My father was a railway signalman and as a teenager I was all set to pursue a railway career. I believe my success as a musician and music tutor can at least in part be attributed to my early professional experience and development on the railway – click here to view.

I began my music career in my late teenage years as a performing musician for concerts, wedding receptions, licensed restaurants etc. I later commenced the teaching of music and began a private music teaching practice in Rotherham which now contains both adults and young people learning the piano or singing.

There can be few occupations more rewarding than the teaching of music privately. There is a distinct reward and gratification that comes from watching your students fulfil their potential. Very often singing and playing the piano with musicality and correct technique can overcome lack of belief in oneself and unlock a personality. It can help to give a person strength and joy that in turn helps to overcome any shyness they may have. I always encourage students to sing or play in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere where they can have fun whilst learning. My lessons, however, are meaningful music sessions and not therapy per se. I am not a qualified counsellor or music therapist.

I use my own singing and pianistic skills to get the best out of the voice stood in front of me or the pianist sat at the side of me whilst not encouraging emulation but development of individualism. I understand the fear of ‘getting it wrong' and often will use humour and different styles of music to help find the answer to unlock the voice or the piano technique I am working with.

Many students of all ages cite a lack of confidence as a very real problem, sometimes putting off taking music lessons for years as a result. Most young adults, to coin a word from modern parlance, are ‘streetwise’; however, many lack personal and/or intellectual confidence. The fear of some kind of failure can resonate which unless addressed may stop them fulfilling their true potential. My teaching practice aims to give students a positive musical role model and teaches confidence through music. Encouraging results are always achieved, as indicated in the student testimonials to be found at the foot of the ‘Piano’, ‘Singing’, ‘Standards’ and ‘Teaching’ pages of this website.

I believe very much in encouraging everybody to sing or play, as I feel the benefits it brings are widespread into many areas of existence. Nothing gives a tutor greater pleasure than to see a student grow through their musical studies.

This growth can be achieved by helping students to enhance their understanding of the nature of music and apply this to their music-making, thus achieving a greater shared understanding of music and its journey of progression through rich musical encounters which support and sustain a student's developing relationship with music and musical knowledge and vocabulary.

I do not indulge myself in teaching singing or piano on a purely superficial intellectual level favoured by many teachers. Instead, I always try to communicate the emotional raison d'etre of the song or piece in question by feeling the harmonies and structure within the music and pursuing these aspects fully, together with a technical understanding of how the music is put together and the importance of the focus of the notes on the page and the musical understanding of them. I always encourage students to study and feel intuitively the expression of music which should include the subtle underlying emotions inherent in a piece of music or musical phrase, vocal or pianistic. Music is a transient art, not a standardized product.

A student's motivation to learn can be increased by the triggering of a positive emotional response to the relevancy of music they like, a kind of musical catharsis, giving rise to a musical self-awareness with valuable and rewarding human endeavour which in turn inspires and motivates further achievement and success in music studies with stronger levels of belief of ability which, for the student, ensure persistence and progress, with learning always deemed to being fun – even for exams! Encouraging students to take ownership of their singing/playing whilst being able to accept guidance in a positive way and creating the right structure for students to go forward and solve musical problems is important for student growth. Learning, understanding and appreciating music can certainly help to build not only confidence but also self-esteem which is thankfully not the same thing as ‘ego'. Furthermore, self-belief enables the student to access and make use of all their inner resources and to discover the freedom of ‘letting go' through the realization and experience of real musical achievement.

I am not judgmental about anybody's differences, but help each student to develop whatever musical potential they may have. I cannot give musical expression in singing or piano playing, but I can give the tools to achieve it by not ‘suspending students from some kind of great height of perfection', but ‘floating' them above a very solid basis – a bit like dancing on a good strong floor – it generates and encourages freedom. This, together with the student's enjoyment of their own success and ongoing achievement whatever the level, be it Grade 1 or Grade 8 and beyond, should be facilitated with a process that is absorbing, engaging, enriching, and with encouragement of real personal and musical growth.

I am passionate and enthusiastic about wanting to help the student discover for themselves how wonderful music is and to assist them to achieve their best and to help them to realise that music is worth it by igniting and sustaining their passion, enabling them to channel their communicability through music.

I constantly try to expand the horizons of students by stretching them beyond their perceived technical limitations by guiding them towards a profound understanding of music and encouraging each student to find their own musicality, for instance by asking a student to practise a particular phrase in a manner that enhances musicality, for example, to imagine a vocal line being sung with breathing points when a pianist plays a piece on the piano, or when a singer is performing, to imagine an orchestra playing with many different instruments in order to encourage beautiful musical colours in the tone of the voice and to perform long notes with full dynamic ranges etc. When training the voice, I cannot see what is going off, I can only listen, but no two students will ever sound the same.

