Piano Teacher (in person and online)

[Nia P James]

Hello!

 

My name is Nia Payne-James and I am a classically trained pianist of 19 years. I have been teaching privately in and around West London and South East London for the past 5 years as well as in two primary schools and a music school based in Nunhead.

 

Being a keen music enthusiast and having had the opportunity to learn a variety of instruments, my role as a piano teacher is something I thoroughly enjoy. In order to best accommodate a range of learning styles, lessons may vary from traditional to more contemporary, creative formats, all of which depend upon what the pupil finds most effective when learning the practical and theoretical elements of music. Taking a committed and dedicated approach, my ultimate goal is to ensure each pupil is provided with the necessary knowledge and tools to progress with the piano whilst simultaneously taking a growing interest and positive, confident attitude towards learning.

 

I am experienced in teaching children (aged 4+) and adults of varying abilities both face to face and online, and have an enhanced DBS as well as safeguarding training. I teach according to the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music (ABRSM) syllabus for graded theory, practical and performance exams.

 

I am currently teaching both face to face and via Zoom. To mitigate the differences between online and in person tuition, I have adapted online lessons in the following way:

 

-Providing regular parental reviews

-Sending individualised resources to support live lessons

-Sending tailored recordings to support live lessons

-Offering additional homework tasks (optional) when/if required

 

Please see below for some parent reviews, and feel free to contact me if you’re interested!

 

Nia has taught my two sons (7 and 9) for the last 18 months. Since the pandemic, the teaching has taken place via zoom, in which time my eldest son achieved a distinction in grade 1 piano. Nia is a great piano teacher who is very patient and encouraging. 

-Luci

 

Nia has been teaching my 6 year old son, Oliver, for over three years now and we couldn’t be more pleased with his progress. Nia has a fantastic rapport with him and is disciplined without taking the fun out of learning! We had to move to virtual lessons in light of the pandemic and although we had initial reservations that Oliver’s focus may be affected, they were unfounded as he is more engaged than ever. He independently logs on and spends an hour with Nia via an online platform and his progress has not been stunted in any way. We hope to stay with Nia for very many years to come. 

-Chloe

 

Nia is a fantastic piano teacher. She is very engaging, patient and friendly. My children feel relaxed in her presence as she makes the teaching environment fun, productive and informative. She has gone above and beyond to make sure my children feel secure with the new teaching materials by providing regular video's explaining how to play the pieces/understand new concepts. I am also grateful to have her personally think of ways in which she could help support my son who is dyslexic to get the best out of him and his ability to understand how to play and read music.

-Aysher 

 

I have been studying piano with Nia for almost two years and am about to take my Grade 2 ABRSM exam (Theory and Practical). Being an adult learner definitely has its challenges, I'm out of touch with the learning process and I get distracted with work and life. Nia is a very patient and supportive teacher, and is also flexible when I need to move lessons due to work commitments. I'm often hard on myself and hit a wall or two with my practice, however having a weekly lesson with Nia keeps me on track. She's great at preparing me for my exams, but we also have fun learning new pieces from time to time. We focus on playing, scales and other useful exercises as well as reading music, I'm so happy with my progress and I couldn't do it without Nia! I started with 30 minute lessons, but am now up to an hour a week as we can get lot's more done, and now I am a little more experienced I can focus for longer. I can't imagine working with a different teacher. Thank you Nia!

-Debbie

 

Nia has been great in helping me regain/renew/expand on my very basic keyboard skills. We connected well despite a few decades in age difference, and I was so encouraged by her teaching style. I am now so much more confident and will continue to expand my piano repertoire!

-Rosalyn 

 

My daughter has really enjoyed being taught by Nia over the last 18 months. My daughter has made great progress, grown in confidence playing pieces and excelled in her exams! Nia is a thorough and patient teacher, and I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending her!

-Nanette 

 

Nia has been an excellent teacher, and her knowledge of music and ability to inspire are exceptional. Both my children’s understanding of music has increased through great interactive teaching styles.

-Yves

 

Nia has been teaching my 9 year old daughter the piano for the past two years. She is a wonderful teacher and has made learning the piano fun and interesting. She is very accommodating of my daughters ideas about the kind of music she would like to play and is always kind and patient. I like the way she includes music theory within the lessons. I would highly recommend Nia to anyone who wants to learn to play the piano.

-Becky

 

My daughter (age 7) has been having piano lessons with Nia for a year and a half, starting as a complete beginner. Iyla immediately warmed to Nia and has loved her lessons every since. Nia is patient, kind and thorough in her teaching, as a result Iyla has made great progress in this short amount of time. Nia is careful not to move too quickly through pieces, but rather ensure that Iyla is secure and confident in her knowledge and skill. I have highly recommended Nia to friends and would do so again in a heartbeat. 

-Babita

 

My daughter has started online classes with Nia which has been a great way to continue her tuition throughout lockdown. Despite never meeting in person the classes are progressing really well and Nia offers a good balance of theory, tips and practice successfully over Zoom. 

-Victoria 

 

Nia is an excellent piano teacher and my daughter really enjoys the lessons. Maggie has learnt through playing standard pieces in her book, along with popular classical pieces such as Bach and Beethoven that Nia chooses for her. Nia also comes up with creative ways to learn the theory, with flash cards and origami fortune tellers to learn key words and notes. Nia has also arranged for my daughter to play in a weekend concert and came along to support her. I whole heartedly recommend Nia as a piano teacher.

-Kate

[bellmar]

Hi.
Do you teach keyboard? My daughter went to keyboard lessons for a while with the idea of progressing to piano lessons but she was never motivated as she didn’t enjoy the lesson or the teacher. She did it as a shared lesson with another child.

could you please let me know if you teach keyboard  and if so what are your rates please? 
thanks 

[Mrscook]

Hello, 

I would also be interested to know if you teach keyboard as my son has one at home but has never been taught.  What would be your rates for keyboard online lessons.

thank you! 
Tara.