Areas of Historical Expertise
1. Europe in The Long Nineteenth Century
– The Music, Politics and Culture of France and Germany in The Long Nineteenth Century (1776–1914)
2. Medieval and Early Modern History
– The Political, Economic and Military History of Anglo-Saxon England 827–1066
– The Norman Conquest and The Plantagenets 1066–1216
– Tudor History (1509–1603), The Stuarts (1603–1649), The English Civil War (1642–1649), The Commonwealth (1649–1659), and The Restoration of Charles II (1660–1685)
– The Crusades (1095–1204)
3. Ancient History and Classical History
A. Roman History
– Republican Rome from the First Punic War to Caesar's Crossing of the Rubicon 264 BC – 49 BC
– Caesar's Civil War, The Second Triumvirate, and The Second Roman Civil War 49 BC – 29 BC
B. Ancient Greece and Classical Philosophy
– The Homeric World
– The Persian Wars 499–449 BC
– The Pelopponesian War 431–404 BC
– Thucydides
– Pre-Socratic Philosophy (Thales, Heraclitus, Parmenides, and so on)
– Plato
– Aristotle
– Ancient Greek Stoicism
– Epicureanism
– Skepticism
– Democritus and the Classical Metaphysics of Atomism
– Ethics, Metaphysics, Epistemology and Ontology in Ancient and Classical Greece
– Sophocles and Classical Tragedy
4. Methods of Historical Research
– Methods of Primary Source Analysis
– Secondary Source Analysis
– Techniques and Strategies of Exegesis
– Techniques of Cultural History
– Ethnography
– Sociological and Anthropological Methods
– Qualitative and Quantitative Research
– Score Studies and Techniques of Music Historiography
– Numismatics
– Military Strategy and War Studies
5. Philosophies of History and Historiography
– Positivism
– The New Historicism
– The New Materialism
– Marxist Historiography
– Actor Network Theory
– The History of Technology
– Critical Theory
– Philosophies of History
Ability of Students
– Academic level: Beginner through to GCSE, A-Level, and Undergraduate students in Music, History, and Philosophy
Approach to Teaching
– I favour a structured approach to teaching. I devise lesson plans in advance of every lesson, catered to the student's specific needs.
– Academic lessons tend to be structured around specific sections of the syllabus, or particular topics that students require help with.
– I employ a seminar style format. I flesh out ideas with the aid of quotations, other audio-visual resources, and analytical commentary which my students can use to develop essays, essay plans, revision tools, and exam revision packs.
– I use Powerpoint to provide students with a variety of resources and visual stimuli.
– I structure my lesson plans with a view to providing short points of rest or temporary closure, in which students are able to ask questions about the content. I am also happy for students to interrupt the flow of the lesson if a burning question arises.
Lesson Structure
– Academic lessons tend to be 45–60 minutes in length, but I can adapt my teaching schedule to provide students with additional support if needed.
Academic Credentials
– I am studying for a PhD in Music at the University of Cambridge.
– I hold an MPhil in Music from the University of Cambridge, where I specialised in Historical Musicology and Musical Aesthetics.
– I have a first-class music degree (74.4%) from the University of Manchester, where I won three Hargreaves Prizes for Academic Achievement. I studied violin with Julia Hanson (formerly of the RNCM) and Sophie Rosa (soloist, former teacher at the RNCM and Cheethams School of Music).
– I hold a distinction (92%) for an ATCL Diploma in Violin Performance.
Professional Credentials
1. Teaching
– I have over a year's experience working as a freelance academic tutor with many different organisations and online education platforms.
– I have worked as an Assistant Music Teacher, which involved teaching Music A-Level students.
– I have worked as a Violin Teacher for 8 years (since I was 17). I have taught a variety of students, from beginners starting their instrumental training, to more advanced performers looking to improve their technical facility and performance skills.
2. Violinist, Recording Musician
– I have an extensive portfolio of performing credits on documentary films. Recent highlights include the BAFTA-nominated score for the BBC docuseries on Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein 'House of Maxwell' (BBC2, 2022), and 'Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In' (Netflix) (Passion Pictures / Universal Pictures) (2021).
– I have extensive experience as an orchestral musician and chamber music performer. I led the University of Cambridge Experimental Music Ensemble (CUEME) when I was studying for my masters degree at the University of Cambridge. I also led the University of Manchester Chamber Orchestra in the second year of my undergraduate degree at the University of Manchester, and premiered a good deal of new music with The Eskandari String Quartet.
– I have performed at the West Road Concert Hall (University of Cambridge), the Lee Tseng Hall (Wolfson College Cambridge), Buxton International Festival, Manchester International Festival, and the Bridgewater Hall.