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My Buzz

In August 2011, I won a coveted place in Theo Paphitis’ ‘SBS’ club. David Barton Music beat over 1,000 entrants to be selected as one of the six chosen to be retweeted by Theo on the 21st August. The ‘SBS’ selection came as the icing on the cake, coinciding exactly with the 10th anniversary of my first day of teaching.

It was very surreal: you enter, but I never expected to be one of the chosen six. I felt very lucky and hugely excited. There is a common misconception that private music teachers such as myself only teach ‘on the side’; Theo’s backing of small businesses such as David Barton Music hopefully dispels such a myth.

The selection of David Barton Music came on exactly the same day as I gave my first lesson at the age of 17, on the 21st August, 2001. I feel enormously privileged to have met and worked with such a diverse range of ages and abilities over the past decade. I have always been concerned that each pupil should have the opportunity to realise his or her potential; every single one of them has something to offer, whatever their ability. An increase in web traffic, interest, sales etc. were all a real bonus. My ‘win’ was also featured in several local newspapers and in the national ISM Journal.

My Bio

Born in Winchester in 1983, David has worked passionately within the field of music education for over 20 years. He has taught flute, piano and singing privately since 2001, and in particular, has specialised in teaching adult amateurs. Based in Lichfield, Staffordshire, David has been a Trustee and Secretary of the Lichfield Festival of Music since 2016. David is an ISM Fellow and Ambassador, and holds ISM Registered Private Teacher Status.

Committed to offering CPD opportunities for for instrumental teachers, over the past 10 years, David has developed an online mentoring programme for those working towards teaching diplomas. He has mentored a whole range of teachers all over the world, and continues to develop his provision in this area. He writes a successful blog, working with a number of publishers including Faber Music, Hal Leonard, OUP and ABRSM, to review and promote music. He has been a syllabus consultant for both ABRSM and LCM Examinations.

As a Composer and Arranger, David has over 100 works published in the UK and overseas. Performances take place worldwide, notably in the US. A Celtic Blessing was selected as a JWPepper Editor’s Choice and has sold over 3,500 copies, whilst God So Loved the World was selected for performance at the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music. He is a Writer Member of both PRS and MCPS.

Following an MEd at The Open University, David is an active researcher in the field of music education, completing a PhD at the Royal College of Music, London, in 2020, where his thesis focussed on autonomy and control in private music teaching. He has written for a number of publications, including Music Teacher, Piano Professional, Cathedral Music, the British Journal of Music Education, and PAN. He has been a Research Consultant with ABRSM and a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the Royal College of Music, London. He is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

He was a finalist in the Musicians' Union Inspiration Award category at the Music Teacher Awards for Excellence in 2018. He is also active as a piano accompanist, and is an organist and trustee of Lichfield Methodist Church.

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