I constantly challenge students on interpretive insights and how particular songs and pieces might sound. It helps to achieve this by enjoying and thinking of the music – and ultimately, whatever level of ability, to ensure the student's technique is sufficient to be able to forget it and focus on communicating the emotional content of the music, giving a musical performance – even if it is not totally accurate technically, as no performance is ever perfect. But you do have to be true to the music and believe in your own capability, your own beautiful tone and above all, your sense of individuality whatever level you have achieved – foundation musician or professional musician. A deeply understood performance is music per se. There are plenty of student and professional musicians who can sing or play all the notes, but to become a great performer on whatever level, you have to produce an interesting, individual and beautiful tone whether singing or playing the piano and, with a sense of individuality. Moreover, that the sound of a piece of music, whether sung or played, is in keeping with its mood and message in terms of providing variety and satisfying contrast. Beauty of sound is required in music performance, but often strikingly different sounds are also required and should be communicated as and when appropriate.

A student's technique, whether vocal or pianistic, can come musically alive by always being related to the music. There is no technique without the student knowing why they are learning to do a specific thing for a specific piece of music. Moreover, the student is encouraged to allow the music to come through them, without them getting in their own way with unwanted distractions - so eliminating any technical difficulties will allow the music to flow with a concentration and focus on performance and interpretation. Most mistakes are caused by singing or playing at a speed at which security has not been obtained. The student can help to avoid this kind of derailment by thorough learning and slow practice. A student's technique should ideally develop the freedom to listen as they sing or play and to be relaxed as they perform. To equip with the essential tools for this, the student is taught to sing or play phrases which give music meaning, using for example, where appropriate, ‘question’ and ‘answer’ ideas, various dynamics, incorporating build-ups to musically climatic points, and for repeated sections and sequences the useful maxim is applicable: ‘if you say something twice, make the second time different.’ All this helps to guard against students reading music from note to note or bar to bar and also helps student musicians to explore and express their own personality by hearing music as emotions expressed through colour and sound with a realisation of the endless possibilities of music’s subtle nuances whilst not losing an intellectual grasp of the wider picture and structure of the piece of music and also not losing sight of the composer’s thoughts in terms of what they are trying to achieve and how they are doing it and how we can best represent that in our own singing or playing. Music is not fixed in some way: performers can contribute remarkably to what is heard. For instance, to sing or play through musically climatic points of intensity – build-ups of the music's inherent energy, so they can be heard as part of a natural musical line with proper intrinsic shape, always being aware of how any listeners may understand such adjustments of colour and meaning to the sound, or what their expectations might be together with consideration as to whether the interpretation is faithful to the composer's assumed intentions of expression, character, atmosphere and musical meaning. Both vocal and piano music have strong forward propulsion and therefore students are guided to avoid a sing/play through approach where problems are ignored with the belief that it will be better next time – the so-called hoped-for end result. Students are encouraged to analyse difficulties focusing on short sections so that a fault is caught early on and does not become ingrained or entrenched. Students are encouraged in learning how to learn and that real practicing should engage both the emotions and the intellect.

I always encourage students to look ‘inside' the music to understand the meaning, and to look at what composers have to say about their own music, their attitude to the music and what was actually meant when they wrote it. Music can be full of ambiguity, of many emotions, of humour etc., but at the same time it requires thought and restraint, and the balance – not always easy to achieve – gives rise to beauty in terms of subtle vocal cord movements/pianistic touches and resultant sounds. In teaching and performing, there is no absolute definitive guide for how to sing or play a musical phrase: you simply have to ‘feel' it, not just musically per se, but also with specific regard to communication, imagination, posture, projection and characterisation. It is these qualities that will help to develop the potential of students, leaving a lasting legacy and a lifetime of enjoyment and satisfaction in their musical lives. However, such details can only be considered within the context of the overall meaning and emotion embedded within the music and in turn within the context of the overall structure and outline of the song or piece of music being performed.

Gaining progress in musicality, artistry and technical grasp, for the student, arises from striving to be convincing, consistent, and with a focus and commitment in both preparation and performance with everything sung or played musically phrased with differing shapes and meaningful contours but always with linkage to the next musical phrase in order to yield an expressive power and ultimately to realise personal development, potential and confidence.

For anyone who wishes to learn music, you are very welcome to attend for an introductory lesson and sample the enjoyment and freedom that music can give to you.

I wish you all the very best in your individual and collective journeys in this great subject we all share – music.

