James Lark

I am a professional composer and musical director, as well as an experienced music teacher. Much of my professional work is focused around theatre, but I also write concert and liturgical music (as a choir director I have particular experience with choral music). I have over 15 years of experience teaching a wide range of pupils, including 8 to 13 year olds in my previous role as Director of Music at Westminster Abbey Choir School, to undergraduate supervisions for the University of Cambridge, with a track record of getting excellent results at all levels.

My lessons are tailored to meet individual needs: music is a broad and technical subject, and my approach is to identify and cultivate strengths as well as offering clear and accessible support for weaker areas. I am experienced in demystifying the challenges of music theory and at finding strategies that make sense of tricky exercises. Practice is often the key to mastering musical skills and I set regular, focused exercises to develop fluency, but as a composer I am always alive to creative approaches to ensure that written work feels relevant and applicable (I don't believe music should ever remain purely as ‘theory’!). By engaging with real musical examples in different genres, I seek to encourage and develop a genuine enthusiasm for the subject in all of its variety and complexity, building an understanding that will open up musical expression at the highest standard. My pupils consistently achieve high exam results, and moreover often come away with a love for music that has been successfully pursued at university and beyond.
I offer lessons in the following areas:

- Composition: tuition for individual composition (in any style), including creative advice and technical support.

- Preparation for ABRSM and Trinity theory exams and aural tests.

- A broad music curriculum which incorporates theory and composition alongside music appreciation and music history.

- Advanced music theory, including training for ABRSM theory exams up to Grade 8, and training for aural tests up to Grade 8 (all exam boards).

- Tuition for GCSE and A-level music topics.