Melissa Holding

Teaching

I have had a thriving piano teaching practice in Oxford for a number of years and really enjoy teaching both children and adults the piano at all levels.  I also have students of the piano  accordion and the koto and teach grade 5 theory.   I trained at the Royal College of Music in London, gaining an honours degree (G.R.S.M.) and a teaching diploma (A.R.C.M.) and teach both classical and jazz piano.  My primary concern is that students really enjoy the experience of playing music, with emphasis on the word ‘play’.  I find that different students require different approaches but I usually encourage improvising early on while paying attention to posture and relaxing at the keyboard thereby developing an easy relationship with the instrument from the start.   I like to spend time in building and consolidating a firm technical foundation and if it feels right I happily prepare students for ABRSM exams.