Hello!
My name is Nia Payne-James and I am a classically trained pianist of 17 years. I have been teaching privately in and around South East London for the past 4 years as well as in two primary schools and a music school based in Nunhead.
Being a keen music enthusiast and having had the opportunity to learn a variety of instruments,?my role as a piano teacher is something I throughly enjoy. In order to best accommodate a range of learning styles, lessons may vary from traditional to more contemporary, creative formats, all of which depend upon what the pupil finds most effective when learning the practical and theoretical elements of music. Taking a committed and dedicated approach, my ultimate goal is to ensure each pupil is provided with the necessary knowledge and tools to progress with the piano whilst simultaneously taking a growing interest and positive, confident attitude towards learning.
I am experienced in teaching children (aged 4+) and adults of varying abilities both face to face and online, and have a DBS as well as safeguarding training. I teach according to the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music (ABRSM) syllabus for graded theory, practical and performance exams.
I am currently teaching both face to face and via Zoom. To mitigate the differences between online and in person tuition, I have adapted online lessons in the following way:
-Providing regular parental reviews
-Sending individualised resources to support live lessons
-Sending tailored recordings to support live lessons
-Offering additional homework tasks (optional) when/if required
Please see below for some parent reviews:
Nia has taught my two sons (7 and 9) for the last 18 months. Since the pandemic, the teaching has taken place via zoom, in which time my eldest son achieved a distinction in grade 1 piano. Nia is a great piano teacher who is very patient and encouraging.
-Luci
Nia has been teaching my 6 year old son, Oliver, for over two years now and we couldn?t be more pleased with his progress. Nia has a fantastic rapport with him and is disciplined without taking the fun out of learning! We had to move to virtual lessons in light of the pandemic and although we had initial reservations that Oliver?s focus may be affected, they were unfounded as he is more engaged than ever. He independently logs on and spends an hour with Nia via an online platform and his progress has not been stunted in any way. We hope to stay with Nia for very many years to come.
-Chloe
Nia is a fantastic piano teacher. She is very engaging, patient and friendly. My children feel relaxed in her presence online as she makes the teaching environment fun, productive and informative. She has gone above and beyond to make sure my children have the same opportunities as those who are able to have face to face lesson by providing regular video's explaining how to play the pieces of music my children have to practice that week. I am also grateful to have her personally think of ways in which she could help support my son who is dyslexic to get the best out of him and his ability to understand how to play and read music.
-Aysher
I have been studying piano with Nia for almost two years and am about to take my Grade 2 ABRSM exam (Theory and Practical). Being an adult learner definitely has its challenges, I'm out of touch with the learning process and I get distracted with work and life. Nia is a very patient and supportive teacher, and is also flexible when I need to move lessons due to work commitments. I'm often hard on myself and hit a wall or two with my practice, however having a weekly lesson with Nia keeps me on track. She's great at preparing me for my exams, but we also have fun learning new pieces from time to time. We focus on playing, scales and other useful exercises as well as reading music, I'm so happy with my progress and I couldn't do it without Nia! I started with 30 minute lessons, but am now up to an hour a week as we can get lot's more done, and now I am a little more experienced I can focus for longer. I also moved away from London a year ago but Nia and I make use of Zoom and it's working very well remotely, which is fantastic as I can't imagine working with a different teacher. Thank you Nia!
-Debbie
NIa has been great in helping me regain/renew/expand on my very basic keyboard skills. We started Zoom lessons during lockdown and I was so encouraged by her teaching style. We connected well despite a few decades in age difference. I am now so much more confident and will continue to expand my piano repertoire!
-Rosalyn
My daughter has really enjoyed being taught by Nia over the last 18 months. Nia has helped her adapt from face to face lessons to zoom lessons, which are going really well. My daughter has made great progress, grown in confidence playing pieces and excelled in her exams! Nia is a thorough and patient teacher, and I wouldn?t hesitate in recommending her!
-Nanette
N?a has been an excellent teacher, and her knowledge of music and ability to inspire are exceptional.?Both my children?s understanding of music has increased through great interactive teaching styles.
-Yves
Nia has been teaching my 9 year old daughter the piano for the past two years. She is a wonderful teacher and has made learning the piano fun and interesting. She is very accommodating of my daughters ideas about the kind of music she would like to play and is always kind and patient. I like the way she includes music theory within the lessons. For the past year the lessons have been online and this has worked very well, in fact much better than I would ever have expected and my daughter has made a lot of progress. I would highly recommend Nia to anyone who wants to learn to play the piano.
-Becky
My daughter (age 7) has been having piano lessons with Nia for a year and a half, starting as a complete beginner. Iyla immediately warmed to Nia and has loved her lessons every since. Nia is patient, kind and thorough in her teaching, as a result Iyla has made great progress in this short amount of time. The quality of the lessons have not changed online, Nia is careful not to move too quickly through pieces, but rather ensure that Iyla is secure and confident in her knowledge and skill. I have highly recommended Nia to friends and would do so again in a heartbeat.
-Babita
My daughter has started online classes with Nia which has been a great way to continue her tuition throughout lockdown. Despite never meeting in person the classes are progressing really well and Nia offers a good balance of theory, tips and practice successfully over Zoom.
-Victoria
Nia is an excellent piano teacher and my daughter really enjoys the lessons. Maggie has learnt through playing standard pieces in her book, along with popular classical pieces such as Bach and Beethoven that Nia chooses for her. Nia also comes up with creative ways to learn the theory, with flash cards and origami fortune tellers to learn key words and notes. Nia has also arranged for my daughter to play in a weekend concert and came along to support her. I whole heartedly recommend Nia as a piano teacher.
-Kate