Dr Michael Spacie (Music Tutor)

Learning to play the piano is something that I have always wanted to do. I started to realise what an opportunity I would miss if I never took it up. I finally stopped just thinking about it and started looking for piano teachers in the Rotherham area. I came across Dr Michael Spacie's advert in the Yellow Pages, and a phone call later I was booked in for my first introductory lesson. I thoroughly enjoy playing the piano as well as singing. Selina Saville (Manager and Administrator) When I was considering approaching a singing tutor and taking singing lessons – that alone was unnerving. I have never sung seriously in front of anyone other than very close family. I think we all like singing at one time or another whether it is in the shower, whilst in the car, or while cleaning the house, and so many of my friends and family love playing on singing games. However, within my circle of friends and family, singing lessons were not something you would go and do just because you could sing a tune in the shower. Naturally hearing family and friends tell me I was good at singing and should consider taking lessons was surprising and almost certainly would take me out of my comfort zone. Taking lessons would mean that I was no longer just singing along to a song but actually learning about my voice and developing it. From the initial phone conversation with Michael he made me feel comfortable with my reasons for wanting to take singing lessons and explained in great depth what would happen within the first introductory lesson, and how this would be of benefit if I chose to take further lessons in the future. Within the first lesson, Michael explained all aspects of the voice coaching extremely well; I learned more about my voice as a tool in that one lesson than I had imagined, and was pleasantly surprised with the complimentary comments Michael gave me in respect of my voice. I enjoy singing more now than I did before. I think this is partially down to the small steps in confidence I now have when I am singing following the lessons I have had, and the skills I have been taught. Diane  Sanderson (Human Resources Business Partner)   I have wanted to sing for ages but my lack of self-confidence meant I put off taking the first lesson for years. I finally plucked up the courage to book my first lesson with Mike; by the end of it I was relieved and impressed. Mike is highly professional and has a profound knowledge of music which gave me great confidence in his instruction. But just as importantly his lessons are very relaxed and I soon forgot my nerves. I have achieved the Trinity Guildhall Grade 7 Theory of Music exam with Merit. Dr Paul Walke (Physicist, Lecturer and Writer) For many years I have harboured a wish to be able to sing well and in public. Having achieved neither by my late fifties, procrastination was no longer an option and I decided to look for a suitable teacher. In Dr Michael Spacie I found someone who possesses a profound musical understanding along with a skilful and finely honed teaching ability. Thanks also to his limitless patience and encouragement my initial doubts and self-consciousness almost completely melted away. Barbara Kuzma (Staff Nurse) As a mature student, I was reluctant to start singing lessons, but Michael immediately put me at my ease and gave me a lot of encouragement. It's never too late to learn something new. Lesley Wilson (Retired Civil Servant) I really enjoy singing and I am a member of an amateur operatic group. I wanted to improve my vocal skills and since I started lessons with Michael, I feel my confidence and ability have grown. I successfully auditioned for a lead role – something I would previously have felt too nervous for. Wendy Barrows I enjoy having singing lessons with Mike very much. He makes me feel totally at ease and has helped to improve my confidence as well as my voice. I have achieved Grade 5 Singing and, with Mike's support and guidance, I think I've made good progress. Katy Lockwood (Lecturer in Psychology Learning to sing is something I had always wanted to do but never had the confidence. When I started lessons with Mike it was clear that confidence was not an issue in the relaxed environment created by Mike. I have learnt so much about the various aspects of singing and I am excited to learn more. Mike is a professional yet very approachable teacher who makes lessons relaxed and very enjoyable. Vicky Mollekin (Primary School Teacher) Learning with Dr Michael Spacie is concise and fun. He instils the sense of confidence and constructive criticism needed to improve vocal knowledge and performance. The atmosphere is welcoming and lessons enjoyable and you leave with a sense of achievement, having progressed through learning something new. Vicky Haigh (University Student) I started taking lessons to learn to play the piano as I really enjoy piano music. Learning something new has given me new focus, relieves stress and has provided me with a refreshing challenge. Mike is very intuitive and fills me with confidence which makes the learning process easier and enjoyable! Zoe Brockman (Admin Manager) Mike is very clear about what progress you have made and what you need to work on next, which makes me feel like I've got somewhere with my music and with much more confidence. Eleanor W. (Student) I came to Mike for piano lessons but I have also studied music theory with him. I've really enjoyed getting to grips with the basics of both disciplines (which complement each other so well!) and I feel I have progressed well. Mike's style of teaching is very precise, with accuracy in theoretical work and good piano technique emphasised from the beginning; this very much suits my own learning style and would also suit that of anyone wishing to reach a high musical standard. Tanmay Suri (Training to be a Medical Doctor )

Laura Metterick (Domestic Cleaning Business) Grade 5 Singing and Grade 7 Theory of Music Matthew Ridsdale (PR Consultant) Grade 3 Piano and Grade 7 Theory of Music