Biography

Personal Profile:



I am a highly motivated, confident, energetic and focused individual, who works hard to achieve the best results possible. I have recently graduated with a PGCert in music education, following my BA (Hons) degree in professional musicianship. I am currently a TA at Oathall Community College and also teach guitar to private students in my own time. An area of teaching that is particularly important to me is adopting a variety of techniques to engage students, both in practical and theoretical aspects of music. Furthermore, throughout my career I have gained substantial performing experience through playing with various bands, most notably Jazz, Rock, Swing, Funk, Soul and Pop bands, around the UK and Europe. I believe that with my qualifications, performing experience and my enthusiasm and passion for teaching, I could prove to be a highly valuable member of your teaching team.



Qualifications



PGCert Music Education (Oct 2009 - Oct 2010)

I continued with my post graduate studies at Brighton Institution of Modern Music (BIMM), following the successful completion of my degree. The course enriched my teaching skills, such as lesson planning and designing a curriculum, and challenged me to take a specialist subject and make it accessible to students from varying abilities. Throughout my time on the PGCert, I had the opportunity to teach students with a wide level of ability and comprehension. I was teaching to under and post graduate students. This enabled me to deliberate prior to each lesson so that I was able to cater of each student’s learning style preference, subsequently providing a template for a high level of differentiation within the classroom.



BA (Hons) Professional Musicianship (Sept 2005 - July 2008)

I also studied for my degree at BIMM. The degree developed my subject knowledge in a variety of musical genres, and I learned how to transfer this knowledge into a practical application. During the course, I opted to study a teaching module, so at an early stage, I had the opportunity to develop my teaching skills. Furthermore, it was during this time that I began teaching privately and put my knowledge into practice. This cemented my aspiration to teach.



Teaching Experience:



Private tuition:

I have been teaching guitar and music theory for 5 years and have taught a wide range of ages and abilities. This has been an excellent opportunity to transfer my knowledge in a practical teaching context. Specifically, I design lessons depending on students’ individual needs and ambitions.



Performing Experience:



In terms of performing experience, I have worked in a variety of bands as a lead guitarist, and have had the opportunity to perform around Europe and the UK. Rhythm Nation was a five piece function band that performed at many corporate events and functions. Swing Nation was a subsidiary band that was more jazz and classic soul orientated. The Retrospects was a ten piece funk band with an established residency in a jazz club in Brighton where we would always play to a full house. I believe that this experience is highly valuable, as I can transfer my performing experience to students who are involved in extra-curricular activities.