Information About Alexander - Hackney teacher -

(4 reviews)

Personal Description:

I am a dedicated and experienced singer and singing teacher based in London. I enjoy an active and varied freelance career in the UK and internationally. I began singing as a chorister at Westminster Abbey, aged 8. Since then, I have worked in a variety of genres and contexts: from recording an a capella album as a choral scholar at New College, Oxford; to performing the role of Armindo in Handel Partenope (Hampstead Garden Opera/Festivals Malta); to performing a solo stage show set in post-apocalyptic London, live-streamed at Sands Films Music Room (2022).

I am passionate about making singing an activity anyone can access. Over lockdown I carried out funded research for youth music charity Sound Connections, on making singing more inclusive of trans and non-binary people. In my work as a singer and teacher, I have found that people in this demographic often find singing spaces inaccessible because of gendered expectations attached to voice-type. In order to raise awareness, I have given presentations to BBC Symphony Chorus and Music and Drama Education Expo; and the Sound Connections research paper has been platformed by a number of major music organisations, including the British Voice Association and the International Federation for Choral Music, who translated a summary of this paper into French, German and Spanish. I also acted as vocal consultant on 'Down There The Seafolk Live: a film about gender transition and singing', screened as part of the BFI's LGBT+ film festival.

Tutoring Experience:

I have been teaching privately in London for over a decade, as well as working on educational outreach across the UK and Italy. I teach a range of ages, from very young children right up to adults, all with individual educational needs and musical tastes. I have extensive experience working with trans and non-binary students, deepening my awareness of how to support all singers through collaborative research and practical experience. Through an open and fully inclusive teaching practice, I have developed the tools to provide an engaging and supportive space to learn, for anyone who wants to sing.

Tutoring Approach:

The human voice is a beautiful, complex and wonderfully expressive instrument, and can be such a source of joy. It is as individual as the person who carries it, and so my approach adapts to each pupil's needs. I work to develop a positive connection to the breath and body, through song and through tailored, integrative vocal exercises. The main aim, though, is to make music, and to develop the tools to do this with confidence and freedom.