on the look out for new students. It’s the same old phrase I hear all the time: “I could just do with a handful more pupils on the books.” I feel lucky that I rarely experience that problem, and I mostly put my good fortune down to my willingness to be flexible with what my students want out of lessons. Piano teachers who only teach the ABRSM graded syllabus, or guitar teachers who stick to one particular style of music are necessarily limiting what they offer to students, and so also catering only to a limited audience.
I pride myself on listening to what my students want to achieve and then figuring out how I can add value to what they could conceivably figure out themselves or with online resources. This means working outside my ‘comfort zone’ and being willing to alter my approach as and when the student’s needs change. With this in mind, I teach various instruments and can offer tutoring through graded exams by any of the major exam boards: ABRSM, Trinity and Rockschool. I’m also happy to work with students towards auditions, GCSE / A Level assessments, or just for the sheer joy of making music. Some students initially come to me wanting to learn one thing and, as their interests develop, end up wanting support with something entirely different. I was with one such student yesterday: she came to me as a little girl for singing lessons. We started out by learning songs from the charts, moved on to numbers from musical theatre and eventually started working towards Rockschool Vocals grades. Now the same student is learning some guitar, ukulele and piano with me, and we recently made a recording together of the recent chart hit ‘Shallow’ (originally Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper, from the movie A Star is Born):
Because I’m always listening to my students and trying to adapt to fulfil their needs, I have very little in the way of client turnover, and my teaching schedule is constantly rammed! As a result, weeks like this week are completely full. And, nearly all my regular weekly and fortnightly slots are occupied by regular students. However, if you or your child would like to start lessons with me, just drop me a line. I maintain a contact list of potential students – as soon as a free space appears in my schedule I email / text everyone on the list and then it’s a first come / first served basis for the slot.
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