Information About Alex - Stafford teacher

Personal Description:

I am an experienced professional guitarist with 30 years playing under my belt across diverse styles such as classical, classic rock, metal, pop, reggae, folk and jazz. I moved to Stafford in 1998 and established myself through self-promotion and local music shops. I was first inspired to take up the guitar by rock music but took up classical guitar lessons for two reasons - 1. My dad made me!, 2. There were no structured exams in place for any contemporary styles. However I soon found I had a natural flair for guitar, taking and passing grade 5 as my first exam within two years and enjoyed the rate of progress that the classical discipline bestowed on my playing in any style. I also found enjoyed the classical side of playing for it's own sake, more than I had first expected as a teenager. I'm really glad that I can enjoy playing a classical piece as much as playing in my bands. I did then leave exams behind for some years but continued to take my playing to recital level before going back to get my grade 8 when I started teaching in a private school. I am currently studying to take the Trinity Guildhall Plectrum Grade 8 and also ABRSM Diploma.

Tutoring Experience:

I started teaching part-time when I decided to return to higher education to support myself and over the years it just developed into my main job when I moved to Stafford and started a family. I have taught across the styles and this has been reflected in the exam success pupils have enjoyed through various examination boards (ABRSM, Trinity Guildhall and Rockschool). A few exceptional students are now outstanding performers and teachers in their own right.

Tutoring Approach:

I believe in blending the discipline of structured tuition with development of the pupils natural inquisitiveness so that that discipline is channeled to develop a natural style to avoid playing becoming a purely mechanical recitation. From solid foundations, I encourage my pupils to spend time exploring the instrument "on their own terms", as I put it so that they hopefully gain a deeper intuitive knowledge of their instrument.