I have always had a huge passion for performing. I started out as a budding actor, singing in school choirs and performances in and out of school. As I got older I established my own music taste and started to explore. The more music I heard the more inspired I became to pick up and instrument myself. I naturally gravitated towards the guitar because of the sound it created and to be totally honesty, it looked cool! I began instrumental lessons in school to learn the basics and once I found my feet I began to go further outside of lessons to really hone in my skills. I am forever grateful to my guitar teacher as without him I may have picked up bad techniques which are extremely hard to ditch. He also introduced me to a world of music I wouldn’t have found otherwise.

I began by teaching part time, 1 to 1 instrumental sessions in my local town. I mostly taught young students due to my own ability at the time. I absolutely loved what I did and was amazed that I could actually earn money from doing so. I eased off when my GCSE’s came around as I had to focus on my studies. This continued through college and university as I thought it would be crucial to spend all my time on myself and my studies (selfishly). I also became a member of multiple bands so this took up a lot my time with rehearsals and gigs/tours.

After graduating from university I began teaching again, working for a company called Rocksteady. Within this role, I taught groups of up to 9 primary school-aged children to play in their very own band. This was mainly focused on fun and social skills as well as improving their ability on their instruments. Whilst I loved this job I felt that the specialist knowledge that I have for the guitar wasn’t being transferred. So simultaneously to working this job I also began teaching 1 to 1 sessions again as this is my true love. Due to the pandemic, I, unfortunately, had to end my employment for rocksteady but it also gave me the opportunity to try teaching guitar full time and I haven’t looked back since.

Music Qualifications & Achievements:

After completing my GCSEs I moved on to college to study both BTEC performing arts and BTEC music performance. This was where I had my first experience of performing in a band in local music venues rather than solo. This absolutely solidified my passion for music and performing. I then looked on to continuing my studies at university and looked straight towards London where most of the musical opportunities lie. The knowledge I gained was second to none, not only for my instrument but also for the industry. We had access to state of the art recording studios in which to learn but also to record our own music outside of lectures. I made sure to make the most of this as it was free and I would never have free access to this kind of set-up post-university. I also continued to play in many bands in London, playing consistently most weekends in many venues all across the city. I had the experience of collaborating with other faculties in the university to create things like music videos and to also feature on the uni radio station.

I graduated from the University of Westminster in 2019 with a degree in Commercial Music Performance. Alongside this I have been a member of multiple bands, playing live shows in venues all across London and the UK. I played both my own music and in the bands of other artists to help improve my musicianship. I tried to do as much as possible to involve myself within the scene so I also wrote for music publications and helped promote events. I have also worked behind the scenes within the music industry at SARM Music Bank (rehearsal rooms for world renowned bands) and have a wide and varied knowledge of the technical side due to this (amps, pedals, equipment etc.).

I believe there is no greater feeling than when a student has a eureka moment where they have been working towards an exam or just simply a tricky song to play and they absolutely nail it. I found this when I had my own teacher, we shared at that moment. I am now humbled to be able to share that experience with my own students and pass on a genuine love for all things music.