Music Tutors

Lamp House Music is a fun, safe and creative environment for pupils to explore the wonderful world of music!

Tutors who work out of Lamp House Music must be professional, qualified, contemporary, patient, passionate and enthusiastic.

We value each pupil as an individual, tutors will consider and nurture each pupil’s ability, ambitions, personality, learning style and musical tastes.

Should a pupil wish to take gradings or sit music exams, our music tutors are happy to provide support.

All Tutors teaching at Lamp House Music are PVG Certified.

Natasha

Cello/Piano/Chamber Music/Early Musicianship

Natasha is a professional cellist with diplomas from the Royal College of Music and the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, Hungary.

Having spent the past fifteen years as a full time member of a symphonic orchestra, Natasha’s wish is to give back and provide the necessary tools and set-up for anyone wishing to take their instrumental and musical skills to the next level!

Natasha founded the Szervanszky String Quartet over 10 years ago with her partner Mishi – they both feel that chamber music – playing music with friends can be one of the most rewarding and inspirational aspects of learning an instrument. They would like everyone to enjoy this side of performing too!

Over the span of her career, Natasha has very much enjoyed teaching pupils of all ages. She has taught not only private cello pupils but has also spent a few years teaching Early Musicianship Classes at the Colour Strings Music School in North London. These classes proved to be very inspiring as they lay the foundations for a much easier transition to instrumental learning for very young pupils.

Mishi

Violin/Viola/Chamber Music

Mishi is a professional violinist whose education has taken him from Ukraine to Hungary and to the UK. He has over 15 years of experience both as an orchestral musician and as a private teacher.

Mishi enjoys seeing his pupils thrive on good foundations of technique which leads to freedom of expression on their instrument and being able to play harder pieces to reach whatever goals they have – be it playing ther favourite piece or taking an exam, to going for an orchestral audition!

Mishi is also a founding member of the Szervanszky String Quartet – an endeavour that has brought chamber music very close to his heart.

Erin

Guitar/Bass Guitar/Ukulele/Bandjam

Erin is a Napier University graduate with a BA (Hons) in Popular Music, specialising in guitar performance, composition and music technology. Ever since moving to Edinburgh in 2017, Erin has been very much involved in the local music scene playing regular gigs with bands and artists including ‘Shorthouse’ and ‘Katie Gregson-Macleod’, as well as wedding/function band ‘Juniper’.

Erin has experience teaching music to all ages, working privately and in summer camps throughout her career as a musician. She is excited about sharing her music passion with others and experiencing the joy it brings them. Erin teaches a wide range of genres as well as composition/songwriting, and is familiar with the SQA music curriculum.

Liga

Singing/Vocals/Piano

Liga is a vocalist, songwriter and vocal educator from Latvia. Graduated Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music BMus in Jazz Vocal performance and MMus in Vocal performance. During her MMus studies from 2021-2022 as an ERASMUS+ student she studied at King’s College in London. Her musical path has started with choir and deep love with classical music. She has graduated college with qualification as choir conductor, choir singer. Also she is project manager for one of the main jazz vocal and improvisation masterclass festivals in Europe. Her love for various music genres has contributed tremendous influence to her knowledge of how to use the voice as an instrument and create your own sound.

Liga also teaches piano on a regular basis and is very passionate about teaching. She always strives for quality, musicality and creativity in her classes.

Jordan

Vocals/Songwriting

Jordan Phillips is a Scottish vocalist and voice tutor. She is a graduate of Edinburgh Napier University, where she specialised in voice on the Popular Music course and attained a first class honours degree.

Jordan regularly performs in venues across Scotland with the function band Juniper. In addition to this, she writes, performs, and produces her own indie folk influenced music. These experiences have allowed Jordan to develop her own professional practice, but have also inspired her to help build other voices, by encouraging healthy technique and promoting musicianship.

Jordan’s lessons focus on creating a safe space to make informed creative choices. She is passionate about facilitating self-expression and is looking forward to working with singers to get the best out of their instruments, and realise their own musical intentions.

Luis

Drums/Snare Drum (pipe band)/Percussion

Luis Jarmson is a drummer from Edinburgh who has a large amount of experience in the music industry, from playing at the O2 Academy in Edinburgh to touring the UK with multiple bands. He attained a Bachelor of Music with Honours at First-Class level from Kingston University with 2 commendations.

