Matthew Kendell

About me:

My name is Matthew Kendell and I am a Viola and Violin player originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland. I completed my Undergraduate studies at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where I attained a upper second class honours degree. I am now embarking on a Master’s course at the University of Sheffield where I will be studying Psychology of Music part-time.

I have worked with some of the world’s leading conductors and soloists playing in Venues across the UK and abroad, including Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall, Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall and KKL Lucerne.

Teaching Method:

I am a firm believer in positive reinforcement. As a teacher I expect a lot from all of my students, whilst also allowing them to discover their own musical talents through dedication to individual practice at home.

I believe music exams are an important stepping stone to developing your musical abilities. With this in mind, I am keen to prepare my students for ABRSM or Trinity Exams, but if you are just wanting to learn for fun I will tailor my lessons to suit your needs, because at the end of the day musical learning is such a personal journey!

My lessons range from 30 minutes to 1 hour (depending on level). I follow a structured approach of important technical work (scales and studies) as well as learning repertoire and preparing for performing (mindset techniques). I truly believe everybody has a musical talent, and through working with me as your teacher/mentor, we can have a lot of fun learning the Violin/Viola whilst also finding ways to positively improve your abilities week-on-week

Teaching Experience:

Violin Teacher, The Strings Club in Angel, Islington (September 2017- September 2019)
Upper String Tutor, Camden Music Service (September 2019 – July 2020)
Viola Tutor, City of Belfast School of Music (Deputy)
Violin and Viola teacher, Private tuition (September 2016 – present)
Violin and Viola Masterclass, Queen’s University Belfast (October 2019)