Piano teacher with extensive performance experience. I specialise in teaching younger students, including teens either at a beginner level or for ABRSM grades.

Find out more about Rosa

• When did you first develop a passion for music and your favourite instrument?

  Music was always a part of my life and family. My dad used to play the guitar and we always had music playing in the house. My favorite instrument will always be the piano because it’s what set off my love for learning and playing instruments. I started playing when I was ten and it turned out to be an absolute blessing because it gave me one of the most important forms of expression and joy in my life and I never looked back! I’m currently expanding my musical knowledge by learning the guitar (thanks dad!) and the flute (thanks facebook marketplace!!) and am loving being back at square one again and getting to learn something new for the first time.

• Is there a particular type of music or artist that you listen to on a loop without it driving you crazy?

  Jazz never gets old! It’s definitely a favorite genre of mine because it's so eclectic. It can make you get up and dance or it can calm you down after a long day. My family and I love to go to jazz clubs together as it’s something that we all enjoy - it's one of those genres that is great on records but becomes truly electric when it's performed live. Musical Theatre will always hold a special place in my heart as well as it’s the profession that I am currently pursuing. Again, it’s so diverse and musical theatre vocals are pure magic. Basically, if it’s live music, I'm a big fan!

• Explain to us the most difficult or riveting course you could personally give to a student of music.

  One of the most nuanced lessons that I myself have only just mastered is the art of storytelling through your instrument. It's so easy, especially when you’re starting out, to get so hung up on the correct notes, fluidity and speed that you forget the reason why we make music in the first place - to communicate. When performing, you are not presenting a series of notes but a story full of emotion. As soon as I recognised this and worked on it with my teacher, the change was enormous. Instead of focusing on the notes in each bar, I began focusing on the story that was being told in each bar and, in doing so, my entire tone shifted. What’s beautiful about this is that everyone in the audience will experience your story slightly differently depending on how your music affects them. The goal is for your audiences to leave your performances thinking about the story that you have told, not how quickly you played those notes!

• What do you think is the most complicated instrument to master and why?

  I’ve always wanted to learn the violin! The sound they create is just beautiful but they’re so technical - and I find it incredible that violinists are able to play the correct pitches with no frets to guide them. Bowing is such an art form as well. A friend of mine in an orchestra once let me try out her violin…let's just say it's not as easy as it looks.

• What are your keys to success?

  No pun intended. It’s all about the WHY. Why do you want to play, why do you want to improve, why did you reach for this instrument. Learning any instrument is difficult and there will be times, most days, when you encounter something that you can’t do or that challenges you. Without the right why, how can you expect yourself to persevere despite these challenges. If you have the right motivation, then I have no doubt that you will become a truly successful instrumentalist.

• Name three musicians you dream of meeting in your favourite bar in the early hours of the morning. Explain why.

  I couldn’t possibly just pick three! I like to push myself to listen to as many different artists as possible and my tastes are always changing. I also have a major problem with overlistening to songs and artists that I love at the time, meaning I start to get bored. If I picked three artists that I would want to meet now, I would have to change my answer in a week!

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to music or your days at music school.

  Something my music teacher always used to say, which I think is really valuable to budding musicians, was “Never forget the power of ‘yet’”. Progress can be slow when learning a new instrument and saying that you can’t do something can be damaging. But saying you can’t do something ‘yet’ is a promise to yourself that you will get there.

• What are the little touches that make you a Superprof in music?

  As a teacher who specialises in children, I understand that games and creative activities are the best way of learning. I don’t expect a nine year old to be taught in the same way as a concert pianist!! Through short bursts of focus, games (and a lot of chat!) I get to know my students, their preferred styles of learning, and what their goals are so that we can reach them together.