Information About Ben - Edinburgh teacher

Personal Description:

Hi, my name is Ben and I’m a professional violinist and independent musician based in the Southside of Edinburgh (EH16). with over 25 years of playing experience in music since childhood I am proficient in a multitude of styles from classical to folk to jazz. Over the course of my career I have been involved in a wide variety of projects and bands which have taken me across the UK and around the world.

With a wealth of experience in teaching as well as live performances of all kinds, studio and recording work and writing/composition/arranging, I am a thoroughly experienced and innovative musician.

Tutoring Experience:

I have worked as a 1:1 music teacher for over 5 years now.
I have also been involved in the delivery and facilitation of community based music groups in the charity sector through my early career.
I worked in China during my late teens/early twenties teaching classrooms of up to around 75 students.

Tutoring Approach:

Lessons with Ben:
I am an experienced violin teacher and will provide lessons that are tailored to the individual needs of each student. We will build a teaching plan that is fun and engaging and focused on your own musical goals.

Teaching both adults and children of all levels I will help the student to find music and materials that are fun and engaging and based on their own musical preferences. With many years of experience in folk, jazz, swing, rock, bluegrass, as well as classical repertoire there is something for everyone. I encourage students to lead from their own musical preferences and we can base our work around the styles that interest you the most.

For beginner level students I can guide you through the process of learning the fundamentals of general musicianship, develop best technical practice and build up your confidence in playing. For the more advanced students I can help develop the more tricky areas of technique such as chordal accompaniment, advanced bowing technique and harmonic theory, and offer advice on playing with other musicians in bands.

I place a great deal of importance in learning to improvise and to play by ear as well as from written music. Brought up studying in the Suzuki method I like to apply similar methods in developing listening skills during my lessons, particularly with younger students.

Whilst most of my teaching takes place at my home in Edinburgh (EH16) I am prepared to travel to students’ homes with considerations made to pricing based on travel time.

I like to think of the first meeting between us as a session where we will get to know one another and I will ask you about your learning preferences and musical goals. We will then start work on your learning plan. For adult students I prefer to teach hour long lessons as I feel that a half hour is often not long enough time to achieve a meaningful and substantive focus on the goals of the lesson. for child students consideration will be given to whether a half hour lesson is more appropriate.