I am a 32-year old guitarist, songwriter and composer based in Den Haag, songwriting, composition, electric and acoustic guitar, in combination with music theory. I teach in English or in Greek. I am half Greek and half Scottish and I have been living in the Netherlands for the last 4 years.
I offer lessons in all styles, to all age groups, and for any experience level (ranging from students who have never written a song before, up to experienced songwriters who are looking for fresh ideas and improving their skills to really make their songs shine).
Face to face lessons are preferable, but I also teach online.
I am a patient and open minded teacher, and my desire is to help you learn what you want to learn, and make sure you enjoy and take pride in your songs, learn to express your musical ideas as best as possible and nurture your curiosity and excitement about the world of music creation !
My Credentials:
I hold a Bachelors of Music degree from Birmingham Conservatoire (UK), and a Masters of Music from The Hague Royal Conservatory. My experience as a songwriter and composer ranges from writing songs and singing in indie / off-beat rock bands, solo guitar and vocal performances, home-production of my own songs, creation of instrumental post-rock music, collaborative songwriting in bands, composition of works for classical players, creation of ambient, experimental and electronic music, creation of music for film, and I even some experience in beat-making.
I have written songs, I have written orchestra pieces, I have worked as a DIY home producer, I have released albums, and I've performed in concert halls, rock venues, squats and festivals. I
My music has been performed in and has taken me to several countries, including Portugal, The Czech Republic, The U.S.A., Canada, Korea, Greece, The U.K., The Netherlands.
My Teaching style:
My emphasis is to teach you based on your interests and your needs. The lessons are based around each individual student. You bring me the music you are creating and the skills you want to develop as a songwriter, and I build my lessons around that. My primary goal is help you develop your voice as a songwriter, so the starting point for our lessons will always be your music, and then I build our lessons around that.
My aim is always to help you find what the heart of the song is about, and help you to bring this out and really make it shine. To help illustrate ideas about topics we discuss I will bring examples that can help inform the music you are creating, we will explore ideas of arrangement, orchestration, band leading and / or production to help flesh out your songs, and we will explore music theory too when that is helpful for us and / or if that is interesting to you.
For more experienced songwriters we can explore how to write parts for other players, how to notate and orchestrate songs for acoustic instruments, how to record songs, or how to get the best playing out of your bandmates to help your song shine