Visiting Music Teachers
Learning a musical instrument or starting LAMDA lessons is such an exciting and beneficial prospect for our students which compliments their academic studies. Lessons are taught by our self-employed Visiting Music Teachers who set their own fees and produce their own timetables and contracts. To find out more information about lessons, as well as other performing opportunities available to students, please contact Miss Alex Burns, Performing Arts Administrator a.burns@rgs.newcastle.sch.uk
Once you have started lessons, Miss Burns can be a point of contact to support lessons, though you may want to contact your Visiting Music Teacher directly for specific answers.
Please fill in this Microsoft form here to submit your interest in starting instrumental/vocal/LAMDA lessons, which will be forwarded to our self-employed Visiting Teachers.
Annie Ball DIPABRSM, BMUS, MMUS PianoAnnie is an award winning concert pianist with a teaching career spanning over two decades (one-to-one, classroom, group teaching (awarded Outstanding by Ofsted in 2005), choir leading and orchestral conducting). Annie received scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate study and enjoys CPD by attending piano teaching and playing courses, membership of the Curious Piano Teachers and the Piano UK network, which delivers workshops, reviews new publications, teaching methods and exam board changes and provides fantastic lesson resources. Annie is director of Wylam Winter Tales, Semibreve CIC and is part of the critically acclaimed ‘Howay the Lasses” uncovering hidden stories of North East Women and setting them to original song. Annie was recipient of the Arts Council “Develop Your Creative Practice” award in 2021 and this year she was proud to perform centre field at St James’ Park. Annie was headhunted to teach piano at NHSG and the Sage’s Centre for Advanced Training and is a sought after accompanist. Her teaching encourages thoughtful, well rounded and curious musicians using Inquiry-Based learning to inspire a lifelong love of learning and playing piano. Many of her pupils carry on to study music at University. Annie teaches all the major exam boards, helping her pupils gain excellent results, including ABRSM, MTB, Trinity College London, ABRSM Jazz and Rockschool Awards and is passionate about tailoring syllabi to pupils’ interests. When Annie is not teaching or playing music she can be found walking Monty, her labradoodle, or playing board games with her children.
www.annieball.co.ukannie.c.ball@hotmail.co.uk
Mr Tim Burke BA (Oxon.), PGDip (GSMD), ARCO Organ Tim Burke is an organist, conductor, composer and arranger based in Newcastle upon Tyne. He was Organ Scholar at Exeter College Oxford, graduating with First Class Honours in Music. He trained as an opera repetiteur at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the National Opera Studio and as a conductor and repetiteur on the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, before spending four years as Chorus Master at Opera North. He has conducted for Royal Opera House, Scottish Opera, Welsh National Opera, Opera North and English Touring Opera. He is the Director of the Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia, winning a 2021 RPS Award for lockdown digital project The World How Wide. He is also the Choir Director at St Gabriel’s Heaton, and the Music Director of groundbreaking opera company Tête à Tête.
Mrs Sarah Davie MMUS (Perf), BA, CPGSFluteSarah graduated from the RSAMD (now Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) in 1997, having been awarded the Olive Young Memorial Award. After graduating she embarked on a successful freelance career, playing Flute and piccolo with the orchestra’s of Opera North, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Opera, The Halle, Welsh National Opera and Northern Ballet.
Sarah’s playing career took her all over the world, working with conductors and composers such as Paul Daniel, Walter Weller, Carlo Rizzi, Alexander Lazarev, Sir Mark Elder,Neeme Jarvi, Marin Alsop, Elmer Bernstein and Jerry Goldsmith.
Sarah has also been part of Opera North’s education team and the BBC Radio 3 ‘s Musicians on call scheme.
Sarah has taught at RGS and NPS since 2003 having taught at The Sage Gateshead, Newcastle University and been a tutor for Young Sinfonia Orchestra. She thoroughly enjoys inspiring the young flautists at RGS and being part of their journey from year 3 through to year 13!
For more information and to apply for lessons, please contact s.davie@rgs.newcastle.sch.uk
Mr Mark Edwards MMus, PGDip (RNCM)
Timpani and Orchestral Percussion Originally from Scotland, Mark trained as a percussionist in Edinburgh and Newcastle. His work as a conductor and percussionist takes him across the country and further afield to work with orchestras, choirs and Indian Street Bands. After starting musical life on the recorder and violin, he quickly switched to percussion after a concert playing the triangle. Mark is currently undertaking further study with Clark Rundell and Mark Heron at the Royal Northern College of Music which includes being the Assistant Conductor for projects with BBC Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the Psappha ensemble. Earlier this year he founded the Northern Percussion Ensemble who perform concerts, recitals and workshops across the region.
Mark is currently Director of Music for Voices of Hope (winners of the BBC Choir of the Year Competition), New Tyneside Orchestra, Hexham Orpheus Choir, City of Leeds Youth Orchestra and is a lecturer in conducting at Newcastle University.
Mr John J Ferguson LTCL, FISM Classical Guitar Over a teaching career of 44 years John has taught Classical Guitar at all of the independent schools in Newcastle. He joined the VMT team at RGS in the Autumn of 1991 and has taught from Beginners to Diploma. He has also had success with Guitar Ensembles in both Junior and Senior School where he has enjoyed seeing the enthusiasm of pupils playing with their peers. In previous years John has given recitals at Newcastle Cathedral and in fundraising events for several local charities. He also had a regular Christmas Concert where his pupils played to raise money for charity. He was a member of the Newcastle Guitar Society and frequently played at meetings. In recent years he has turned his hand to writing.
