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Sasha
- Rate £49
- Response 2h
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Students15
Number of students Sasha has accompanied since arriving at Superprof
Number of students Sasha has accompanied since arriving at Superprof
£49/hr
Contact
- Piano
Accomplished professional pianist & academic who has studied at Cambridge & GSMD, & lectured at Glasgow; teaches pianoforte, composition, theory, analysis, musicianship, & classical improvisation
- Piano
Lesson location
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At Sasha's house: Brentwood
- Online
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Super Prof
Sasha is one of our best Piano tutors. They have a high-quality profile, verified qualifications, a quick response time, and great reviews from students!
About Sasha
I am an accomplished professional pianist, highly experienced as a soloist, accompanist, and classical improviser. Since November 2019, I am the regular pianist for the London New Wind Festival. I have experience of performing in many contexts, from informal background music to full concerts, from the theatre-pit to the most distinguished stages, from solo recitals to concerto appearances, and chamber music. Venues at which I have performed include the Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall (Royal College of Music, London), West Road Concert Hall (Cambridge), and the Wigmore Hall (London). After having attained ABRSM Grade 8 whilst still at primary school, I entered the Royal College of Music Junior Department in 2003, where I studied under Emily Jeffrey and Helen Leek. I developed a diverse repertoire, from Bach and Scarlatti to my own compositions and pieces written for me by other living composers. My contribution to the performance of student compositions elicited the Constance Poupard Prize upon the conclusion of my studies there in 2010. I then matriculated at Girton College, University of Cambridge, where I read all three parts of the Music Tripos, a broad undergraduate course with a rigorous theoretical focus: elective specialisms undertaken include Fugue (4-hour paper) and Advanced Keyboard Skills. Through my studies for the Advanced Keyboard Skills paper and my involvement with numerous concert projects, I developed proficiency in other keyboard instruments, including harpsichord, chamber organ, and harmonium. I also had the privilege of performing with the distinguished musicians associated with Girton College, including Dr Martin Ennis, Nicholas Mulroy, and Andrew Kennedy. During my undergraduate studies at Cambridge, I was awarded the Girton College Music scholarship (in 2010) and won the Alkan competition (in 2013). I then commenced (in 2013) postgraduate studies in composition at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where I seized the opportunity to refine a lexicon for classical improvisation through studies in the Centre for Classical Improvisation and Creative Performance, under Prof. David Dolan and Simon Gilliver. After a year on the postgraduate Interpretation through Improvisation elective (which included a collaborative project with actors), in which I obtained a high distinction, I undertook, by invitation, a further year of advanced studies with Prof. Dolan. I have undertaken masterclasses with Ian Jones, Simon Lepper, John Reid, Mateusz Borowiak, Richard Goode, and Prof. Robert Levin. Since leaving Guildhall in 2015, I have developed a thriving portfolio career, at the crux of which lies my academic research. I continue to be in demand for performing and teaching in various contexts within and beyond academia, including: giving lectures across three different courses at the University of Glasgow; accompanying examinations and auditions, often sight-reading the part; and performing three world premières as a harpsichordist with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in a chamber concert.
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About the lesson
- All Levels
- English
All languages in which the lesson is available :
English
Teaching is not about telling the pupil what to do: it should involve attuning him/her to perceive his/her own strengths and weaknesses, and to appreciate the demands of the music. In practice, this means that the teacher must resist the temptation simply to identify errors and immediately cite the "correct" solution; instead, the teacher must draw to the pupil’s attention the issue at hand and guide him/her (with a few carefully chosen words and gestures) towards understanding for himself/herself what he/she needs to do (and writing up the solutions in his/her own handwriting), and why. It is my belief that a pupil learns far more by spending two minutes scrutinising an issue that the teacher has brought to his/her attention, than by being told in two seconds, "X was wrong; it should be Y". Discipline and thorough planning are vital to making progress as a pianist. However, this should neither be taken to entail interminable scales, nor depriving performances of spontaneity. On the contrary, it is my belief that equipping a pupil with a robust technique is ultimately a means to an end: achieving a security and certitude that will enable him/her to give consistently confident and spirited performances (which may well be paratactic or even improvisatory in nature), unhampered by nerves. Another vital attribute I try to cultivate is restraint. This entails eschewing superfluous physical motions and habits which serve only to hasten fatigue and diminish the performer’s control over the sound produced. Another facet of restraint pertains to the performer’s taste in dynamics, tempi, and articulation. The overwhelming majority of pianists, myself included, will, at some point, manifest a propensity to play excessively loud and/or excessively fast; surmounting these temptations will always be an ongoing struggle, so they need to be addressed early. I expect my pupils to practise between lessons, on a decent instrument. Practice sessions need not be very long to be effective, but should be frequent (ideally, twice a day: in the morning and again in the evening). I recommend lessons of one hour (or, for very young pupils, forty‑five minutes) — this is because my teaching method involves in‐depth examination of issues, whereby the pupil is challenged to work out and understand solutions for himself/herself (and then mark up the printed music in his/her own handwriting), a process which is necessarily more time‐consuming than simply barking instructions (which, a week later, will have been forgotten) at him/her.
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Review
All of our reviews are collected by us and are 100% reliable. They correspond to a real experience lived by the students of Sasha.
5 (5 reviews)
Perfect! I really enjoy my lesson with Dr Sasha, he is very professional and incredibly talented. Every lesson I feel very privileged to have lesson a with such a great musician
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Recommendations
Recommendations come from relatives, friends and acquaintances of the teacher
4
Sasha accompanied my son for his Grade 8 ABRSM Singing exam. They had a rehearsal a few days before the exam where they ran through the pieces together to make final adjustments etc. He was helpful and friendly at all stages. Sasha is an accomplished player and was highly professional and reliable. I would certainly recommend him to other students.
Sasha is very dedicated tutor who makes your own goals his personal goal.
I had approached Sasha to accompany my daughter on her ARSM Diploma exam, not just in the capacity of an accompanist, but also as a coach who can guide her performance and correct as necessary. Sasha did an exemplary job of this, and in a short span of time, my daughter was able to progress to the level needed for the exam.
Sasha is always so generous with his time in giving feedback. He explains in a lot of detail what the student needs to do, to improve and I find this a very respectable, rare and unique quality as I have had accompanists in the past who have been so hasty to leave and giving some form of feedback was an inconvenience.
Sasha also immensely helped out with the kit for the recording as well as an unbelievable amount of post-recording support in terms of submitting the clip to ABRSM.
We are forever grateful for this support.
Sasha also teaches Maths - i only found this out quite late or I would have enrolled Maths classes for my daughter with Sasha too, which I have no doubt would be a very productive experience.
Overall, we could not have asked for a better experience. Sasha truly is one in a million and to work with his is simply an absolute pleasure.
I highly recommend Sasha - he is in a league of his own!
Thank you so much Sasha xSasha was warm and energetic in providing guidance and piano accompaniment to my son in preparation for his grade 1 saxophone exam, which we are pleased to say resulted in a Merit outcome.
Sasha has provided expert, tailored and exceptional music aural training to my children. His up to date knowledge of each syllabus, plus the ability to create bespoke sessions, has ensured success in exams and auditions over a number of years, and no doubt many more to come.
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Rates
Rate
- £49
Pack prices
- 5h: £245
- 10h: £490
online
- £49/h
Travel
- + £8
Details
Minimum lesson length: 45 minutes Travel surcharge applies for home visits. Payment falls due on the day of the lesson, and may be made by cash, cheque drawn on a UK bank, or bank transfer (to my UK bank account). I do NOT accept payment via PayPal.
Sasha's Video
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