Learn guitar with warm, experienced and highly skilled teacher with two Masters degrees in Music and Education and 20 years' experience, teaching adults in Manchester

I was a learner with Amy for several years. Although I had played classical guitar whilst at school, I had more or less stopped but was keen to resume when I had more time after (early!) retirement. I made very quick progress with Amy and I was delighted with the standard I reached after only a short time, and of course I continued to improve under her guidance.

I think there are several reasons why Amy is such an effective teacher - she is very good at diagnosing the factors which hamper improvement and suggesting bespoke ways of dealing with them. She is very adaptable and resourceful, so if something isn't working or the student needs or wants to develop in a certain direction then Amy usually has a range of things for the student to try. She is also very patient and has a gentle but positive and encouraging manner which gets the best out of everyone.

During the time I had lessons with her Amy formed a guitar group to help her students reinforce their learning and to give them experience in ensemble playing. I saw her interacting with people of all ages and abilities, and she really knows how to adapt her approach to every student's learning style. With regard to shared experiences, I had the pleasure of playing duets on stage with Amy at both Didsbury Guitar Trail and Manchester Acoustic Guitar Circle, which were big high points for me.

Amy also performs live in a number of ensembles, and I have always thought that the insight this gives contributes to her effectiveness as a teacher.

I only stopped having lessons with Amy when she stopped teaching to pursue academic interests. I am with another teacher now, and Amy was kind enough to match up all of her students with another guitar teacher who was sympathetic to what they were trying to achieve.

I have no hesitation in recommending Amy as a guitar teacher, whatever the age, ability, aspirations or prior experience of the learner might be.

I had classical guitar lessons with Amy for many years and I can say that she is an incredibly gifted teacher and player.
The lessons were always enjoyable, and Amy was encouraging and inspiring.
Speaking as someone not especially musical I feel like my playing improved to the point where I was enjoying playing pieces that I couldn't have imagined learning before.
An added bonus was being introduced to some amazing music that I doubt I would have come across otherwise.

One of the best decisions I ever made "musically" was to choose Amy as a guitar teacher. With her encouragement and patience over several years, I was able to achieve Grade 5 on the classical guitar. Not only is she a very accomplished player, more importantly, she is a wonderful teacher. John Lyons

Amy Bowles is a really excellent teacher. I took classical guitar lessons with her for several years. I found her to be a very patient and supportive teacher who is a very competent guitarist in her own right. She is fun to learn with! I cannot recommend her highly enough.

I have been an electric guitar tutor and performer since 2006, and in 2017 I decided to expand my abilities by learning classical guitar. Amy came recommended to me by very credible musician, and I genuinely don't think I could have lucked out more.

From the very beginning, Amy's approach stood out to me. Her teaching is contemporary, open-minded and encouraging, whilst still respecting the discipline, precision and dedication that classical guitar demands. I always felt that my lessons were genuinely bespoke and tailored to my individual needs, rather than simply following a generic syllabus. Amy has an incredible ability to identify weaknesses and provide clear, practical, creative ways to overcome them.

More than that, she has been an incredibly supportive and inspiring teacher throughout my journey. Learning classical guitar was a significant challenge for me, particularly as someone coming from an electric guitar background, but Amy always made me feel that progress was achievable.

I am now incredibly proud to hold a Distinction in Grade 8 Classical Guitar with ABRSM — an achievement I reached in just over four years, including the disruption caused by COVID. I owe a huge amount of that achievement to Amy's knowledge, patience, encouragement and dedication.

I honestly couldn't recommend Amy highly enough.