Francis

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About Francis

I am a musician and artist living in rural Northumberland with many years of experience teaching guitar, composition and music theory. I could have told anyone [and did] from the age of seven that I intended to study music and was fortunate enough to be able to do so twice, first as an undergraduate, gaining an honours degree from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, and later as a postgraduate - again at Newcastle - gaining a Postgraduate Diploma in Musical Composition.

Writing has always been central to my musical activity and continues to be a great joy, though recently I have been writing a lot of songs in more popular styles as well as the more "classical" forms for which I gained my qualifications. Influences are wide and varied, from Renaissance liturgical music, 20th Century modern classical, to the Rock and Blues which I enjoy so much as a performer. I draw on this writing experience and love of creating scores, recording and mixing songs and finally mastering them into a finished product when helping students to realise their own creative ideas. I have helped students with exam based projects for GCSE and A Level, but often with simply having fun working through their own ideas for personal satisfaction and pleasure.

I also help students with music theory which remains key to progressing through the grades on many instruments and an important ingredient to studying music for GCSE and A level.

Mostly what I do, however, is teach guitar, both electric and acoustic, tailoring tuition to the student's own tastes and preferences and helping them achieve their own ambitions and goals. These may involve graded exams and performance requirements for GCSE and A Level, but very often study is purely for fun and personal satisfaction. I generally teach students in the comfort of their own homes, though online lessons have been part of what I offer for a long time now, way before the requirements of a health emergency caused so much disruption.

I am father to two boys, one at university and the other with significant learning disabilities for whom I am sole carer since the death of my wife. This care role means that I only teach in person when he is in attendance at his day centre and any evening or weekend lessons are conducted online.

I was privileged enough to serve as a governor at schools attended by both my boys, and remain committed to the highest standards of education as a...

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