Information About Jamie - Haringey teacher -

(1 review)

Personal Description:

With a life deep in music, since 2011 I have been based in London, performing a huge variety of music on BBC radio and TV, Ronnie Scotts, Glastonbury and London Jazz Festivals, and so far in 25 countries in 4 continents. I teach with patience, creativity and curiosity, it is a joy to share knowledge and skills with those who are keen to learn!

An artist, bandmember, bandleader, and songwriter; I play bass guitar, double bass, oud, guitar, baglama, percussion, saxophone, ukelele, produce and sing. I've lived with music all my life and played countless international festivals, tours, concerts and recordings with a myriad of styles.

I grew up playing music (mostly Jazz and Rock) from a very young age on trumpet, drums, guitar and bass; however since aged 14 my focus has been on THE BASS. I moved to London to advance my life in music aged 19, and since then I am incredibly grateful to have been submerged in music and culture from Balkans, Greece, Turkey, Cuba, West Africa and Congo. Also a member of communities expressing themselves with hiphop/neo-soul, jungle/DnB/garage and Jazz / Modern Jazz / Improvisation. This love and connection to and through music has led me to travel as a touring artist, teacher, student and enthusiast for all my adult life. I continue to work with artists from these varied backgrounds as well as drawing from all these experiences innovate and create new music.

Some noteable venues I have performed at include : Glastonbury festival, Chicago Pitchfork Festival, Ronnie Scotts, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, London Jazz Festival (a few times), Southbank Centre, BBC radio and TV, TRT (Turkish TV), Iranian TV, Village Underground, Roundhouse…

Tutoring Experience:

I was taught by great teachers including London's jazz conservatoire teachers, masters of specific international folk styles, and renowned musicians and session players in London and California. I still take ocassional lessons myself - in my opinion we can never know everything, a good musician, teacher, artist, human will always continue learning, and remain humble.

I have 10 years of 1:1 teaching experience, and have led university workshops teaching music (Specifically jazz/groove improvisation and Balkan songs/rhythms), taught National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO) workshops, led guitar classes and I also mentor some aspiring musicians in recording, songwriting and general musicianship.

Tutoring Approach:

I am very flexible with my approach to teaching in terms of musical styles and various approaches to learning, and I revel in seeing students progress! It is my genuine goal to see students flourish and excel. With experience teaching since 2012, I'm here to guide you, enjoy the journey and enable you reach your musical goals.

I give all my students education that will enable you to enjoy effortlessly playing your desired style(s) of music, and regardless of who you are, if you do the work you can play anything!

Together, we tailor an approach for each student that works with your musical interests and natural learning tendencies.

For bass the most fun and also functional route is to teach how to play by ear and get comfortable improvising. I can guide you to be able to improvise a great bassline spontaneously and creatively in any context. Applying some theory here makes all the difference, for most musicians theory on some level is sooner or later unavoidable, but don't be put off by that! It's actually awesome I promise!

I can also work with students through grades via Rockschool books if desired. Although this is certainly not necessary to make you a great musician, for some it can help for institutional applications and building confidence.

I teach in my home studio, the students home/alternative location (within reason and with costs of time and travel covered) or online.

Please, if you are a very keen learner and you wish to take lessons with me but you cannot afford my standard rates, let me know and we can discuss a discount.

Thanks!