Penny has a lively teaching practice in Oxfordshire. The majority of her pupils attend St Helen and St Katharine School, Abingdon, where she is Head of Singing. Penny has a private teaching practice from home, which includes children, University students and adults of all ages and abilities. To arrange a consultation lesson, please email her at the address given on the site.
Penny encourages students to develop a sound technique alongside broad musical understanding. She is happy to work with students whose main focus is singing for pleasure, but she is equally happy to help prepare students for exams, as and when they are ready for these challenges. She has an excellent record with examination results: 63% of results achieved by her pupils have been at distinction level, and 94% of pupils have gained a merit or distinction in their examinations. She has 100% pass rate. (Compared with a national average of 16% for distinction level, and 51% for merit and distinction level in 2012.*) Penny encourages all students to perform regularly, in order to build their confidence, and as well as taking part in concerts, she also regularly enters students for local music festivals and competitions, where they equally regularly enjoy success and excellent feedback from adjudicators.
*Information taken from the ABRSM website statistical information for UK & Ireland.
As well as her individual teaching, Penny directs several small vocal ensembles which focus on close harmony singing working with only one or two voices per part.
She is also delighted to run popular weekly classes in school which focus on musicianship for sight singing skills. Based on Kodály music principles, these sessions are available to the whole school community and bring together the strands of music theory, aural and sight singing through singing activities to nurture and develop all round musicianship.
Timetables
My school timetables are posted on the noticeboard at school. Girls in years 5-9 have a rotating timetable, and their lesson time changes each week. Girls in years 10 upwards have a fixed lesson, which should stay the same from week to week – although these lessons are still subject to change when external commitments clash.
Please check the noticeboard at school for copies of the timetable, and school email accounts for any updates or last minute revisions.
It is not always possible to fit everyone in every week due to timetabling constraints and my own availability. If your daughter is not allocated a slot for any reason, she will be offered a lesson at a different time to make up for the loss, or your invoice will be adjusted accordingly in the summer term.
The timetables for the first week of next term will be posted as soon as possible.