Workshop Information

Masterclasses

Paul offers Masterclasses for wind players of all standards especially offering help to those preparing for grade and diploma exams.

Simultaneous Learning

This new and exciting approach to teaching is designed to encourage students to learn effectively and independently. In this essentially practical and holistic approach you will discover techniques that help to stimulate both sides of the brain, enabling pupils to form a much deeper understanding of what they do. This in turn will allow them to develop much more fully as musicians and allow you, as teacher, to get the best out of all your pupils and to make the best use of the lesson.

This is an essential workshop for those teaching pupils of all standards.

"If only my pupils would practise more!"
Practice makes perfect…or does it? This is a workshop about improving the quality and effectiveness of practice.  It will help teachers motivate their pupils to get the best out of the time between lessons. It will even help with those students who seem reluctant to do any practice at all!

Many young musicians dream of playing in the finest concert halls, yet do not seem to understand how important practice is to achieve that dream. In this workshop Paul offers ideas and strategies that will begin to inspire budding musicians to a greater understand of how best to use those precious hours.


Improve your sight-reading!
This workshop is for teachers hoping to improve results when teaching the (often-dreaded!) skill of sight-reading. You will learn how to help students understand the process of sight-reading and develop fluency, accuracy and confidence. As students become more competent they will begin to wonder what was so difficult after all. The much-feared sight-reading test is an essential and valuable part of the musical assessment process and Paul’s experience in helping young musicians face it head on, and come out smiling, will be an inspiration.

During this workshop Paul will refer to his highly successful teaching series, Improve Your Sight-Reading!

Making scales fun! 
Scales can be fun! This is a workshop for teachers who are searching for inspirational techniques in teaching scales. Much like sight-reading, scales can often be a stumbling block for students entering the examination process. This workshop, based on Paul’s popular series Improve Your Scales! aims to make the process invigorating, creative and enjoyable. It introduces a multi-faceted approach by exploring both left- and right-brained strategies.

Teaching Aural
This workshop gets to the essence of what aural training is all about and how to find ways to integrate aural teaching into practical lessons. Aural work is at the very centre of musical training – practical music making cannot work without it. This session will help teachers to understand aural perception as integral to the learning process, which will help their students develop as rounded and complete musicians.

Improvisation and composition
This session helps to take the fear out of two of the most emotive musical subjects – it will help teachers integrate improvisation and composition confidently into instrumental lessons. Improvisation and compositional techniques are becoming an important part of the examination process and can play a large part in developing musicianship skills. This workshop helps teachers to overcome the trepidation that often accompanies the prospect of teaching improvisation and composition and gives advice on encouraging students to become confident in these areas.

Group Teaching
This workshop demonstrates how to get the best from group teaching. Paul will show how the Simultaneous Learning technique can be used to produce an effective and absorbing group lesson and help to reduce the difficulties that can arise and cause this style of teaching to become stressful.  This workshop is best delivered alongside Paul’s session on Simultaneous Learning.

Best practice for wind teaching
This workshop is designed to revisit the teaching of technique and help teachers and students perfect their playing.

The Life and Music of Sir Malcolm Arnold
Having recently co-authored (with Anthony Meredith) the bestselling biography, Malcolm Arnold: Rogue Genius, both Paul and Anthony are able to offer a fascinating insight into the life and work of one of Britain’s greatest composers.

Workshops for Students
The following workshops can also be presented for an audience of pupils.  Usually there will be quite a lot of demonstration and practical involvement.

Improve Your Practice!
Improve Your Sight reading!
Having fun with scales
Improvisation and composition

Workshop Timetable

By offering this comprehensive list of workshops and activities, each one can be tailored to suit your needs. Click on the Workshop Request Form