About Thomas
Thomas is a dedicated piano and voice teacher offering lessons to students from age 6 to adults. Specializing in piano and voice, he is available for online and in-home lessons. Thomas holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Western University and a Bachelor of Music from McMaster University. He has garnered several awards and distinctions, including the Canada Graduate Scholarship and the Ken Fleet Choral Conducting Scholarship. Beyond his extensive educational background, Thomas has a unique teaching philosophy that emphasizes the athletic aspect of playing an instrument or singing, focusing on engaging the body through physical and breathing warm-ups. He believes in creating a comfortable learning environment where students can explore and take risks. Thomas is fluent in English and offers lessons in music theory, ear training, music history, and more. Whether you're looking for in-home lessons in London or St. Thomas, ON, or prefer the convenience of online instruction, Thomas is ready to help you achieve your musical goals.
BOOK AN INTERVIEW WITH THOMAS NOW
If you can move, you can play an instrument. If you can speak, you can sing - this is something I have been promoting for years and believe in it wholeheartedly. The act of singing or playing an instrument is athletic and it takes training and commitment to succeed and it is my job as a teacher to help students understand that and bring out the best in them. I always begin with physical and breathing warm ups to engage the body before instrument/voice work. It is important to get in the proper headspace and engage the body as singing and playing an instrument is a full body exercise. It is important that students learn in a comfortable space where they can feel brave enough to be themselves and take risks and experiment.
Name: Thomas (Full name will be provided upon registration)
Age: 30's
Gender: male
I have a MMus in Choral Conducting from Western University and a BMus from McMaster University where I studied piano and choral conducting. I have studied piano and voice for many years and have studied vocal pedagogy in my Master's degree. I studied piano at the University of Toronto with Mia Bach and at McMaster with Leon Karan. I have been conducting children's and adults choirs since 2018 where I use my piano skills and vocal pedagogy skills daily. I have experience working at music festivals both Canadian and internationally, having recently participated in Europa Cantat Junior in Belgium in July 2023. This summer I will be doing workshops with the Nairobi Chamber Chorus and the University of Pretoria Camerata. I am currently the Artistic Director of the Woodstock Choralaires, Associate Conductor of the Grand Philharmonic Choir and Conductor of the Grand Philharmonic Youth and Children's Choirs.
- Canada Graduate Scholarship - Ontario Graduate Scholarship - Ken Fleet Choral Conducting Scholarship - Deral Johnson Choral Conducting Award
- Kodaly Level 1 Certification - Europa Cantat Junior 2023 - Workshops with Nairobi Chamber Chorus and "TUKS" Camerata - TEFL Certification
English
Rates and Studio Policies
Registration Fee: $25.00 (One-time lifetime registration fee may be used by all family members)
Rates for instruction:
30 minute private lesson: $39.00
45 minute private lesson: $49.00
60 minute private lesson: $59.00
Travel charge: additional $15.00 per visit (for lessons in a client's home as opposed to my studio)
1. Cancellation Policy
Lessons not cancelled or rescheduled with at least 24 hours notice are billable to the client and payable to the teacher. This does not of course apply to travel fees unless the notice is effectively given at the door and the teacher has travelled to the location.
2. Cessation (quitting) Policy
A client must provide a 2 lesson notice period to stop lessons. So a weekly student needs to give 2 weeks of notice, a biweekly student works out to 3 weeks notice and a twice weekly student works out to a week of notice.
3. Illness Policy
Lessons cancelled due to illness or extraordinary circumstances with less than 24 hours notice remain billable to the client and payable to the teacher.
BAH teachers are encouraged to offer a make-up lesson at a future date in the interest of client relations and general goodwill. This only makes sense as teaching a student with the flu for example, will ruin the rest of your week's employment.
No more than 2 lessons may be made up due to illness within a 60 day period.
4. Rescheduling Policy
Any lesson can be cancelled or rescheduled with at least 24 hours notice.
Summer Vacation and Extended Absence Policy
Clients may schedule longer absences for trips etc. 24 hours notice is required.
It is normal and typical for students and about 20% of our teachers to schedule a break in the summer. We do not enforce a notice period (see cessation of lessons) at the end of a long summer break.
5. Evaluation Period
There are no free trial lessons with Beethoven at Home but we do offer a 2 lesson evaluation period where it is easy to try out a teacher. There are no free lessons during the evaluation period and clients may choose to discontinue the lessons at any time by providing the required 24 hours notice. After the student's 3rd lesson the required 2 lesson notice period will apply (see cessation of lessons above).
Lessons in your home
Thomas is available to teach in your home if you are located in the following areas
Online lessons
Thomas can provide online instruction. While other platforms are possible BAH strongly recommends the use of the Zoom video conferencing platform as it is optimized for music lessons and audio quality.