About Me
Hi, I’m Victoria
I have been teaching piano since 2007 and I have to say, it’s the most wonderful way to spend my time, coaching pianists (young and old) and helping them to discover the beauty of music through playing the piano.
Playing the piano is a form of mindfulness and one which allows the worries of daily life to pass by, for a while. It also provides the freedom to express emotions that would otherwise be difficult to express verbally. When life is disrupted by unexpected challenges, piano is always there, like a steadfast, reliable and supportive friend.
My aim is to open people up to the joy of making music, so they can experience this wonderful place. They can try new skills in the safety of a supportive environment; they can discover abilities they didn’t know they had; they can boost their confidence and sense of self-worth, and ultimately be better equipped to cope with life’s challenges.
I believe in developing the individual student, helping them to cultivate a secure foundation in musicianship and pianistic skills. Every student is unique and so requires a tailored approach to allow them to access all areas of learning in a format that suits them. I include improvisation, composition and playing by ear alongside reading notation so students can develop a holistic understanding of music.
Graded exams play a useful role in validating progression but are not used as sequential goal posts in the absence of exploring wider repertoire. Instead, progression is measured by demonstration of concepts and skills learned and internalised through careful attention to detail in exploring each piece of music.
My students have the opportunity to take part in our annual Summer Recital, which provides a fantastic environment to develop performance skills and to share their accomplishments with friends and family. We also take part in the Portsmouth Festival of Performing Arts (formerly Portsmouth Music Festival), another wonderful event to experience as a developing pianist.
I am a member of the Independent Society of Musicians (ISM) and an ISM registered teacher. I am also the Community Manager for the Curious Piano Teachers (CPT) and a member of Vibrant Music Teaching (VMT). In September 2024 I graduated from the Piano Teachers’ Course and achieved a Merit with my CertPTC qualification.
I also have an Enhanced DBS Certificate, the highest level of DBS check and hold a certificate in Child Protection in Education (Music) for Safeguarding.
Piano Has Always Been The One
I had private piano lessons from the age of 6 up to 18, during which time I developed my skills and worked through the ABRSM grades, achieving Grade 8 practical and Grade 5 music theory before I left home for university.
I have a BSc degree in Biology from Imperial, and although I had a successful career in pharmaceutical market research for over 12 years, I began teaching piano part time alongside my main job, as soon as I finished my degree.
I quickly discovered how much enjoyment and satisfaction I gained from teaching others to play the piano, so continued teaching and picking up new students each time we moved home.
In August 2019, my mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died only 8 days later. This put into perspective how short life can be, and was the only prompt I needed to switch to teaching piano full time. Now, I am fortunate enough to do what I love every day and am forever grateful for this life.
I Love Romantic Classical Music
For as long as I can remember, I have gravitated towards music from the Romantic Period (1800-1900 broadly speaking). The emotional expression in this type of music captures the imagination and, for me, is a beautiful world of complex creativity.
Composers such as Schubert, Schumann, Liszt and Chopin, among others, were the leaders of this wonderful era, and despite being over 200 years old, this music continues to be discovered and experienced by musicians just as it was all those years ago.
