Sarah has wide-ranging teaching experience and has taught over 450 people in the last 7 years. Sarah's experience includes:
Private teaching practice in Birmingham
Supply teaching for Birmingham Music Service
Violin tuition and music lessons at Camp Encore-Coda, a residential Summer Music Camp for children in Maine, U.S.A.
4 years as a teacher for Gwent Music Service
Private teaching practice in Cardiff
Violin and Viola teacher at St Mary's School, Calne
Strings teacher at Tockington Manor School, Bristol
Violin teaching for South Gloucestershire Music Service
Private teaching practice in Chipping Sodbury, Bristol
Whilst studying in Birmingham Sarah worked as a supply teacher for the local Music Service. In addition to this she set up her first private teaching practice and entered her first exam candidate who got a Merit for Grade 1 Violin.
After graduating from University Sarah went to America to work as a violin teacher at Encore-Coda Music Camp in Maine. Here she taught individual violin lessons, music theory groups and music appreciation classes, as well as coaching the various Summer Camp Ensembles and Orchestras. Sarah's time in America introduced her to aspects of the Suzuki method of teaching, and the importance of a positive approach to practising - it was much more difficult to motivate students when there were so many other summer activities on offer!
Whilst living in Wales Sarah established a large teaching practice in Cardiff, giving lessons to teenagers, university students, and adults in the area. For 4 years Sarah also worked as a peripatetic violin and viola teacher for Gwent Music Service. Based in the Monmouth region, Sarah taught at Monmouth Comprehensive School and the surrounding primary schools. Her pupils ranged from 5 to 18 years old, some of whom had never seen a violin before, and some who were preparing for GCSE and A-level Music with the intention of applying for Music degree courses at university.
Sarah relocated to Bristol in 2006 and now teaches violin and viola at St Mary's School in Calne, Tockington Manor Prep School in Bristol, and for South Gloucestershire Music Service. She also has a large private teaching practice in the South West, and gives violin and viola lessons to children and adults in Bristol, Chipping Sodbury, Yate and South Gloucestershire.
Sarah's teaching philosophy puts the emphasis strongly on enjoyment as a basis for successful learning - musicians after all 'play' their instruments! Enjoying lessons and the music being learnt is a strong incentive to practise, which means progress will be made more quickly. All pupils should establish a regular practice routine at home to fit in with their busy lives and younger students are encouraged to use a practice diary to record their achievements each week. Adults are encouraged to discuss with Sarah what they hope to achieve from learning the violin and what commitment they can give to practising, in order to ensure that their goals are manageable and realistic.
Sarah never uses a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to teaching, and draws on many different methods and styles to achieve the best progress for each individual musician. She is very aware that every pupil is different, and plans lessons and long-term goals to reflect this. She encourages pupils to take graded exams when appropriate, as a mark of their achievement, hard work and progress, rather than using the exam syllabus as a curriculum for teaching. Sarah strongly believes that it is very important for pupils to develop as all-round musicians, and for this reason Sarah encourages her pupils to learn music in many different styles, as well as focusing on their technique.