Luis started out as a percussionist, spending a lot of time playing each instrument in the family of orchestras, silver bands, percussion groups and others. This has allowed him to learn how each part of the drum kit works in isolation. Because of this, special care is taken in small details like drum placement and which muscle groups can be used in which situations.

Luis has has spent six years teaching a variety of students. He has taught those who want to learn only for fun and worked toward exams with others. The focus in these lessons for Luis is the enjoyment of learning a new skill. He has taught different styles and individual parts of the drum kit like the orchestral snare drum.

Luis currently plays with many groups such as The Kennedy’s Project, Joshua Grant, Midnight Circus (a function band) and is very much looking forward to sharing his knowledge with his pupils at Lamp House!

Becky

Piano/Cello

Becky Crichton has a B.Ed. (Hons) in Music from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, an MA in Music from the Open University, and a DipLCM in Piano Accompaniment. She previously taught classroom music in Scottish secondary schools, and spent three years in Mongolia teaching pre-school, primary, and secondary music at the British School of Ulaanbaatar. She is now a private and peripatetic teacher of the piano, cello, and drum kit, and is an examiner for Trinity College London. She loves working with choirs, and with youth theatres to MD musicals. She also plays with Glasgow-based singer-songwriter Sara Rae, and is happiest in the pit playing the cello for a show. And when she is not doing any of that, she can normally be found training for her next triathlon!

Becky has experience working with all ages and takes a supportive and encouraging approach to instrumental teaching. She has worked with many students looking to sit N5-AH, GCSE, ABRSM, and/or TCL exams, but especially enjoys encouraging students to explore other contexts for their musicianship, such as piano accompaniment, ensemble playing, learning about chords, and singing and playing.

Pete

Guitar/Bass Guitar/Songwriting

Pete Wall is a professional guitarist, bassist and songwriter based in Edinburgh. Though he primarily focuses on these, he is also familiar with piano, vocals, mandolin and production.

Pete has been gigging, writing and releasing music for over 10 years, in styles ranging from folk, through indie and rock, to big-band funk. He currently works with wedding/function band The Amber Lights, for which he creates 3-piece brass arrangements and funk re-workings of popular songs. The band enjoys regular slots at Stramash, Bbar and Finnegans, as well as regular gigs in Aberdeen and Perth. He also performs in a covers duo, The Fables, playing regularly in Edinburgh.

Pete also has extensive experience playing within musical theatre including as part of a five-star, sold-out run of American Idiot during the 2018 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He has also completed an undergraduate degree in Popular Music from Edinburgh Napier University, before getting his Masters in Music from the same institution, with a focus on songwriting.

Pete has been teaching guitar privately since 2017, as well as with DC Music Lessons in Edinburgh. He tailors his lessons specifically to the aspirations of the student, creating a supportive environment which encourages students to study music in a way that they find engaging.

Heather

Guitar/Group Guitar

Heather is a guitarist from Edinburgh, graduating from Edinburgh Napier University with a first class honours degree in Popular Music. Her experience ranges from function and creative work, to guitar tuition and childrens’ band workshops.

Heather has worked with students of various ages as a guitar counsellor in upstate New York, teaching lessons in guitar, songwriting and band performance. Heather is equally at home performing on stage as she is behind the scenes coaching and nurturing the skills of young musicians.

She looks forward to sharing her experience and passion for music with her students!

Kieran

Guitar/Group Guitar

Kieran McCrossan is a classical guitarist based in Edinburgh and is a recent graduate from Edinburgh Napier University with a BMus(Hons) degree. During his time at Napier, Kieran studied under one of Scotland’s foremost classical guitarists and composers, Simon Thacker. With a major interest in contemporary music, Kieran is currently working with established Scottish composers who are writing new solo and chamber works for him. While being an active soloist, Kieran is also part of the Bruadar Duo with flautist Lynn Fraser. Together they have played multiple concert tours of Scotland, playing in some of the most beautiful venues in the country.

