Jill

Hello! I am a South London-based teacher of violin and viola. I am from the United States but have lived and worked in London since 2016.

I work with London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, English National Opera and the Royal Ballet, among others. I am also a studio musician recording for Netflix, BBC, popular films and series such as The Crown, Downton Abbey, Yesterday, Emma and the Planet Earth franchise, among others.

I perform chamber music around London and in Switzerland with the Cardinal Quartet, my colleagues from Verbier Festival.

Tutoring Experience

I have extensive teaching experience with children, having taught privately for four years with Houston Independent School Districts, two years as a chamber music coach and group teacher with American Festival for the Arts, and three years in London with Wandsworth Music Service. Through Lammas Green Music Studio I maintain a studio of both children and adults.

I bring professional experience from both United States and the UK, which enables me to draw on a wider pool of teaching material and experience when tailoring a program for each student. In addition to ABRSM I am also well-versed in the Suzuki Method, Vamoosh, Color Strings, as well as progressive repertoire collections like Solos for Young Musicians and Time Pieces, scale methods such as Flesch and Primrose, and study collections such as Campagnoli, Rhode and Vieux.

Tutoring Approach

With my students I aim for them to enjoy the process of learning as much as possible while also instilling a strong work ethic. I require written logs of weekly assignments to track progress over both short and long periods. While I adapt the rigor or my teaching to the interests and goals of each student, even my more casual students are encouraged in the importance of daily practice, even for only a few minutes. It is ultimately up to the student how much they aspire to improve, and I do my best to instill interest, curiosity to learn and motivation at lessons.

All lessons have a similar structure of warm-ups, scales/studies, and repertoire. Students can also elect to have music theory included in their lessons, or music theory only.

I am part of a team-teaching collaboration called Lammas Green Music Studio which allows me to include duet playing and chamber music, as well as mini-performance classes, in lessons for interested students. Through LGMS I have access to the concert space next door to our teaching facility for studio recitals once per term to build performance skills.

Languages	English (American)
Availability
References Available	On File

Qualifications

Rice University, Shepherd School of Music	2016	Masters	Master of Music, Viola Performance
Rice University, Shepherd School of Music	2014	Bachelors	Bachelor of Music, Viola Performance, Cum Laude
Wandsworth Music Service	2018	Other	Safeguarding Training and Police Check

Jill's Feedback

Feedback	3
Published feedback	3
Unpublished feedback (Usually negative)	0

From Louise

So far, we have found Jill to be a perfect match for my 10 year old son with special needs. She is focused, informative, knowledgeable, passionate and able to engage him with similes and fun activities to do whilst progressing at a steady pace through the supporting books. We would certainly recommend.

Updated 10.07.23:
Sourcing professionals capable of teaching any subject to my 11 year old son with complex special needs is anxiety-provoking. His conditions include ADHD, ODD, SPD, social communication difficulties and anxiety as well as the physical challenges of poor muscle strength affecting balance, posture and writing.
He is often misunderstood which often leads to escalation of his emotions and subsequent behaviour.
His interest in music led us to seek out piano lessons to meet a number of his therapeutic goals.

We were fortunate enough to find Jill whose approach is exemplary. Whilst it is obvious that she is an accomplished musician, the ability to slow down to the pace required to teach my son, shows patience and professionalism. Her excellent teaching skills have enabled her to find the perfect balance of firmness & compassion, challenge & flexibility, ability to engage & progress.
The lessons advance at a pace suitable for someone who often refuses to practice and yet progress is being made and learning taking place through Jill’s outstanding patience, knowing when to press for more, when to try a different approach, and when to move on. She has the ability to focus on the lesson when my son is distracted, sitting on the floor or playing the keys whilst she is speaking with him, gently drawing him back into the lesson with suggestions of how they can achieve the task together, rarely receiving verbal feedback but encouraging this where possible.

I will always be truly grateful to Jill for providing my son with the best possible introduction to music I could ever have hoped for and helping him gain confidence in his ability to achieve. I would recommend her to both neuro-typical and neuro-diverse students alike.

So far, we have found Jill to be a perfect match for my 10 year old son with special needs. She is focused, informative, knowledgeable, passionate ... Read more ›

Thank you so much Louise for your kind review. I have also very much enjoyed working with you and your son thus far! I look forward to giving him f... Read more ›

From Samantha

Jill was excellent at communicating with me about lessons for my young daughter from the start. She answered all my questions clearly and helpfully... Read more ›

From Claudia

I have had only 3 lessons and have already noticed a marked improvement! (Even my family commented on it.) Jill is very encouraging and spots probl... Read more ›

Rating from 2 references

Reliability

Trustworthiness

Professionalism

Subjects taught

Music
Primary	£50
Secondary	£50
A-Level	£50
University	£50
Casual Learner	£50

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