Serena Redferne

About Me: Hi, I’m Serena and I am a strings player and tutor. I enjoy listening to and playing any style of music from Classical to Symphonic Metal and Pop! I am also an arranger, so I am able to arrange music for students based on their interests and level. As I have gigged in orchestras and bands for years, I can also help students on a performance level if that’s what they are looking for. I love music as a universal language and form of expression. I feel that it is very valuable in a therapeutic and developmental sense, due to the opportunity it gives people to show their emotions, while also developing coordination, listening skills, music reading, and concentration.

Teaching Experience: I teach music to all ages from toddlers to adults. I have been a tutor for Leeds City College BTEC in music performance since 2013, which covers band work, industry skills, composition, and music history for 16 – 18-year-olds. While my specialty is classical music theory, I am able to teach pop theory too. I also am the strings tutor in the Target program of Leeds Junior Conservatoire, where I teach 9 – 14-year-olds instrumental tuition alongside musicianship skills and ensemble studies. In the past, I had the pleasure of working with a creative arts charity, where we taught music and other art forms in a holistic way, to young people with special educational needs, as well as mentored degree students who needed a little extra help. I have a PTTLs qualification in teaching and training from the National Autistic Society.

My Approach to Teaching: I am very much led by the student in terms of how I approach teaching them, as everybody needs slightly different approaches and have varied goals. In the first session, we have a discussion about what they would like to do, what music they like, and their general aims. We then check in with these at the end of term. If the student wants to work towards something different, before our check-in, they can let me know, and we can alter our goals. I like to keep things light with musical games to teach theory and the fundamentals of the instrument, where appropriate. While I am happy to help students to achieve music grades, I am also aware that this isn’t for everybody, and we can come up with different goals together. Everyone’s music journey is different and I love getting to support my students through that. I believe that music should be fun and approached in a curious way, we do call it ‘playing’ an instrument for a reason!