BMus (Hons) Trinity College of Music
MU (Musician's Union) Member
References are available upon request

Subjects

Interview

Which subject(s) do you teach?
- Piano (Classical / Jazz / Pop / Soul / Blues / Boogie-woogie / Funk / Rock)
- Keyboard / Synthesiser technique & sound design
- Jazz Organ
- Music Theory
- GCSE / A-Level Exam Preparation
- ABRSM Classical / Jazz Grades

Tell me about your qualifications.
- BMus (Hons) Trinity College of Music
- Grade 8 Piano ABRSM

Whilst studying at Trinity I won the Gladys Puttick Prize for Extemporisation and the Jon Hassell Memorial Prize for Jazz.

What kind of experience do you have?
I have been teaching in different capacities for 10 years. I have experience teaching on a one-to-one and two-to-one basis (both as a peripatetic tutor in schools and privately at home) and have been a tutor on various jazz courses including: Trinity Summer School (http://www.trinitysummerschool.co.uk/), Cambridge Jazz Co-Op (www.cambridgejazzcoop.org.uk) and Dordogne International Summer School (http://www.jazzschool-dordogne.co.uk), where I have worked as a piano tutor and ensemble project leader.

As an active performing musician I have worked with, and performed alongside many of the UK's finest jazz musicians, including Denys Baptiste, Julian Siegel, Martin Speake, Clark Tracey, Geoff Simkins, Mark Lockheart, Mornington Lockett, NYJO, BYJO and London Neophonic Orchestra at venues including Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Pizza Express Jazz Club (Soho) and The Vortex. In 2010 I also toured the UK Arena circuit with The Temptations, Four Tops, Three Degrees and The Drifters as a keyboardist, playing at venues including The O2 London, Liverpool Echo Arena and Birmingham NIA. Currently in 2011 I have been playing with Michael Kiwanuka and Eliza Doolittle.

I am also involved in a number of exciting projects at the moment. I co-lead a funk band called The Peters (http://www.myspace.com/thepetersmusic), lead my own trio (http://www.myspace.com/stevepringlekeys) and play with The Tom White Septet (http://www.myspace.com/tomwhitequartet)

I have a flexible and dynamic approach to teaching and will tailor each lesson to the student's individual needs and aims, with the emphasis being on enjoyment, creativity and measures of progress.

For piano / keyboard teaching some example topics that we could cover in lessons include:

- Improvisation
- Music theory (including harmony / scale awareness)
- Sight reading
- Rhythm exercises
- Listening to / transcribing from recordings
- Aural skills
- Transition from classical to other styles
- Playing with other musicians

I can also teach keyboard and synthesiser programming / sound design, and my home studio features the following resources:

- Kemble Quantum upright piano
- Fender Rhodes Mk 1 73 + various pedals / amps
- Nord C1 organ
- Nord Stage EX
- Roland RD-300SX
- Yamaha Motif ES
- Macbook Pro / MOTU 828 / Apple Logic 9 / Mainstage 2 / Various plugins and soft synths

How much do you charge?
At my home studio:

- 30 mins: £18
- 1 hour: £30
- 2 hours: £50 (useful for combining practical teaching on the instrument with theory work / listening / transcribing)

At your house:

- As above plus travel expenses

I can also teach shared lessons (note a minimum 1 hr lesson to ensure enough time is spent focusing on each student):

- 1 hour: £40
- 2 hours: £70

(shared lessons at a student's house will be subject to additional travel expenses)

Where do you teach?
I can teach from my own home studio in Blackheath, London and will travel to all surrounding areas and throughout London to teach in students' homes.

When are you available?
I am flexible and may be available during the day or evening on any given day.

Which ages and levels do you teach?
I am happy to teach all ages and abilities.

Which qualifications do you prepare your students for?
I can prepare you for ABRSM grades (jazz / classical / theory) and auditions for music scholarships or entry to schools / music colleges.

Do you have an up-to-date CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) disclosure certificate?
Yes

Do you belong to any professional organisations?
Musician's Union (MU)

Where and with whom did you train?
I trained at Trinity College of Music in London. I studied jazz piano with Simon Purcell, Liam Noble and Andrea Vicari; classical piano with Douglas Finch and arranging with Paul Bartholomew.

Tell me about some of your current students.
I currently teach a wide range of pupils: the ages range between 8 and 60 and the abilites from absolute beginner to advanced music-college standard.

I have worked with an adult who had been playing stride / boogie woogie piano throughout his adult life (he was 52 at the time!) and whilst he was very fluent, he was completely self-taught so had some very deeply-seated bad habits which were hindering his progress. In his case it was his technique that needed looking at - we worked together to improve his awareness of his body and release unnecessary tension, and he began to notice improvement very quickly. I also gave him a more thorough grounding in harmony and basic jazz piano theory so that he was more aware of the harmonic information in the pieces he was playing. By doing this he was able to change the harmony and improvise more convincingly.

I have also worked with lots of disillusioned teenagers who have only ever studied classical piano and taken grades, and so believe that is all the piano can be used for! In these cases I aim to find something that they have a genuine interest in: we will listen to (and watch videos of) lots of different musicians and styles together and work out parts and arrangements that can be played on solo piano. I will also show them other keyboard styles (using Rhodes / Clavinet / Organ / Synths) and hopefully give them some motivation to practise and enjoy playing.

Do you have a personal message for students?
Enjoy what you are doing! My main concerns for students when teaching are that they are enjoying themselves and feel like they are making progress. I also want to work with students to use their creativity and ability to its full potential.

Articles

Thoughts on (Piano) Practice
Subject: Jazz Piano
Tags: piano, piano practice, practice, practice techniques, practice tips
Created: 04/08/2011