Information About Sion - Wakefield teacher -

(7 reviews)

Personal Description:

I’m a 1st class graduate of Leeds University (music), with over 25 years tuition experience, and over 40 years playing experience. I have several years composition / production experience including broadcast credits, and I regularly perform nationally with several bands on guitar and bass (gigs have included Download, Guilfest and Mathew St Festivals as well as tours in France and Germany).

Tutoring Experience:

I teach all ages and abilities across a wide range of styles to suit students' musical tastes. Students can choose to learn for fun as an enjoyable hobby, work towards grade exams, develop performance pieces for GCSE / A level courses, or prepare for band auditions.

Interested students regularly enter for grade exams on guitar (electric, acoustic and classical), bass guitar, ukulele, and music theory (I currently use Rockschool, RGT, ABRSM and Trinity exam boards). Several students have completed grade 8 exams in guitar and bass, and some have progressed onto FE and HE courses, including degrees at Leeds College of Music, Huddersfield and Leeds Universities.

Alongside private tuition, I’ve worked for Kirkless, Leeds, Leicester and Wakefield music services, providing peripatetic lessons for school children (including a Junior Orchestra Conductor role for Leeds Artforms). I have also worked at FE level teaching on BTEC / Foundation courses for Access to Music at centres in Bridlington, Hull and Leicester.

In 2010, I launched an online video tuition site offering lessons to both the general public and secondary schools. I developed the lesson syllabus (based around music grades with developmental levels), composed most of the original songs contained on the site, and recorded and produced the audio + video for the lessons.

Tutoring Approach:

Online & face to face guitar, bass and ukulele lessons (and more… ) are offered to people of all ages and abilities across West Yorkshire and further afield, including international students from the US, Brazil & Denmark.

Online lessons use the students preferred video platform (Skype, Zoom etc), with PDF scores, audio & video demos regularly accompany lessons to help with home practice.

Lessons are held in a central location in Wakefield with free parking and easy access to bus services. A dedicated music room is used for tuition with all the necessary equipment provided. Remo**Contact Detail Removed**ssons are offered via live video chat if students find travel difficult, and there is also the possibility of learning from home (please contact for more details).

Lessons are always tailored to suit individual students’ tastes, and cover styles from: rock to metal; jazz to blues; country to folk; indie to pop; funk to reggae; classical and more. Whether you’re looking to learn for fun, pass grade exams, need help with GCSE or A-level courses, lessons are structured around your requirements, and held in a relaxed and friendly environment.

Lessons are generally based around learning songs. Songs are suggested to suit preferred musical styles and are introduced in a developmental way so that new techniques and increased levels of difficulty help improve playing. Student requests are welcomed and you can choose to learn from a wide range of guitar music (song tabs – tablature), and new songs can be sourced online or transcribed by ear.

Useful techniques and musical concepts are also introduced in lessons alongside songs, to help develop both playing and musical experience. These can range from: developing improvising and soloing skills; exercises to help learn new instrumental techniques; developing knowledge of scales and chords; useful theory information to accompany songs and styles; developing song writing and performance skills; demo recording and developing music production skills.

Students are given access to useful home practice tools, including audio playalong and backing tracks which accompany songs learnt in face to face lessons, as well as free video lessons.