Catrin Russ, Pianist and Teacher

About Catrin Russ, Pianist and Teacher

Making music has always been central to my life whether it is singing in choirs, playing in orchestras, teaching classroom music or simply playing the piano to relax after a busy day. I have sung all my life starting in my church choir in Cardiff and leading up to singing on several CDs with various choirs. I have directed choirs and amateur dramatic groups, working with adults of all ages and abilities, and conducted groups of school children in brass groups, swing band, orchestra, pop choir and even a steel band! My piano playing has been one of the anchors in my life. I started having lessons when I was 7 years old and I’m still learning today through my students! As a secondary school music teacher, the piano was a staple for lessons whether it was playing for class singing or accompanying GCSE and A level students for exams; it was a vital part of my life. I joined Bidvine in order to offer my services to you as a piano and music theory teacher if learning the piano is something you’ve always wanted to do or if you’re thinking of taking it up again after a dry period. I began teaching the piano over 30 years ago before taking my PGCE and going into classroom music teaching. All the students I have entered for ABRSM exams have passed, several with merits or distinctions. I have also recently participated in an ABRSM examiner’s course which gave me some valuable insight and has influenced my lessons with students. I recently resigned from secondary school teaching in order to spend more time on my individual piano and music theory students, in a less stressful atmosphere! Many of my current students are adults who have taken up the piano to help keep their brains active and to provide a new challenge in their lives. As your piano teacher, through humour and encouragement, I would like to make sure that you learn at a comfortable pace whilst making significant progress. One of my particular strengths is that I get on with people of all ages as you can see from my reviews. I am also experienced with working with people with special educational needs. I have several students who are on the autistic spectrum and have developed a way of teaching them that can maximise their potential through a patient and calm approach. As most of my teaching is online at the moment, I like to send recordings of backing tracks that I have made to my students for them to play along to. It makes such a different and is really good practice in playing with somebody else whilst concentrating on your own part. It also sounds much more elaborate especially when you have just started to learn and are playing with a limited number of notes! I also write and adapt my own music to suit my students' needs, whether it's adding fingering to a tricky passage, or simplifying a well known melody for somebody who has just started to learn to play. To get started and to see if we are the right fit, I offer a free taster session as my first lesson to see if you like my teaching style ... and the piano, and if you refer another student to me, you get a free lesson. Let’s connect and I look forward to being your teacher and helping you build an appreciation for music. Thanks for reading and hope to hear from you soon!