Sandie Barker BMus Hons ARCM PGCE
Contact details for Sandie are on the Promenade Music School Page.
Teaches Piano, Keyboard, Organ, Clarinet, Theory
For fun or exams
Sandie was born and brought up in Bradford where she learnt piano, organ, clarinet and theory. She has achieved ABRSM Grade 8 in 4 subjects, including 3 distinctions and the Irene Martin, Bradford prize for the highest mark in Grade 8 piano 1980/1981.
Spurred on by her success in these and various music competitions, she decided to further her musical education at Lancaster University where she majored in Piano Performance and supplemented her student grant with one to one piano and clarinet tuition. She so much enjoyed teaching that she decided to make it her career, going on to achieve her Postgraduate Certificate in Education at Bretton Hall CHE, Wakefield, and her ARCM (Associate of the Royal College of Music) Piano Teacher’s Diploma which she took at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Sandie has worked as a classroom teacher in several local secondary schools as diverse as Morecambe High School, Lancaster Royal Grammar School and Wennington Hall, where she built up from scratch, a thriving music department for teenage boys struggling with academic, emotional and behavioural development. She is a strong advocate of the therapeutic value of music. She has also worked at Central Lancaster High School as a peripatetic instrumental teacher since 2005, teaching piano, keyboard, woodwind, brass and theory and helping many students to achieve recognised musical qualifications including Piano LCM Leisure Play exams, ABRSM Music Medals in electronic keyboard and ABRSM Grade 5 Theory.
In addition to school teaching, Sandie has continued to work as a freelance musician. Her wide experience includes: exam, and recital accompanist, show repetiteur, published and recorded composer, establishing and building up a very popular local preschool music group, teaching organ for Yamaha, founding and leading ‘Northern Lights’ ceilidh band, she has accrued 20+ years as a church organist and choir director and plays euphonium in Morecambe Brass Band. As a keen singer she has sung in the premiere of James MacMillan’s Miserere at a Prom Concert and she sings and accompanies the west gallery choir, ‘Gladly Solemn Sound’. She has been very privileged to share her considerable teaching experience and methods with teachers who have been starting up their own private teaching business and she has coached non- music- specialist primary school teachers.
Sandie’s music teaching ethos is primarily to make lessons fun and to build a happy and friendly working relationship with students. She listens carefully and encourages students to discuss the music being learnt and the challenges it poses. She tries to adopt an integrated approach whereby improvisation, memorisation, composing, wider listening, aural and musicianship skills, theoretical aspects and historical contexts, duet and ensemble playing, evolve naturally from the study of a piece of music. If students wish to prepare for exams she is happy to coach them at the level most suited to their interest and stage of development, from Prep Tests for beginners, though Music Medals, Grades 1-8 in classical and leisure play styles and Diplomas. In the most recent examination session, 100% of her pupils achieved a distinction in theory and practical exams. She has a lot of experience in supporting A’ Level and GCSE candidates with all aspects of their course. A 2019 GCSE candidate recently wrote; “Thank you so much for your hard work and for helping me achieve something I never thought I could. I have had a wonderful time working with you and thanks to you, my grade will surely be better than I expected “
In 2017, following a very happy time working as a teacher at Promenade Music in the nineties, Sandie was delighted to be invited to return as piano and keyboard teacher in readiness for the launch of Promenade Music’s new Music School. Without hesitation and with great pleasure she accepted and has gone on to build a large and thriving community of students and their families. She is privileged to have the opportunity to share her passion for music with so many wonderful people and to be a member of the Promenade Music family.