Information About Abel - Edgware teacher -

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Personal Description:

My name is Abel Balazs, and I've graduated in July 2019 from the Royal College of Music in London. In this institution I completed a Master in Performance degree and followed it right afterwards with a postgraduate, Artist Diploma degree. For my last degree, I received the prestigious McKenna Prize 2019 from the Royal College of Music.
Before this, I completed in 2016 my Bachelor degree in violin performance at the Escola Superior de Música in my home city of Lisbon in Portugal.

Side by side to my teaching activities, I have an active performing career, performing orchestrally with groups and ensembles such as the Academy of Ancient Music, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Early Opera Company, among others.
Since my studies, I've also been part of various schemes, programmes and training courses, namely the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme 2018, OAE Experience scheme 2019, Theresia Orchestra 2018 and the Handel House Talent 2019.

I've performed in larger ensembles and chamber music in numerous venues in the U.K… including Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Cadogan Hall, Sheldonian Theatre, Royal Opera House, Church Cathedral, St. John's Smith Square, among others.

Tutoring Experience:

I had my first teaching experience in 2016 in Portugal. I was appointed as music teacher at St. Dominic's International School, where I taught classes from Nursery to Year 3 until July of that year. It was a very rewarding and intense introduction to my teaching career. Sadly, I had to leave the school to pursue with my violin studies in London.

In September 2016 I started my Postgraduate studies at the Royal College of Music and whilst studying there, I began teaching private one-to-one violin lessons.

Nearing the end of my studies, I searched for schools and music services where I could broaden my teaching opportunities, including teaching in groups.
Since 2018, I've been a violin teacher at Beacon High with MiSST (Music in Secondary Schools Trust.) From 2019 to 2020, I've worked with the OAE (Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment) string club at Blessed Sacrament Catholic School. In 2019, I was appointed THAMES (tower hamlets arts and music education service) music tutor and in 2020, I've been working with Camden Music service, teaching violin in six different schools.
More recently, in September 2021, I was appointed violin tutor with Music Education Islington, teaching at Blessed Sacrament Catholic School.

In these schools, I've been teaching violin to a variety of ages, skill levels, both in one-to-one lessons and also in groups of varying sizes.
In parallel to teaching violin, I've been occasionally working at Ealing Junior Music School, teaching recorder in one-to-one sessions.

Tutoring Approach:

I believe that an essential part and a big responsibility of being a professional musician is for one to possess the ability and passion to pass on the necessary skills to learn an instrument and nurture the musical talent of the younger generation and keen adult learners.

From my experience and from what I've observed, I think it's very beneficial for any student to have a teacher who has the skills of an active performer, as they have regular first-hand experience of what it is like to play in a professional orchestra, in a chamber ensemble or as a recitalist. These experiences can be very influential and inspiring for aspiring students.

I strongly believe that a good technical foundation is key to any instrumental teaching. The earlier on that technical aspects are acquired and bad habits removed, the easier everything else becomes, eliminating the technical barrier that might impede musical and artistic progress.
Having said that, I bear in mind what the technical limitations might be of each and every student and always try to bring out musical elements to a lesson, even working on technical exercises such as scales.

My philosophy is that there's always a piece of music a student can play, no matter what their skill level is.