Sarah Ibberson
Violin, piano and music theory teacher
What do I do?
I am a music teacher and performing violinist based in Church Preen, Shropshire. I started playing the violin when I was five years old and have been teaching music since 2007. Lessons I currently offer include:
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Violin
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Piano
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Music theory
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Composition
In the other part of my musical life I am the violinist in Whalebone (have a look at www.whalebone-music.com to see and hear what we get up to). I can also be found lurking in the excellent Shrewsbury Symphony Orchestra (www.shrewsbury-orch.org.uk).
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As part of Whalebone I also teach in our regular workshops. We welcome all instruments, all ages, and all abilities. Have a look here if this sounds interesting.
How did I get here?
I have been playing the violin since 1978 (eek) and the piano since shortly after that (there are other instruments floating around my house and studio, and sometimes these get involved in lessons too). In that time I have played in orchestras of all shapes and sizes (check out my current and past favourites), sung in choirs (including a mind-broadening stint in the London Philharmonic Choir), accompanied morris troupes and clog dancers, played and sung in a funk-fusion quartet, soothed mothers and babies with a wonderful long-running lullaby project and rocked out with Whalebone.
(This is not Whalebone).
I studied Law at Cambridge from 1992-95 and subsequently qualified as a corporate litigator in 1998. Astonishingly, I kept this up for a further six years before coming back to my first love (music) via my second love (cake). But that's another story...
Sarah Ibberson violin
How can I help you?
It has been an utter privilege to work with people from three years old to seventy-plus over the last nine years. The more I learn about music, and the more I witness how other people learn, react to, integrate and live with music, the more I'm convinced it is an essential component of our humanity. This is joyful and exciting work!
So whether you're young, old, somewhere inbetween, an absolute beginner or a more experienced player, someone who wants to pass exams, someone who wants to explore why music does the things it does, someone who wants to improve their technical skills, someone who wants to develop their compositional skills, someone who wants to improvise, or someone who doesn't yet know what they want, I would love to work with you.
My lessons are all absolutely individual, tailored to you and your requirements. Some people want to do exams (my pupils generally sit ABRSM), some people definitely DON'T want to. Either is fine. Mind-changing is definitely allowed, and discussions are very much encouraged.
Family members are welcome to sit in (we have a kettle and a deep biscuit tin). In fact with young players this can often be enormously helpful, and I definitely encourage family involvement.
A couple of times a year I organise a showcase concert for all my pupils. These are joyful, family events affectionately known as 'Cake Concerts' for no reason whatsoever (ahem). Participation is not compulsory, but most pupils find it helpful and inspiring to practice playing in front of a friendly audience and hear what other people are up to.
Nuts and bolts
Lessons generally take place in my studio in Church Preen (about 20 minutes drive from Shrewsbury, 10 minutes drive from Much Wenlock). Most people come once a week for thirty minutes. Some people come for an hour, weekly or fortnightly. After-school and Saturday slots are hotly contested, weekday daytime slots are much more readily available (which is helpful if you're a grown up or home-educated). I charge £12.00 per half hour, whether for violin, piano or theory.