Mr Dov Goldberg Gmus (RNCM), PPRNCM, MAClarinet, saxophone, oboe and bassoon Dov Goldberg’s musical education began at his local middle school where he benefitted from free instrumental lessons. He progressed to the Purcell School of Music with aid from the then government’s Specialist Music Scholarship scheme and the a Performing Rights bursary. Instrumental lessons were gained at the Royal Academy of Music junior department where he won the under 16 wind prize. Dov went on to study at the Royal Northern College of Music where he won the Candlin prize for orchestral playing and graduated with GmusRNCM degree and PPRNCM diploma. He recently gained an MA (dist.) in history with the Open University. In addition to playing with many of the country’s orchestras and ensembles including as a member of RNS, he has taught at Chethams’ School of Music, Sedbergh School, Leeds Girls High and Leeds University. He currently teaches at Newcastle and Durham universities and Sage Gateshead. As clarinettist with Psappha, Dov has toured extensively and given masterclasses in Venezuela, Adelaide, Hong Kong and closer to home. Work with young composers has culminated in many new works which may be found on YouTube, Spotify and Vimeo. Current research focuses on the folk clarinet music of the Balkans and Caucus regions. Dov offers lessons on clarinet, saxophone and oboe and grade 5 theory at RGS focusing on a classical grounding with jazz where appropriate. Balkan folk as requested!
Mrs Julia Jasinski Hon ARAM, LTCL performer and teacherViolin and violaJulia Jasinski is a well-established violinist, conductor and teacher, with a wealth of experience in musical education. With the ability to inspire, challenge, and progress her students, Julia takes a strong interest in understanding and valuing each individual student’s needs.
After achieving her musical degree, Julia enjoyed a varied and versatile career within classical music, and has regularly performed and taught at world renowned musical institutions. With over thirty years’ of experience, Julia thoroughly enjoys teaching, and has dedicated her career to teaching students - with many of her students being awarded musical scholarships and attending specialist music schools. Julia was a member of staff for twenty-three years at the Junior and Primary school at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Julia has regularly taught group chamber music classes, and was the conductor of the orchestra for many years awarding her the Honorary Academy of Music London Award for her commitment and dedication to teaching.
Julia has been teaching in the North East of England for the past twenty years and has an outstanding reputation as a violin teacher, including being the leader of the strings department at the world-renowned Sage Gateshead in Newcastle. Julia has been teaching at RGS for 16 years and looks forward to gaining new students.
For more information and to apply for lessons, please contact julia.jasinski@sky.com
Nicholas Nowicki MMus RNCM, BA YorkPianoNicholas enjoys a successful career as a pianist, conductor and teacher. A graduate of University of York where he won the concerto prize and the highest final recital mark in the University’s history, he received the Charles Heywood Scholarship to study at the Royal Northern College of Music, where he obtained a Masters with distinction in Performance and was awarded the Clifton Helliwell Memorial Prize.
Nicholas is in demand as soloist and accompanist and has performed in many prestigious venues across Britain, accompanying Bryn Terfel amongst others, and has performed live on BBC Radio 3 and recorded on the Chandos label. Teaching and education is central to his career; currently, he teaches at RGS Newcastle (since 2008) and at the Centre for Advance Training at Sage Gateshead, as well as having a large private teaching practice. He aims to engender a love of music in all his students. Recent students have gone to conservatoire, and received music scholarships and exhibitions at Magdalen College and Eton. He is an accompanist for both Newcastle and Durham Universities.
As a conductor, he is Musical Director of Tees Valley Youth Orchestra, the region’s only full-size youth orchestra and has led them to the National Finals of Music for Youth at Symphony Hall, Birmingham on 5 occasions, as well as extraordinary performances at Carnegie Hall, New York in 2019 and Royal Albert Hall in 2021. He also conducted Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra for the International Festival of Animation.
He mentors young musicians taking their first steps in the musical world through the Accompany programme.
For more information, enquiries and to apply for lessons, please visit: www.nicholasnowicki.com
n.nowicki@rgs.newcastle.sch.uk
Andrew Soulsby B/Mus(Hons), DipABRSM, PGCE1685 Piano & Harpsichord Tuition Andrew is a music graduate of the University of Huddersfield, a pupil of Sophie Yates, John Bryan and David Murray, now working as a freelance musician with over 25 years experience as a harpsichordist, pianist, conductor and singer. For the past six years he has been working largely as a teacher, harpsichordist and Musical Director in musical theatre.
Andrew is a passionate educator and teaches students from his own studio, 1685 Piano & Harpsichord Tuition, in Whitley Bay and in September 2023 takes up a new post as a visiting tutor in harpsichord at the University of Newcastle. At RGS, Andrew welcomes applications from students in year 7 and above.
Mr Stephen Wall Drum KitAs a drum teacher Steve has 25 years experience both teaching in local education authority schools and private schools. He also teaches on a private basis out of his teaching facility at his home in North Tyneside. He mostly teaches the Trinity College London drum kit syllabus for those who wish to take formal examinations. To date he has taken countless students through grades one to eight and on to diploma level with great success. He also supplement s the examination syllabus with lots of technical study material to help improve all round ability on the instrument and provides support at home through access to his website which houses lots of instructional and demonstration video material along with supporting worksheets and audio files. As a player Steve has 40 years professional playing experience to date (and hopefully many more to come!) This has found him travelling country and worldwide, working in Theatre Shows, Cruise Ships, Radio, TV, Big Bands, Small Band Jazz outfits, Brass Bands, Cabaret Clubs, etc in a wide variety of playing situations covering most styles & genres.
www.northtynesidedrumtuition.co.uk
Dave Hignett – Brass
Gail Davies-Fidler – Voice
Lada Khazanovych – Piano
Pete Richardson – Cello and electric guitar
Michael Walton – Violin and viola