Information About Alistair - Westminster teacher -

(2 reviews)

Personal Description:

My name is Ali, and I am a cellist and baroque cellist with a passion for teaching, based in Central London. I am a graduate of the University of York and the Royal College of Music. While at these institutions and elsewhere, I have learned cello and historical cello with numerous outstanding musicians. I also perform as well as teach, ensuring that my own musical understanding is evolving continuously.

Having benefited from a strong musical education myself, teaching the cello always seemed to be a natural venture for me to undertake, and over the years it has far surpassed my expectations in terms of the joy it would bring me. Since I began teaching, I have taught students of a wide range of levels and ages, from young children to retired adults.

Having learned cello, piano and singing as I grew up, music has been an all-encompassing factor in my life since my childhood, and so I aim to share a rounded approach to music-making, while I also regularly accompany my students on the piano to enable them to see how their part fits with the rest of the music in a piece.

My aim is to support the development, needs and passion of my students by shaping my approach to the individual. At the centre of my tuition, I am looking to cultivate a sense of fun and joy as a student learns the cello - after all, music is a gift which can benefit everyone!

Tutoring Experience:

I have taught the cello for several years, and teach regularly both privately and in schools. My pupils come from various backgrounds, with my youngest student being 5 and my oldest being semi-retired. I like to tailor my teaching to the individual, which means that some students will want a more goal-orientated approach (perhaps through graded examinations), while others will prefer to play purely for the joy of playing. Either way is a perfectly valid approach, but I try to ensure that everyone has fun along the way, regardless of their main reason for playing, as enjoyment should be at the heart of music-making! I also accompany my students on the piano where appropriate, ensuring that they can hear every aspect of the music they are playing, rather than just their own part.

Tutoring Approach:

Music should be about enjoyment as much as skill, and so fun and hard work play an equally important role in my approach to teaching as a whole.

I believe that in order for instrumental tuition to work well, it must be a collaboration between teacher and student. As such, I always seek to tailor my lessons to the individual student and what works for them rather than having a 'one size fits all' approach. Throughout my professional life as a teacher, I have enjoyed working with people of varying ages and from different backgrounds, all of whom have a different idea of how playing the cello should fit into their lives. I aim to demonstrate the respect each student deserves by evaluating what works for them and therefore how concepts should be demonstrated, as what works for one person may not work for another.

I consider it imperative that students are able to develop musical instincts beyond the instrument which they are playing at the time, and so I often explore musical theory during the lesson, as well as accompanying my students on the piano, in order to ensure that they can appreciate all aspects of the piece which they are playing, while developing and enhancing their skills as an ensemble musician.

I am happy to teach online or in-person at my home in Central London. Any level, experience or age is welcome, so whether you are keen to enhance skills you have developed already or you have never touched an instrument before, I would be delighted to teach you!