Maria Parfitt

BMus

Growing up in a musical family, my passion for Music started at a very young age. Throughout school, Music was always my favourite subject so I always knew this was going to be my path in life. I have such fond memories of all my music teachers. I then went on to study Music at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire where I took up a Scholarship with the viola as my main study.

During my studies, I found a passion for not only performing but also teaching Music. In 2015, I got involved in a project called ARCO, which provides weekly distance-learning opportunities for talented children at the Morris Isaacson Centre for Music in Soweto, South Africa. I began to teach online whilst being mentored by staff at RBC who were running the project. ARCO gave me teaching experience delivering weekly one-to-one instrumental lessons, mentoring, and string quartet coaching via video conferencing.

Through this, I discovered how much the internet can change people’s lives, bringing creative people together and providing a platform to share the joy of music across the world.

I have also spent the last few years working as a private Music teacher and as a professional violist performing across the South West with orchestras and ensembles including Southern Sinfonia, The Bristol String Quartet, Bristol Insight Ensemble, Bristol Metropolitan Orchestra, and many more. My favourite is playing in the orchestra for musicals.

I currently live in the South West with my partner who is a music producer so our house is certainly always full of Music. I also love dogs and for my final project at RBC I held and managed a concert at Birmingham Dogs Home; it certainly was an experience! While I’m not working, I enjoy being outdoors and exploring different places. My aim is to inspire enthusiasm and a love of Music and this is why I am thoroughly looking forward to working with you, to help you build your music journey here at Wolsey Hall Oxford.

Subjects: Music