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About Me



My teaching experience

I started teaching guitar in High Wycombe in 2005. I taught over 80 students privately between 2005-9 and was also a visiting teacher at Highcrest Community School in High Wycombe between 2006-8. I have been a full member of the Registry of Guitar Tutors (RGT) since 2006. I moved to Headington, Oxford in January 2010 where I continue to teach privately from home.


Who I teach

I cater for all ages from 5 years upwards (children under 16 must be accompanied) and at all levels from complete beginner to advanced (depending on style). Please note that I only teach one-to-one, so siblings and other family groups will need individual lessons. I can normally arrange these back-to-back if required. For younger (primary school age) children 30 minute lessons are adequate, but for adults and secondary school pupils (Year 8 to 9 on, depending on standard reached), I recommend hour lessons.

I prefer to teach students who have established (or whose parents have established) over a period of time that they have the time, motivation, commitment and patience to:

  1. practice methodically on a regular basis (several times a week);
  2. stick with it over the long haul, even when things things do not appear to be progressing.

If you are unsure on these points, I suggest that you either defer your decision a month or so and/or try teaching yourself for a while using a suitable book, DVD or one of the many websites offering (sometimes free) guitar tuition. You will then be clearer about whether you really want to continue, what you want from lessons and the limitations of the non-interactive learning methods referred to above. Practice is key, though. Without regular focussed practice, you are unlikely to progress whether you take lessons or not - and do not believe anyone who tells you otherwise.

For more advanced students, the 'workshop' approach can also work well from a teaching point of view. This is where a student requests one or more lessons on an ad hoc basis to tackle a particular well-defined topic, technique, song or exam.


What I teach

I teach elements of most styles (covering nylon-, steel-strung acoustic and electric guitars), including acoustic fingerstyle, blues, classical, jazz, popular and rock.

For those wishing to take exams, I offer tuition structured around the RGT/London College of Music Acoustic, Electric and Classical Guitar Grades syllabuses.

For those who seek to play purely for pleasure, I concentrate initially on teaching core technical skills as a foundation for building a relevant repertoire. Music theory is covered depending on the student's aspirations and level of ability.

Whilst there is nothing to prevent exploration of different styles as part of a learning programme, I recommend that initially students decide to focus on either classical or popular styles, as technical and (music) reading requirements for these genres differ markedly from the outset.


Why I teach

Because I enjoy it and believe it is something I can do well. I had been playing guitar on and off for over 30 years when my former career in IT came to an end following redundancy in 2002. After a few false starts, I decided to take the plunge and give guitar teaching a try, something I have never regretted.

Although I enjoy teaching, it is important to me to have sufficient time to give students the individual attention they deserve through proper lesson planning and preparation. I also need time to continue to develop my own playing and teaching skills and resources (as should any teacher). The net result of this is that I do not take on large numbers of students at any one time, so I may not always be able to fit you in immediately.


Where I teach

I teach from my home in Headington. Parking is available at my house. Please note that I do not travel out to students.


When I teach

Currently my normal teaching hours are Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 7pm (6pm Friday) and Saturday from 10am to 1pm.


How I teach

The approach used depends entirely on each student, his or her objectives and 'cognitive style' (way of learning) and tends to evolve over time. That after all is the essence of private tuition! For some students, particularly younger ones, study may well be book-based whereas with older students resources will be drawn from a variety of sources, including the Internet. I have a large selection of learning resources and the means for recording lessons and performances when appropriate.



How I Operate


Nobody loves charges, procedures, terms and conditions, but they are a fact of life and I think it best to state them up front, so I have listed mine below.


Summary

    In order to book lessons I expect you to:


  1. pay for all lessons at least 2 working days in advance (please see below for details).
  2. provide at least 24 hours notice of change or cancellation whatever the reason (or you are liable to forfeit the lesson fee).
  3. accompany children under 16 at all times.
  4. bring a guitar to lessons (I will provide other equipment).