Kieran enjoys teaching very much and likes to construct lessons for each student in complement their individual learning styles, abilities, goals and creative exploration in an atmosphere of joyful music-making that is fun for everyone!

Robbie

Drums/Music Theory/Bandjam

Robbie is a drummer with almost twenty years of experience playing and performing in bands since the age of 14. He also has a combined total of five years spent studying Music Performance, Music Theory and Music Technology. He has achieved two HNC qualifications in Music, and continues to work on growing as a musician. This passion has granted him a wealth of experience and knowledge on many different drum styles and music genres. While studying at Edinburgh College, Robbie studied the Rock School Curriculum of Graded Drum Kit songs, and has some experience with the Trinity Music School Curriculum also.

Although primarily a drummer, Robbie’s passion for music has driven him to pick up playing the guitar, bass guitar and performing vocals on his own personal projects in his spare time, recording original music through his home studio.

For the past four years, Robbie has also played professionally in a popular wedding and function band called “The Guilty Pleasures”, focusing on classic feel good songs from primarily the 80’s and 90’s, although there is a mix of modern and older songs thrown in as well. Performing with The Guilty Pleasures has allowed for a great knowledge of performance skills, groove and feel, and most importantly, how to get a crowd dancing! It was this experience in performing with a band that inspired Robbie to want to pass on his knowledge and skills through tutoring.

Donald

Piano

Donald graduated as a pianist from the RSAMD (now known as the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) in 1989 with a B.A. Music Performance and since then has built a career covering many areas of the music industry.
He has taught the piano privately and in schools for over 30 years, in addition to his successful career as a music editor and typesetter. Donald now works as a freelance music editor and typesetter, producing scores for many of the UK’s top publishers, accompanies two choirs in Dalkeith and Edinburgh, and has composed several books of celtic piano music, choral and instrumental music.

Donald’s approach to teaching is led by each student’s taste and although primarily a classically-orientated teacher, Donald enjoys introducing contemporary styles such as jazz and pop into lessons to keep things fresh and interesting, whilst always focussing on correctly developing a pupil’s technique.

Ben

Piano

Ben is currently in his final year of his Music Degree at Edinburgh Napier University. He is very much looking forward to teaching his own class of students as this is his passion and something that he has worked towards throughout his studies and musical career.

Having spent quite some time working with school children on introducing them to the basics of playing, Benjamin will be able to build on this and incorporate his experience into building a long-term piano class at Lamp House.

Dylan

Saxophone/Clarinet/Flute/Piano

Dylan Hooper is a composer and musician, mainly focused on saxophone and woodwind instruments. He holds a Bachelor of Music from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, and has performed and taught professionally for almost twenty years, across a wide variety of styles.

He believes that anyone has the capability to learn an instrument, and is excited to help both new and older students with their journeys to musical enjoyment. Originally from Western Australia, Dylan relocated to Edinburgh in 2023 and is very keen to start sharing his knowledge with his Lamp House pupils!

Ian

Piano/Percussion

Ian Munro BMus(hons) MMus, is active as a pianist, organist, percussionist, conductor and arranger. He has taught for many years and also finds time to conduct and accompany rehearsals for amateur orchestras and choirs on many occasions.

Ian is Musical Director of the Kilmarnock and District Choral Union, the Pentland Singers and Traquair Choir. He is also Organist & Choirmaster at St. Machar’s Ranfurly Church in Bridge of Weir where he enjoys playing for Sunday worship as well as directing both the Church Choir and Junior Choir. Ian is on the instrumental staff at St. Aloysius’ College in Glasgow.

Ian looks forward to passing on his knowledge to his pupils and help them to progress with their musical journey!

Vanessa

Piano/Music Therapy

Vanessa, originally from Macau, is currently in her final year of her Master’s Degree in Music Therapy at Queen Margaret University. With a musical journey that began at the age of 5 when she first started playing the piano, Vanessa has cultivated a deep passion for music. As a piano teacher, Vanessa is committed to sharing the joy of music-making through her teaching. She envisions and cultivates a learning environment characterised by warmth, encouragement, creativity, playfulness, and unwavering support. Her teaching revolves around empowering students to explore and develop their musical talents, helping them reach their highest potential. Vanessa believes that music creates a unique space for individuals to express themselves.