Stefan Knapik

I studied the cello with David Smith and Lionel Handy at the Royal Academy of Music, where I also gained the Academy's licence to teach (L(RAM)).

In 2010 and 2011 I internationally toured contemporary dance pieces by renowned choreographers Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Gregory Maqoma. For this I improvised and composed the live music, collaborating with 3 Indian Classical Musicians.

I completed my PhD at Magdalen College, Oxford, and have taught several subjects within musicology to Oxford undergraduates.

I gained my BMus and Masters (in historical musicology) from King's College, London.

I have given around 2,500 hours of tuition over the past nine years. I have taught in several primary and secondary schools across London, and privately. I am skilled at teaching both children and adults and have taught a wide age range, from 4 to 64!

What I uniquely offer over other classically trained performers are strong improvisatory abilities - because of my training in composition and my work with dancers and word musicians, I am very good at developing musical material with pupils by ear - so, for example, working with chord sequences, with a jazz riff, or with an Indian raag. Many of my pupils have found this fun and therapeutic.

Many of my lower ability students, particularly my piano pupils, have enjoyed working out pop songs they know, on the piano, and adding chords underneath.