Hello, my name is Frances Ingrey and I am an experienced and enthusiastic piano and theory teacher with more than 20 years of experience in preparing students for ABRSM examinations. I teach pupils from Beaconsfield, Gerrards Cross, Amersham, Great Missenden and across South Bucks.
I am proud to say that many of them have gained Merits or Distinctions in their graded exams. I follow the ABRSM syllabus as I feel that this covers everything a pianist needs to know as they develop into musicians.
LEARNING DISABILITIES AND MENTAL HEALTH
I have taught in special needs schools and have worked with many children who have learning disabilities, including ADHD and Autism. I have found that piano lessons encourage the children to focus more. Piano lessons help to improve their hand to eye co-ordination and to improve their communication skills and their self-belief and self-confidence.
A child with learning difficulties will also find that their motor skills, including fine motor skills, also improve. Some children with learning difficulties have weak muscle tone and playing the piano helps to strengthen the muscles in the hands and fingers, giving the child the ability to use their hands more.
Learning to play the piano affects a child’s brain by enhancing the learning ability of motor and auditory skills. It enhances the brain’s function and can improve the spatial temporal reasoning for the child, which leads to a significant reduction in stress and anxiety. Some of the children I teach with special needs have gone on to take piano exams and have passed with merits.
MY BACKGROUND
I have always had a love of music and being with people. I started learning the piano from a young age and really enjoyed playing. I was entered into various competitions within the area and always came first or second. My piano teacher gave me a few pupils when I was a teenager and taught me how to teach them.
Having gained Dip ABRSM Teaching and Performing Diplomas I then began teaching professionally and realised that I love teaching and wanted to develop it further. My background has always been about communicating with the general public and I found that this helped me to interact with pupils. I enjoy teaching anyone who would like to learn a new skill.
I teach the piano in local schools so the majority of my pupils are children, and I am proud to say that many of them have gained Merits or Distinctions in their graded exams. I follow the ABRSM syllabus as I feel that this covers everything a pianist needs to know as they develop into musicians.
I am also spending time teaching children and young teenagers with mental health issues. The benefits for these young people are that they are using different areas of the brain and they become less anxious and depressed. Studies have shown that playing the piano is a great source of stress relief and provides opportunities to improve self-esteem.
TEACHING ADULTS
Learning to play the piano as an adult is just as rewarding as for a child. One is learning a new skill and it helps to improve the mental and emotional states of adults, it also helps to improve concentration and memory.
It is a great privilege to be able to teach people music. It is a very special subject and so rewarding for both pupil and teacher. One has to be patient and calm, but the benefits outweigh any of the obstacles and challenges we come across as teachers.
PIANO GRADES AND THEORY
I teach Grades 1-8 ABRSM and Grade 5 Theory.
Contact Me
Call me on 0 7 7 2 1 6 3 3 2 5 4.