Teaching

Violin

As an educator Lara has wide-ranging experience from teaching in small village primary schools as an accredited teacher for the Derbyshire Music Partnership to working as a violin, viola, and piano teacher at some of the country’s top schools such as Wycombe Abbey, Pate’s Grammar School and Cheltenham College. She has taught all ability levels from beginners to diploma standard, as well as both children and adults.

Piano

Lara has been teaching the piano since the age of 15 when her school music teacher first sent some younger pupils her way. At the age of 17 she entered her first pupil for grade 4, who passed with Merit. Since then she has set off numerous beginner piano students on their musical journeys teaching at Wycombe Abbey, three preparatory schools around the UK, and a number of village schools in Derbyshire. She integrates aspects of the Kodály Method to establish strong rhythm and note reading from the earliest stages.

Teaching Achievements

Many of Lara’s pupils have been prize winners at music festivals around the country and a high proportion of her pupils achieve distinction for their ABRSM exams. Pupils have been recognised by the ABRSM for scoring some of the highest marks in the country, and some have gained a place in the National Children’s Orchestra.

As a teacher she has reviewed and contributed to Music Teacher magazine on a number of occasions. She wrote the Teachers’ Notes for the Grade 5-8 ABRSM violin examinations (2005-2007). In the Higher Education sector she has taught baroque violin at the University of Sheffield, and in 2014, she was invited to become an instrumental tutor in baroque violin at the University of Hull.