Philip Ockelford

Guitarist, Tutor, Performer, Guitar Geek

To give you an idea of how closely identified I am with the guitar, I recently attended a wedding reception as a guest, where, over the course of the evening, a number of people each stared at me. Eventually, they all said the same thing: "I was sure that I knew from somewhere, but I just didn't recognise you without your guitar!". I've been playing since 1994, performing live since 2000, and teaching since 2003. In that time, I've played in a number of bands and duos, performing covers and originals (both other people's songs, and ones I've written). I've done all kinds of gigs, from your typical Friday night pub gig, to large stages and festivals. I've played in a number of different genres - for example, I spent two years in an Elvis Presley band! It wasn't that I was a massive fan, just that I felt it would be good for me to step into a different arena, one that I hadn't previously had much experience of - I felt it would do my playing good, and it did. As for teaching, I started off doing both private tuition and teaching in schools. Since 2003, I have taught in both primary and secondary state schools, prep schools, academies, and associated clubs. I've done one-to-one, small groups, workshops, full-sized classes, as well as organising and running school rock bands. My private tuition has never stopped; I teach for aged five upwards, and have taught students right across the range of ages and abilities. I teach people who want to learn for fun through to those pursuing qualifications, and even those applying to university. When I'm asked the age-old question, "What style do you teach?", I always give the same answer: "Guitar". What I mean by this is that what I teach is driven by what the pupil is interested in, or is drawn to. I try to make it as broad as possible, so that they get to experience and try out different aspects of playing, as there are often possibilities that they are initially unaware of. I like to help people discover the kind of guitarist that they are, or would like to be, as opposed to me telling them how they are going to play. You can find me at www.playyourguitar.co.uk

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