Singing Teacher | Guildford School of Acting Graduate | Lessons for adults and children of all levels | Musical Theatre | Pop | Classical | Jazz

Find out more about Poppy

• How long have you been tutoring?

  I began tutoring for the first time, 8 years ago, when I was in school in Year 11, having been asked by parents to support students in Year 7 with their English, History and French school work and homework. I found I greatly enjoyed this and began to develop tutoring sessions and revision resources for GCSE students and later A-Level students. I began to tutor singing at university in 2020, working initially with friends and later with students to use my knowledge and skills to help improve their confidence and technique. Five years later I am confidently helping students achieve their aims and goals, creating a fun and supportive environment to nurture their talent.

• What was your training experience?

  Most recently I completed a Masters in Musical Theatre from the Guildford School of Acting, with modules that focussed on anatomy and vocal pedagogies, to support personal practise and the teaching of others. Prior to this I worked under British composer Patrick Larley, to train in classical singing, completing an Advanced Performance qualification that studied multiple styles, from Jazz, Classical and Contemporary voice. I have a varied musical background to accompany this, having completed up to ABRSM Grade 8 Clarinet and Grade 5 Music Theory. This has afforded me a strong technical foundation in music and informs my teaching of both classical and popular singing styles.

• What inspired you to start tutoring?

  My first singing teacher, Patrick, was a big part of why I chose to start teaching. His enthusiasm for teaching, and nurture of my interest in singing was so important in my choice to pursue music and singing as a career. I really feel that the teacher can really make or break a persons desire to pursue an activity, and it is so important that a strong and caring rapport is set up, to ensure the student feels comfortable and confident to achieve their goals.

• What is your teaching style/philosophy?

  I take a gentle and individualised approach to singing tutoring, informed both by my previous vocal tutors and my experience working with children and young adults with diverse learning needs. Creating a supportive and engaging environment is key to ensuring a student feels safe and secure and, I believe is the best approach to foster confidence in and connection to the students voice, body and mind.
  
  Much of my teaching is based in around the work of Marci Rosenberg and Wendy LeBorgne, encouraging training of both the classical and contemporary voice to facilitate a well-rounded and versatile vocalist. Both my approach and pedagogy has solidified my teaching techniques and focus not only on the technical elements of vocal performance, but also on the communication of story through breath, articulation and register choices.

• How do you measure students’ progress?

  As referenced above, I take a very personal approach with each student, from the introductory session, working out where they are at initially, and where they want to be in 6 months time, be it working on classical arias or confidently negotiating rock vocal lines.
  
  I use a comprehensive, shared spreadsheet, that tracks what was covered in a class, what went well, this week’s practise and some things to listen to/research for the piece we are working on. This is a helpful resource, so there is a digital guide that the student/parent can follow, and further can add to with their thoughts and comments. It acts as a tracker of progress, goals, personal study and achievements that is readily accessible and updated weekly.

• How would you accommodate a student with specialist educational needs?

  Having worked previously for two years as a personal assistant to a disabled and neurodivergent young person, and done tutoring with neurodiverse students, I have experience with educationally supporting people with special educational needs. From this I have learnt that a highly individualised approach is necessary, discussing with a parent or caregiver, and for adults, the individual themselves to understand their needs, goals and interests, tailoring reference points and materials to their learning style, visual, auditory or kinaesthetic.
  
  Education is a universal right, in whatever form it may take, and a student-led approach ensures for better engagement, connection and results.

• How would you respond to a student who has become disinterested in the lesson?

  One of my main ways to work with the students through this, is to ascertain why they may be disinterested. Talking to the student, working out if it is deflection as they are finding the concept challenging, or simply tiredness is more effective than forcing them to concentrate through reprimand. Then I would work with the students, breaking down the technique or concept into its constituent parts, giving them some fun exercises to re-centre and prompt focus, or a short break for the students to make a drink or snack, before coming back to the class to give them a chance to decompress.

• Can you discuss a time when you had to adapt your teaching style mid-session? What prompted the change?

  When working with large group teaching, the students were struggling with concentration and engagement after a long day. Tackling complex harmony learning was becoming increasingly difficult and as hard as the students were trying, it was becoming increasingly hard to teach through my usual methods, chunking, detaching rhythm and melody and using physical gesture and movement to trigger memory upon repetition. Instead, I gave the students a series of simple physical exercises,to shake out the distraction, and some group exercises to encourage teamwork and togetherness, before resuming the class. This was very productive in re-centring the students and bringing focus back to the work.