‘Fine tuning’ is my name for the process I have developed in which a performer resonates with the music they are working on, becoming a mirror to the music and moving towards their own personal harmony and equilibrium.
Music or psychology? Germany or England? Initially torn between two subjects and two countries, I found over time that each of the four elements could enrich one another. Through self-exploration in creating music I experienced a synthesis of music and psychology which I find immensely beneficial, and now my aim is to nurture that synthesis in others.
An alteration of perspective can change everything. For me, learning German by being immersed in a German speaking environment felt as if something familiar (ie my day-to-day language) was being re-created and re-defined with a meaning that was different and yet the same. Having two cultural backgrounds co-existing within me strengthened my sense that any perception or evaluation is just one of many possible ways of looking at something.
Teaching music students and highly motivated amateurs over the last 25 years has clarified for me how the skills of artistic expression, personal maturation and self-discovery are inter-related and grow together. In every encounter with a new learner my main focus is on sensing what the notion of ‘fine tuning’ might entail for them, and how I can best support their development. Since people are so endlessly diverse, I trust in the idea of us embarking on a journey of discovery by exploring and listening creatively together – a journey which is likely to surprise us many times as it unfolds. The process of growth emerges through dialogue and through practising and exploring; the player’s body and its inner response to the music are the ultimate teacher and guide.