    5. By booking lessons you are agreeing to abide by all the conditions outlined above and specified in more detail below.


Details


Lesson Charges

  • I charge £26 for a 1 hour lesson and £16 for 30 minutes for payments by cash or cheque.
  • I am currently offering a £1 per lesson discount for payments made via Internet Bank Transfer (IBT) only (not for transfers made at a bank).
  • Please note that I cannot accept credit cards.


Registration

Before booking the first lesson, you will need to provide:

  • Full contact details. These must include:
    1. Full name.
    2. Email address(es) (routine contact will be made using this method).
    3. Daytime or mobile and evening phone numbers.
    4. Home address (a business address is not acceptable).

  • Confirmation that you have read, understood and accept all the terms and conditions below (not just the summary above). By booking lessons you are automatically accepting these terms and conditions, so it is in your interest to ensure from the outset that you can abide by them. Repeated breaches will inevitably lead to a breakdown of the teacher/client relationship, which is in no-one's interest.

Please use my contact form to provide this information (as well as for further enquiries).


Booking

  • Lessons can be booked individually or in blocks and do not need to be at regular intervals, though for most people, particularly beginners, I would generally recommend at least fortnightly to help maintain progress and continuity.
  • I generally recommend 30 minute lessons for primary school age children and hour lessons for adults and secondary school pupils who have reached Year 9 (whatever their standard), though this may become necessary at an earlier stage for more experienced or advanced students. However, these are just guidelines and it is ultimately up to you as client and/or student to decide.
  • Please note that I cannot offer regular slots to students booking less frequently than every fortnight, hence some slots may not be available for ad hoc booking, particularly at peak times (4-7pm weekdays and Saturday mornings).
  • Lessons must be taken within a reasonable time once booked, normally within 4 weeks of the original date booked or the lesson fee may be forfeit (at my discretion).


Payment

  • Lesson bookings are provisional until paid for. I will not plan or prepare lessons until I have received payment.
  • Normal practice is to pay for the next lesson at the end of the previous one if paying by cash or cheque, or immediately after if paying by IBT.
  • Whatever the method of payment, but particularly for IBT payments, provisional bookings must be paid in full at least 2 working days in advance.
  • The payment deadline is 9am, two working days before the day of the lesson. (Please note that as I work Saturdays, I include this as a working day.) For example, a lesson on a Saturday must be fully paid by 9am the preceding Thursday, one on a Tuesday by 9am the previous Saturday and so on.
  • Provisional lesson bookings not paid in full by the deadline will lapse automatically and may be taken by another student or cancelled without notice, particularly if I consider that there is insufficient time to prepare adequately.
  • It is the responsibility of clients to reconfirm or rearrange lapsed bookings and payments; please do not turn up for a lesson without doing so. Please note that even if I agree to reinstate a lapsed booking, late payment may adversely affect a lesson if it does not leave me sufficient time to prepare properly.


Lesson Requirements

  • Children under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian for the entire lesson.
  • You must obtain a suitable guitar and bring it to lessons. I can advise on this if required, but I will not provide a guitar for lessons.
  • I will provide other necessary equipment such as an amplifier, guitar stand and music stand.
  • I will expect you to print off any study materials I provide electronically and bring them to lessons (along with handouts given during lessons).
  • I will expect you to obtain books and music scores at your expense as and when required and bring them to lessons.


Cancellations

  • You must give at least 24 hours notice of cancellation or the lesson fee may be forfeit (at my discretion).
  • Cancellations should generally be made to my landline telephone, particularly near to the 24-hour deadline (I will accept messages if I cannot take your call).
  • All other methods of cancellation (email, SMS text, mobile voicemail etc.) are only valid if I acknowledge them prior to the deadline.
  • Please note that it is when you cancel and not why that matters, even if it is through no fault of your own (including sickness).


Refunds

I do not normally give refunds for single lessons, or the first lesson of a block booking, so once you have booked it, use or lose it!


'No Shows'

Failure to turn up for a lesson without any prior notice being given and without very good reason will result in termination of the teaching service as well as forfeiture of the lesson fee.


Further Enquiries

Please contact me if you require more information, or would like to arrange an initial meeting to discuss your requirements in more detail. This will be without cost or obligation, but you will need to register your details first.