Information About Matthew - Bristol teacher

Personal Description:

Matthew is a composer, musician and teacher based in Stroud, Gloucestershire. Whether composing his own music, playing or teaching, Matthew believes passionately in the power of music to touch the heart and move us deeply.

Matthew's musical journey has encompassed both a classical training including a music degree, as well as an interest in exploring and assimilating various other influences from traditional musics from around the world. Since 2002 Matthew has been fascinated by improvisation as creative expression, and has felt this to bring a new and exciting dimension to his performing, composing and teaching.

He has a one-to-one teaching practice in piano, clarinet and improvisation in Stroud and Bristol, and many students have come seeking support with improvising and finding intuitive ways to engage with music to complement a more classical approach.

As a performer on clarinet and piano, Matthew has accompanied singers and played solo at concerts and festivals in the UK and abroad. He has played clarinet with the band Faeland and appears on their recent album. Musicians and audiences have commented on the sensitivity and heart-focused quality of Matthew's playing.

Matthew has taught highly successful regular classes for adults in Music Appreciation since 2009 with the intention of sharing his knowledge and love of music widely including deepening the listening experience of those who have not necessarily had a formal training in music.

Much of Matthew's own music takes its inspiration from natural landscapes and the timelessness of ancient chant. One current project, Songs of the Forest, seeks to weave a magical and contemplative tapestry of sound using piano, clarinet and voices in a way that evokes the beauty and power of mountains, rivers and forests and the interconnection between forest species. Matthew believes passionately in music as something to be experienced actively rather than heard passively, and part of his composing work seeks to explore ways in which non-musically-trained people can engage and be a part of a moving musical experience. He wrote a participatory multi-faith 9-part chant for the 2018 Sacred Music Festival in Stroud, which embodies this conviction about the power of music to unite people and to build bridges.

Tutoring Experience:

I have been teaching and mentoring in Music since 2005, both in my instruments piano, clarinet, and saxophone, and in music theory and appreciation, composing and improvising. I have taught both children and adults during this time, both in schools, one-to-one and in groups.

Tutoring Approach:

I am passionate about sharing my love of music, and believe strongly in making music education an accessible and enjoyable experience. I seek to bring a holistic approach to music teaching, tailoring the lessons to what pupils are most interested in learning. I seek to connect the experience of playing an instrument with the listening experience, and to teach tools for students to understand and appreciate the building blocks of music. I am keen on including improvisation and ear training in the range of skills we can cover as well as playing from sheet music. I cover classical repertoire and grades as well as jazz, folk, Balkan and Klezmer music.