I am a full-time piano teacher based in Giffnock, with over 20 years experience working with students of all ages and abilities. I am a graduate of The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) - now known as The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) - where I studied solo piano performance, collaborative piano performance, and electroacoustic composition.
In developing my own performance skills I have studied with Philip Jenkins (Former Head of Keyboard at RSAMD), Jean Hutchison, and Fabiana Galante, and taken Masterclasses with Bernard Roberts as a soloist and Malcolm Martineau (current International Fellow in Collaborative Piano at RCS) as an accompanist for voice, as well as Performance Classes with Professor Fali Pavri (current Associate Head of Keyboard at RCS). During my studies, I was the regular accompanist for (then Head of Voice) Chris Underwood's Performance Classes for new Undergraduates. I went on to specialise in contemporary piano, and have performed prepared piano and piano with electronics, including both tape and live processing via MAX MSP. I have been honoured to perform several premieres of new compositions by emerging young composers.
I have won classes at Glasgow Music Festival as a soloist and as a piano duet member, and was a finalist in Lanarkshire Musician of the Year playing Bach and Messiaen. I have accompanied dance classes and performances for Dance UK and as a ballet accompanist for The Terry School of Dance in Bridge of Weir. I have worked for both the Church of Scotland and Catholic Church to provide music for worship, including running a Youth Group for teenage musicians to perform on varied instruments - such as keyboard, electric guitar, bass guitar, flute, oboe, voice - at Catholic Mass.
Teaching is an absolute passion for me. I began teaching during my studies at RSAMD. As part of the Techniques of Teaching courses, I was initially instructed by Jack Keaney and then went on to shadow teaching at St Aloysious College as well as both Junior and Senior RSAMD students. Teachers I shadowed include Marina Nadiradze, Fali Pavri, and Sinae Lee. Ms Nadiradze then supervised me teaching her own students to ensure I was capable and competent to set out on my own.
As well as maintaining my own private practice for the past 20 years, I have also taught for Paisley Academy of Music and Woodfarm Music Workshop in East Renfrewshire.
Former students from my own practice have gone on to study at:
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (BMus (Hons));
Trinity College of Music, London (MMus);
London College of Music (BMus (Hons));
Napier University (BMus (Hons));
University of the West of Scotland (BA Commercial Music);
Conservatorio Statale di Musica "Francesco Venezze", Rovigo, Italy (BA Composition);
Edinburgh College (HND Music);
West College Scotland (HND Music Business);
Junior School of The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland;
Pre-Junior School of The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland