“'Can’t sing?', 'Won’t sing?': don’t say such things to this most natural of teachers! Catherine has an abundance of patience, encouragement, generosity and kindness and there is certainly no discordant note when it comes to laughter!

Having had a stroke, I am still working on a few cognitive surprises. I lost my sense of pitch, elements of numeracy, sense of time, concentration but still set a challenge which involves music every year. Within a few minutes of getting to meet Catherine at a coffee morning, I found myself booking a singing lesson. Having had lessons for years (years ago), I wanted to recover the love and joy of singing with a teacher who has rekindled that spark with her empathy, sense of fun and boundless intelligence. I wish I had the opportunity of meeting Catherine when I was five and if I had children, they would have been booked in with Catherine as soon as booking a place in nursery. We would have been blowing raspberries before​

breakfast (something I am now belatedly practising).

I am enjoying my homework and have a wonderful sense of expectation and excitement. I only have two more important things to say. Firstly, don’t delay because once the word gets out, Catherine only has the same hours in her day as yours. Secondly, do take the recommended dosage of ‘strengthening medicine’ on lesson day (whether you decide to learn an instrument or sing) because Catherine will have taken hers."

"Catherine encouraged me to take my grade 6 singing and I was so thrilled to have this experience.  Under her expert guidance, I passed with a distinction. She really is such an inspirational teacher, whoever has her as their singing tutor is very fortunate!"

"Learning to play the cello is one of the most joyful things I've done. I learnt the flute as a child, but really didn't enjoy it. Having the opportunity to play an instrument as beautiful as the cello is a real privilege. It gives me a reason to sit by myself for 10 mins when I practise, and I believe it's thoroughly healthy to be out of your comfort zone (which happens when I have my lessons). Catherine is endlessly patient and understanding, and hence I'm still here several years down the line! I've also read that it helps to stave off dementia to learn an instrument."

"Have loved learning with Catherine since I was tiny in primary school now starting university next year! She has helped me grow into an amazing pianist and a better person, always knowing exactly what to say 😊"

"As a mature student I was apprehensive about starting piano lessons but very soon realised I didn’t need to be. Catherine has a positive, motivating way of teaching  - she adapts her lessons to suit my style of learning and I leave each one with enthusiasm and always looking forward to the next one. In a short time I have picked up more than I ever imagined I could and that is down to Catherine’s excellent tuition, knowledge and encouragement."

"My son, who has dyslexia, could read music notes before he could read words. His piano lessons with Catherine have supported his independent learning - his focus, resilience and pattern recognition have all improved. My son's musical development makes me happy - I very much enjoy being part of it (as I don’t get this close to anything else he learns). Thank you for giving him skills to navigate barriers to learning that he can transfer across to other subjects."

"It’s always hard finding a good, reliable (and fun!) teacher but Catherine has been amazing. Over four years, my piano playing has come a long way thanks to Catherine’s patience, enthusiasm and musical top tips! I always come away from lessons with new ideas for improving both my technical and creative playing. As an adult learner, Catherine has been increasingly supportive with helping me fit my piano lessons in around my hectic work/life schedule."

"I love my piano lessons with Catherine! They are lots of fun and Catherine goes through things step-by-step. I started when I was 4 and I'm now 10 and on grade 3! Practise takes time but it's worth it! I rate Catherine's lesson 5/5 as they're amazing!"