Nicola Popplewell - Oboe & Cor Anglais

While oboe is Nicola's specialist instrument she in experienced in teaching all the woodwind instruments (saxophone, clarinet, flute and bassoon) as well as recorder, music theory and music history. Besides instrumental teaching Nicola is experienced at coaching ensembles and tutoring individuals in the art of performance.

Nicola enjoys teaching all ages and levels, from 5 year old beginner, to tertiary performance students and adults.

Nicola is an enthusiastic and energetic music tutor who believes that having fun playing is the most important part of learning a musical instrument. She is committed to supporting each student’s individual learning style and needs. She strongly believes that learning a musical instrument benefits a student far more than simply learning to play the instrument. She is proud that her teaching methods equip her students with a rounded understanding of how their instrument works, music theory, music history, good performance techniques and musicianship.

Nicola is aware that a music tutor she has a unique opportunity to spend time with the student in a one to one or small group environment. Her approach to teaching is to encourage her students to interrogate everything; she believes that the ability to question what they are doing and why they are doing it leads to a deeper understanding of music and their instrument and therefore more success. She also believes that this understanding means that the student is more able and willing to put in the work necessary to achieve the performance and sound they aspire to. She encourages regular performances and holds performance classes for her students once a term.

Nicola has worked with ensembles of various sizes and combinations; duo, trio, quartet, quintet, and octet as well as conducting both training and junior bands. She has also helped one training band to compose their own piece for a performance.

Nicola takes a music theory class at ACG College, Auckland. Nearly all of the students in Nicola's class recently achieved 100% on their theory test!

Nicola has a special interest in the psychology of music education. She is particularly interested in the problems of supporting musicians with specific learning difficulties. She is in touch with the British Dyslexia Association and excited by their new music education course, which she plans to take as soon as it is officially up and running.

If you would like to study with Nicola, please contact her.