Instrumental Lessons

Queensbridge employs six music tutors from the Hackney Music Service. Lessons are usually taught in small groups of between three and six pupils (depending on the instrument), All children in Years 3-6 are given the opportunity to sign up for a lesson each September. Letters are given out and lessons allocated on a first come, first served basis. You can also email Mrs Woolfenden directly at any time if your child is keen to try an instrument.  They will be added to the waiting list. We currently offer lessons in the following instruments:

Guitar ♪ Violin ♪ Cello ♪ Flute ♪ Clarinet ♪ Saxophone ♪ Trumpet ♪ Trombone 

Percussion (kit drums, djembe drumming groups and orchestral percussion)

Lesson are currently £95 per term or £40 for the Djembe drumming groups. Children on PPI (including free school meals) pay just £15. Please contact the school for more details. Email music@queensbridge.hackney.sch.uk

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STUDENTS!
You can find your practice materials (sheet music, listening exercises from your teachers) on the Queensbridge resources page: https://sites.google.com/hackney.gov.uk/queensbridgeprimaryschoolhms/home?authuser=0

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Hackney Music Service also offer some excellent taster sessions to help children to find the right instrument for them, as well as learning lots of musical skills along the way. More information can be found at http://www.hackneymusic.co.uk/activities/taster-sessions/

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Visiting tutors from Hackney Music Service

Omar Puente 

Omar is our violin teacher at Queensbridge. His mantra that “attitude and discipline is everything you need to get a good result” is working wonders for our violin students. Omar regularly performs jazz and classical music on the international stage. Originally from Cuba, Omar was first violinist with the Cuban National Orchestra. You can find out more about Omar at https://www.omarpuente.com/about-me/

‘Omar Puente’s contribution to 20^th and 21^st century violin playing has now become legendary. His generous nature, his commitment to good music, his enjoyment of life and his respect for his colleagues are all characteristics which make him a true violin great’ – Nigel Kennedy

Daniel Nash

Daniel has been teaching guitar at Queensbridge for many years. 

Daniel came quite late to music, favouring other flighty cultural distractions (football, tv and The Beano). Being the mid 90's, no one had invented good computer games, usable mobile phones or freeview so out of sheer boredom he decided to take up an instrument and fortunately his secondary school offered free lessons. Unfortunately all the drumming places were taken up so guitar it was! An early love for rock, blues and soul turned into a keen interest in Jazz which lead to studying at the world famous Middlesex University on their prestigious BMus Jazz degree course (No, I'd never heard of it either). Moving forward Daniel discovered a passion for composing and now divides his time between performing in Jazz groups, teaching the wonderful children of Hackney and writing music for various projects. He even finds time for a quick flick through an occasional Beano.

Simon McChesney

Simon teaches woodwind lessons, including clarinet, saxophone and flute.
Simon says: I`ve been teaching woodwind instruments in London schools (and privately) for over 25 years.  I began playing clarinet and saxophone whilst studying at Hull University (1976-9).  After graduating, in geography and sociology, I worked for three years as an English teacher in Kenya, where I fell in love with African music and the way it motivated people to dance together.  I came back to England with the ambition to become a musician and play live music. Since then, I've been in many bands playing an array of different musical styles:  African, Latin, folk, jazz, blues, funk, soul, calypso, reggae and pop, learning something fresh at every step.  I have played many music festivals and events up and down the country and at well-known venues such as Sadler`s Wells Theatre, Ronnie Scott`s Club and the Jazz Cafe.  I particularly enjoyed being the sax player in a three-piece band with Zippo`s Circus, in 1997, when I was given my own caravan to use as we toured around the country. I taught myself the basics of music theory and practice early in my career (with help from a number of private tutors) and later studied on various music courses and workshops including Jazz and Pop Diploma at Goldsmiths University (2005). More recently, I have been learning how to play flute and piano to add to my other instruments.

As well as playing music (also singing and dancing, also photography), my favorite way to relax is to spend time growing fruit and vegetables on my allotment in Bow….especially strawberries, tomatoes and potatoes!

Marta Tobar

Marta is our cello teacher and a professional cellist based in London. Classically trained at the Royal Northern College of Music, she received support from the Spanish government that allowed her to pursue her Bachelors and Master Studies at this prestigious institution. Marta enjoys a varied career, performing as Principal Cellist with the London Arte Chamber Orchestra since 2014, with whom she toured China in 2015. Other orchestras include City of London Chamber Orchestra, Southern Sinfonia and Orpheus Sinfonia. She has performed with the Malaga Symphony Orchestra (Spain) in their 2016 season. She has recorded for the BBC´s The Culture Show and BBC Radio 3 In Tune, performing extracts of the new opera written by composer Martin Ward (ENO, ROH) and librettist Phil Porter (ROH, RSC). Marta is an advocate for the use of music in education, and she enjoys a busy teaching career alongside performing. She currently teaches for Hackney Music Service, providing cello and piano lessons at a number of Primary and Secondary Schools across the borough, and has a private teaching studio in North West London. Her students have won auditions for NCO orchestra, Harrow Orchestra, and full scholarships for St Paul's School for Boys.

Ruby Barber

Ruby is the brass teacher at Queensbridge, giving lessons on trumpet and trombone. 

Justin Pickett

Justin teaches kit drumming and djembe drumming at Queensbridge.