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Hi everyone! My name is Fiona Richards & I'm a professional violin teacher offering professional violin lessons via Zoom.
I have been teaching the violin and the viola for 20 years. Teaching is something I find very rewarding and I love the challenge of adapting to each pupil and finding endless new ways to help pupils achieve their best.
My aim is always to be flexible, open to new possibilities and my lessons are a fun exploration where pupils can learn many skills and become inspired about music and the violin. Most importantly they can grow in confidence! I will make a lesson plan that is built around the music that inspires you. We will always learn in a direction that you enjoy.
Get in touch to find out more.
Get in touch today & start learning to play violin via Zoom!
I have a great amount of experience in teaching classical and folk playing on the violin and would love to share my knowledge with you. I am able to teach both children and adults in a wide range of styles and genres. Children from from 6 years old upwards are welcome.
I tailor my lessons to the pupil and incorporate fun exercises and practice strategies to explore awareness, balance and co-ordination. For all pupils, but especially children I like to engage them in a way which is colourful, creative, and inspires imagination. Alongside developing excellent habits for beginners, I like to encourage imaginations and freedom to explore and to not to worry about making mistakes.
Lessons are pay-as-you-go, weekly, fortnightly or as suits you.
I teach both beginners and advanced players in a wide range of genres and styles. I wil make a lesson plan that suits your ability level.
I am an enthusiastic and energetic teacher and have twenty years of experience sharing my love and knowledge of music and violin/viola playing with students of all ages. I come from the UK where I studied at Trinity College of Music, London, and the University of Southampton, and I have recently moved to the beautiful corrézien French countryside. At the moment I teach predominantly online, working with international students.
I have taught for music services in Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Enfield and in a variety of public and state schools, and privately. I am experienced at working with groups of different sizes, individuals and coaching ensembles from beginner to advanced. Over the past twenty years, I have regularly entered students for ABRSM with consistently successful results. Alongside this, I have performed professionally in many different settings, with orchestras, chamber music ensembles and theatre productions. My most unusual experience was playing with an Indian Bhangra/folk/pop band at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith and the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham.
As a young musician and student, I loved playing in big symphony orchestras and this is what inspired me the most to keep practising. Nowadays the love of classical music remains but is complemented by my interest in folk music, especially Scandinavian, Irish, Scottish and bluegrass styles. I find the exploration of learning and teaching folk music in the aural tradition very liberating and have attended many Scandinavian folk workshops to learn to play more authentically in this style.
As part of my musical training, I was lucky enough to discover the Alexander Technique and I am now a qualified teacher having completed a three-year training course. It has helped me to overcome pain, awkwardness with the violin, musical blockages and much more besides. So I can easily empathise with students with similar problems and have experience with helping them to play more freely.
I have a BA (Hons) degree in Music from the University of Southampton, a PG Diploma in performance from Trinity College of Music and an MSTAT qualification in Alexander Technique teaching.
One of my most proud musical achievements was working with and arranging music for a string ensemble in a school. The ensemble started with 3 pupils and grew to be such a large group of 25 that they only just fitted on the stage for the school concert!
One of the most common questions about learning online via any kind of video software is does it work? The answer would of course be yes. Learning online via Zoom is no different to learning face to face. I have many students who learn online and as long as you have a connection speed of at least 5MBPS & are willing to download Zoom we are all good to go.
I have been teaching online for some time now and I truly believe it's just as beneficial as learning face to face, if not better. I tend to supplement my Zoom lessons with recordings, instructional videos, sheet music and other material for the best possible online experience and often organise online concerts to motivate my pupils.
I'm an experienced violin teacher who can help you improve your playing in a wide array of genres. I will make a personalised lesson plan that is well suited to your personal taste and musical preferences. We will always work to a pace that you feel comfortable with and if you ever have any questions always feel free to ask me.
[email protected]My Zoom Violin Lessons are charged at £20 per half hour, £28 per three-quarters of an hour and £36 per hour.
All of my lessons are taken via Zoom. This is great because it means you can learn from home.
I teach students of all ages (4+) & have a great amount of experience teaching both adults and children.
I recommend weekly lessons for the best results and to really gain a proper understanding of what you are playing. This has to be combined with plenty of practice in your own time.
Lessons will be paid for in advance and lessons cancelled with less than 24 hours notice will still be charged full price.
Get in touch now and start learning to play the violin from the comfort of your own home via Zoom!
Violin Teacher
Fiona Richards