I have a passion for piano teaching and accompanying and have
taught piano at Newland House since 1994. Newland House has always been an inspirational
school for music-making and I love teaching here. My approach to teaching is to motivate pupils
by understanding their learning style, finding music in whatever genre is suited
to their individual interests and having fun at the same time. I also really
enjoy seeing my pupils realise that they are capable of more than they ever
thought possible. In my lessons I can teach music theory, aural, sight-reading
and improvisation. Pupils can work towards ABRSM and Trinity exams if they would like to,
and I encourage them to perform in school concerts. Learning to play piano helps
children find self-confidence and trains them to focus their attention. It also
has great benefits on cognitive ability, and is a tool for emotional
expression. I teach children from Year 1 through to A-level, as I also teach
piano at two independent senior schools, St Teresa’s, Effingham, and Kensington
Park.
Musical experiences
I have been piano
accompanying since I was nine years old and started teaching while I was at Senior
school. I have been fortunate to perform in a variety of beautiful locations.
On choir tours over many years, I have played in lots of venues across Europe;
the most memorable was playing the organ in Notre Dame Cathedral. I have
accompanied adult choirs at venues such as Westminster Abbey, Royal Festival
Hall, Royal Albert Hall and Hampton Court Palace. I am the piano accompanist
for all the schools where I teach, playing for concerts, tours, festivals and
music examinations. I have worked as accompanist alongside the flautist Atarah
Ben-Tovim MBE, the baritone David Wilson-Johnson, and Catherine Moore, principal
trumpet for the BBC Concert Orchestra. I am a regular pianist and Musical Director
for Musical Theatre shows in Surrey, and I also play with the Philarmonia
Britannica Orchestra in London. For many years I was the Vocal Coach for the
adult choir Espressivo Chorus. I also have a love of West Africa and I studied
djembe in Senegal, France and Germany, and later went on to work in London with
djembe masters of Guinea such as Mamady Keita and Famadou Konate. At Newland House I also
direct the West African Drumming Ensemble, where we learn to play traditional
rhythms without music.
Qualifications
BA
Hons in Music (Southampton University)
LRSM
- Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music in Piano Teaching
CT
ABRSM - Certificate in Piano Teaching (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of
Music)
Contact details
missaraffa@gmail.com