Personal Description:

Andrew James is a Toronto based composer who has spent the last several years combining his love of contemporary music with a passion for public speaking and concert presentations. His concert series Classical Context, which has been featured on **Web Address Removed**'s “Critic’s Picks”, has showcased a substantial amount of early-career professionals from throughout Canada who have performed his compositions alongside their own traditional repertoire.

His professional development includes a Masters Degree in composition from the University of Toronto, a Composition Fellowship with the Hamilton Philharmonic, a residency with the University of Toronto’s Wind Ensemble, and a published work with Counterpoint Library. He has conducted a number of his own chamber works in concert as well as works by other emerging composers in U of T’s 2017 New Music Festival. These activities earned him a conducting apprenticeship with Orchestra Toronto under the supervision of Maestro Kevin Mallon in 2018.

A focus on community building has consistently remained at the forefront of Andrew’s musical activities which include his efforts in sustaining a music therapy program for elderly and homeless musicians that earned him a Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award in 2016. Andrew has recently been tasked with reviving the Canadian Composers Orchestra, an organization founded in 1983 by such notable composers as Samuel Dolin.

Since the lockdown Andrew has been working to transform his organization Classical Context into an online music education hub in an attempt to consolidate and formalize his musical activities online. He is currently composing a symphonic dance, and a piano suite.

Bio Updated (2020)

Tutoring Experience:

Andrew James provides outstanding private music theory lessons preparing students for RCM and University examinations. You can contact Andrew now, or start learning for free by visiting the Classical Context website where Andrew's work sheets, tutorials and lectures are already publicly available (**Web Address Removed**)

Private Theory / Harmony / Analysis / Composition / Sight singing $50 per hour. Online / In Person Free Interview Prior to Lessons

About Andrew James :

Andrew James boasts over a decade of professional teaching experience. He has instructed literally hundreds of children, students, and young people, and has taught the entirety of the Royal Conservatory of Music's theory, harmony and history curriculum in a class room setting several times over. His students have achieved First Class Honours within the RCM's examination system and his piano students, ranging from absolute beginner to ARCT, have also achieved high academic standing and have gone on to perform in the Classical Context Concert series and other community events around the city. He has also taught harmony, sight-singing and musical skills as a Teaching Assistant position at the University of Toronto.

Tutoring Approach:

Reviews:

"Having trouble with music theory? Understanding basic music concepts (i.e. Tonality, Texture, Dynamics, etc.), then Andrew has you covered. I took MUS101 online with Ryerson and was overwhelmed with the sheer amount of concepts presented with little reinforcement. Andrew helped train my ear to recognize different textures, tempo, tonality among other concepts. He took difficult concepts and broke them down to ensure I was able to comprehend the material. Andrew is very knowledgeable and a great person to work with, I would highly recommend him if you need help with anything related to music." ​ - Ankur J. (2015) ​ Andrew is extremely knowledgeable in his field of study. He helped a great deal with music theory using information from the course as well as his own experience. If you have difficulty understanding a concept he will work effortlessly to ensure you are able to comprehend the material. Overall an outstanding and trustworthy individual. Highly recommend his services for anyone needing help in music. ​ - Marina C. (2016) ​ Andrew is a fantastic teacher! He is patient, understanding and great with kids. I'm very comfortable leaving my God Child with him know that she will learn and have fun at the same time!

- Cortney M. (2018)

Andrew is my first music teacher in Canada. He is very patient and kind. Even though I can’t speak fluent English, he will do his best to explain knowledge to me. Andrew taught me a lot of music theory and playing skills. Every teacher I met in China, always told me how to do great things on piano but never told why to do them. Andrew explains things in music perfectly and solved many of my problems. I Highly recommend his lesson for anyone needing help on piano and theory.

- Kyle M. (2019)

Definitely the most worthwhile extracurricular classes I've taken. I was able to pass the grade 8 and 9 RCM theory exams within a year of starting music because of Andrews classes. He's a good teacher for beginners trying to get a grasp of the fundamentals of music and experienced students hoping to deepen their understanding. I like that he does not waste time and explains things simply so that it's easy to understand. 10/10 would definitely recommend.

- Leo Tao (2020)