When do you teach?
I typically teach all day on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

Where are the lessons held, can you travel to me?
All lessons are from my house on Norfolk Road (RG30 2EG). Unfortunately, I don’t have time in between lessons to be able to travel to pupils.

Do you have parking?
Yes

How long are your lessons?
Unless specifically requested I've found that an hour works best for all ages that I teach.

How young can a student begin?
Children can start playing instruments at a very young age, but my lessons and teaching style is better suited to children over 12 years old. In my opinion, children younger than 12 require special teaching; I recommend getting in contact with http://www.berkshiremaestros.org.uk/

Do I have to read music?
No. I can teach you to read stave music if the type of playing you want to do would benefit from it, most students who play for fun prefer to be taught through simpler forms of notation, playing and listening exercises.

How many lessons will I need?
This question is the hardest one to answer. You’ll be playing a piece, albeit a simple piece, after your first lesson. Different students learn at different speeds and certain styles and instruments are easier to master than others. You will get out lessons as much as you put in. The more practice you do, the more you will achieve.
I have been playing for over 10 years and feel like there is still so much more to learn!

How much practice should I do?
This depends on how fast you want to progress. The more often you practice, the quicker your progress will be and the better you will become.
I recommend practicing your instrument every day for as little 10 minutes if that’s all you can afford. It is much better to do lots of short sessions than to practice for three and a half hours for one day a week!
Of course some beginners will want to do much more than this but at first. However you may at first be limited by how much your fingers can take! Particularly if you’re playing a steel stringed instrument.
To be able to learn and improve, it’s important to work at whatever is covered in a lesson over and over. You need sufficient practice time to take in the information from one lesson before going on to the next.
You need to do your homework!!

How often should I have lessons?
This depends on how fast you want to progress. I recommend lessons on a weekly basis.
In an ideal world beginners would have lessons on a weekly basis. However, weekly lessons can be quite an expense over a time and people who work full time and/or have families can find it hard to find enough time to practice between weekly lessons. For this reason I offer weekly or fortnightly lessons and you should bear in mind these factors before deciding what is right for you. Established players can still benefit from weekly lessons but may also want to consider fortnightly or even occasional lessons.
If you me know your availability, we can talk you through the options and my available slots.

What instrument should I buy for a beginner?
A beginner's instrument can be bought for around £80-100; the quality can vary greatly at the lower end of the market.
However, my advice is to pay as much as you can afford for an instrument. This is mainly because you’ll have a better setup, better sounding instrument, which will make you want to play it more. Lots of beginners tend to very quickly upgrade to a better instrument after realising the benefits.
Also, since you’ll have a better quality instrument, it’ll also have a better resale value!

Do I need to own an instrument before I start lessons?
No, but it is preferable. You can come for your first lesson or two and borrow an instrument for the lesson. Some people prefer to do this just to see if they are going to take to it. If you do want to continue past this stage you will need your own instrument. Without consistent practice at home, your playing will not progress from lesson to lesson.

Do I have the necessary talent to play an instrument? 
I haven’t yet come across a student that does not have some sort of musical ability. Everyone has his or her strengths; some are better at reading notes, some at chords, some at improvising etc.
I believe that talent isn’t necessary, it isn’t how talented you are, but whether you are diligent, determined and how much you play your instrument!
I've also noticed that a good student keeps a healthy dose of music on their platter. Good musicians tend to be good music listeners.

Do you have a gift certificate/voucher option?
Yes! Vouchers are very popular, especially during the Christmas season. Vouchers can be emailed to the purchaser.

How did you learn? How can you teach so many instruments?!
I started teaching myself guitar at the end of secondary school. Then took an ‘AS’ level in Music Technology. I then moved on to college to learn all areas of music a bit more in-depth i.e. theory/equipment/playing/history. I left with a Merit grade National Diploma.
I then went for The Academy Of Contemporary Music (ACM) where I studied bass guitar and graduated with a Merit at Higher Diploma level.
All the while I was applying what I had learnt to each instrument and musical style that I now play, as well as writing, recording and playing with other musicians.
Until recently, I was in a relatively successful band for the past four years. I started teaching whilst in the band as it was the most flexible work I could do and have stuck with it since.
I now play and teach guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin and ukulele.

What if I’m late for a lesson?
I will always endeavour to be on time and punctual for every lesson and expect my pupils to do the same. Please allow sufficient time for hold ups in transport, parking or getting lost on the way! Since I will usually have a following lesson, I can’t make up any time for being late without eating into somebody else’s time.

What if I need to cancel a lesson?
If you need to cancel a lesson, please let me know within 48 hours of the lesson otherwise I do charge for the missed lesson.