Teaching

I’m often asked if I teach and I usually reply that I do but it’s not something I’ve done a huge amount of

I’ve had students over the years and enjoy the process of teaching but it’s never been my main work

Then recently I realised that I have in fact done much more teaching that I realised

I’ve taught myself

I’ve taught my self to play lots of instruments from diverse families in disparate styles

More importantly I’ve done so without really realising that this was an unusual thing to do

and with a continuous sense of joy and exploration

I learn through play 

Some people think that play is a word associated with children which I find sad

Adults need to play as much, if not more, than children and music is a wonderful way to do this

Indeed we call it playing not working even at a professional level. We ‘play’ gigs and concerts

For me play is about pattern forming

Repetition and variation. Structrue and freedom. Chaos and Form.

About the physicality of making sounds with pieces of wood and string, skin and metal

About finding out what sounds a new instrument can make

and how those sounds can be pieced together

to invite this glorious illusive spirit we call music

So over the years I’ve learned a lot and in the process I’ve learned how to learn, or at least how I learn

In teaching friends and students I’ve also been lucky enough to explore something of how other people learn and have developed some resources and skills around this too

Playing lots of quirky traditional folk instruments from different cultures

has been a rich source of musical inspiration and education as many of these have limited abilities

Limitations can be a nutritious food for creativity and force one to tread new paths and to find patterns

This has been my path and one of my great life joys and I’ve learned to love sharing it with enthusiasm 

I have enough classical Western knowledge to express the things I know in that language where required

but not so much that all other tongues have been excluded or lessened

So if you'd like to explore playing with sound and experience what you can achieve

with an array of fun and unusual 'adult toys' then I’d love to meet you

If you would like to do Grade exams in the western style

then I’ll happy recommend a friend or colleague who may be able to help with this