Finn Pursell, BA(music) Bard College NY, MMus (UNSW), Ph.D (UNSW), AmusA (2010), LmusA (2016).
Finn Pursell is an experienced piano teacher and has taught students in Penrith and the Blue Mountains area for the last eight years. During this time Finn has successfully prepared students for AMEB and Trinity exams with entrants ranging from preliminary level to grade 6 classical. Having obtained both the AmusA and LmusA in first attempts, Finn is well situated to coach students in dealing with the stresses and pressure of examinations. Key to his approach is giving students an opportunity to test out their pieces in a graduated exposure fashion, with students performing at a student concert at the the end of the year in the final phase of instruction. In addition, Finn has done numerous performances including three significant solo all-Bach programs, two of which were live and one done as a live online concert. His coaching philosophy is summed up in the following words:
“If you don’t perform yourself then you are missing out on the experiences that your students are having, and as a consequence will not be well informed on how to prepare them for the most difficult and problematic aspects of making music. Of course one can play well in the comfort of ones own home without any pressure or audience, but as soon as you ramp up the pressure and attach consequences to the performance, things can change dramatically for the worse. This sometimes shocks people and is in fact the most important issue that all students will face when doing music. Therefore, it is important to be performing in some capacity oneself so that one does not forget about all the nuances, tricks, and subtle details that go into pulling off a successful performance. And of course, if you have a performance coming up, then you will work harder and bring your work to a higher level of attainment. This is not possible if your final performance is simply recording your pieces in a studio with no one looking on for example.”
Whether you are interested in taking piano exams or simply want to learn some pieces to play for yourself, Finn will apply all his knowledge and experiences to help you on your way. Call 0417034642, or email at finnpur@aol.com to book a lesson today.
