Hannah Marshall

My aim is to make lessons, whether they are in 'Cello, Musicianship, music theory or performance skills, as balanced as I can between practical/creative/knowledge. Where I am encouraging and helping the student to think critically, ask questions, and be self empowered.

If there is something specific that you feel confused about or that you want to address in your playing, I am very happy to work on that specifically. Or to fill in the gaps in knowledge, help to attain greater confidence. Often issues in playing or understanding music don't just lie in isolation, but are connected to other areas, such as confidence, or previous experiences and misunderstandings.

I aim to de-mystify music and make playing the purpose and process of music making, even if it's for an exam or audition, or seems to be theoretical. Music is always both creative and/or practical.

Having come through a classical background I am very aware that discipline and study go hand in hand and that the true teacher is really you, although I will be on hand to help. You do this through physical practical application, everyday. So my lessons tend to follow a form that could be applied to and help with your practice. Like warm ups, gaining clarity, working on something specific, free-ing up, improvising and concluding.

I will try to include some form of play or improvisation in the lesson, even if it is very simple. The learners state of mind and state of body is key to their ability to progress and play .