Chris Anderson piano, guitar, bass, saxophone, oboe, recorder, voice, songwriting tuition in Worthing

Practising:

 This applies to all the instruments I teach.

I generally advise all students in the first year of lessons to practise for at least 20 minutes a day, at least four times a week, preferably supervised to some extent. Parents, especially of younger students are welcome to sit in on the lessons.

Beginners (up to Grade 2) would benefit from practising 30 minutes at least four times a week.

Intermediate (Grades 3 - 6) at least 30 minutes, five times a week.

In each lesson I will have detailed which elements need practise. Time spent will include warm up exercises and scales as well as the set pieces. I provide a practise diary for each student to encourage this. These home sessions will provide the student with a huge advantage in the learning process and the results in acquiring skills from lesson to lesson will speak for themselves.

Some students whose interest in mastering their instrument is less formal than the Graded approach will have different practise schedules to those outlined above. Whichever path is chosen, sitting with your instrument at home is where the skills become embedded as the brain adapts, sending regular signals to the muscles which in turn become adept at controlling the voicings, whether they be embouchure or hand control, acquiring the skills to express oneself creatively and with control.

 

Feedback:
Students have a practise book, outlining what has been covered in the lesson. During the covid-19 period, all such feedback is sent via email and held on file for my records. I am always available for a chat, by phone, video call or email/messenger etc.

I always feedback verbally to parents / guardians after the lesson as to what we have been working on and what we are working towards, which elements are to be practised before the following lesson etc. Equally I welcome all feedback from the students and parents alike as to how things are progressing and any problems which might be flagged up. It is important for me to be confident that everyone is happy with the standards and suitability of the teaching. I am available to be contacted any time between 9 and 5, Monday to Friday by phone, video chat or via email / text etc.

 

Holidays:

In the school holidays lessons tend not to occur, however during the covid-19 situation many people will wish to continue taking their lessons, for which I will remain available. I recommend people keeping their hand in, especially over the long summer break and it can be helpful for an occasional tutorial to ensure that bad habits (incorrect fingerings on a piano set piece, for example) are not being practised. During holiday periods I may also offer group songwriting classes, theory classes and improvisation workshops.

 

Sheet music:

It will be necessary to buy sheet music at times as well as manuscript paper and pencils for music theory (estimated cost around £20 - 30 a year).