BIOGRAPHY

I was born in Penzance, Cornwall in 1985, and was based in that beautiful part of the world for the first thirty years of my life. It was a pleasure and a privilege to be involved in the musical community there for so long, both as a student and as a professional musician.

From 2003 to 2006, I studied for my first music degree in Cardiff. I graduated with first class honours, receiving awards and scholarships for ‘best performance in year’ and ‘encouraging music making within the student body’ along the way.

Since graduating, my working life has been highly varied. I spent several years working with choirs as an accompanist and deputy musical director before starting vocal groups of my own. I’ve worked extensively with schools, teaching classroom music lessons in primary school and leading workshops in secondary schools. I’ve worked on local and national community music projects, trained as an Arts Award advisor, and composed pieces for pianists and choirs . I’ve written and delivered workshops on various topics, including teaching skills, at Cardiff University School of Music. More information about some of these ventures can be found on the Past Projects page of this website.

Alongside all this, I have developed a teaching practice which has become my passion, as well as the main focus of my working life. From 2012 to 2016 I studied for an MA in Instrumental Teaching, which was not only enormously interesting, but has made my teaching more effective and rewarding. More information can be found on the Online Piano Lessons page of this website.

I moved back to Cardiff in December 2018 and am very pleased to call this city home. I now give annual masterclasses on performance at Cardiff University School of Music, and as of 2024 I am also an examiner of piano grades for the Music Teacher’s Board (MTB) which offer graded exams assessed by audio or video recording and marked by specialist examiners. For more information, please see www.MTBexams.com. 

Whether teaching, examining or accompanying, I feel extremely lucky to work in a field which gives me so much pleasure, and allows me to share that with other people.

Qualifications

BMus(Hons) [First Class]: Degree from Cardiff University, 2006. Modules included performance, music history, analysis and composition.

MA Instrumental Teaching [Distinction]: Degree from University of Reading, 2016. Modules included the theory of education, developmental psychology, piano pedagogy and academic research skills.

DipABRSM: Awarded by ABRSM, 2005. A post grade-8 performing qualification in Piano Performance.

DipLCM: Awarded by LCM, 2012. A post grade-8 performing qualification in Pop Music Vocals, taken while I was leading the Musical Theatre Group.

I am currently working towards an FTCL diploma in piano performance.