Philosophy of Teaching: Connecting Heart and Head

My philosophy of teaching the violin developed through my own experiences and the impact of great musicians on my musical journey. I feel passionate about passing this legacy on to my students and supporting them in expressing themselves through this powerful form of communication.
The essence of my teaching is to give my students the emotional freedom and the tools to express what the composer intended.

My aim is to give every student the means to express their innate musicality, to enable them to sing through their chosen instrument, the violin.
To be able to express yourself fully through your instrument requires an excellent technique. To develop such a high level of skill requires strong personal commitment, honesty and openness.

My commitment is to be open and receptive to all that emerges as you explore your inner self through the music.
I expect you to show a willingness to be experimental, innovative and imaginative in your approach to your practice.

Musicians who inspired me on my musical journey:

The pianist Stephen Salkeld was my recital partner during my early career after graduating from the Royal Academy of Music. Some of the musicians I worked with were Peter Feuchtwanger, Hephzibah Menuhin, Isaac Stern, Maurice Gendron and Helen Airoff-Dowling who made the greatest changes to my thinking as a musician.

As leader of the Lyric Quartet, I worked with the Amadeus Quartet and with Msistlav Rostropovich and extensively with the Borodin Quartet when we were quartet in residence in Aldeburgh.

These eminent musicians helped me to experience music in an all encompassing way by introducing me to many artists, sculptors and writers. Most of all they inspired me through their own story telling, humour and their wealth of experience.