PUPIL TESTIMONIALS
Ellie Popham - St Swithun's School - www.elinorpopham.com
It is a rare thing to come across a teacher who, through their support, skill and generosity, helps to shape the course of your life. From the age of twelve, Mrs Fenech Field has both nurtured and encouraged my singing, not only through the grades, but now, hopefully further. I have also been constantly inspired by her own love of singing and performing and she has introduced me to a huge range of styles and disciplines, while also giving me the confidence to explore new challenges. Now, at nearly eighteen, I still enjoy my lessons hugely and Mrs Fenech Field has remained my strongest musical influence, despite changing schools and even going to university. No one knows my voice quite like Mrs Fenech Field and now, more than ever, I am benefitting from her insight and encouragement, and am hoping to continue with her as an ally through an uncertain but definitely exciting future in singing.
Jodie Russell - St Swithun's School
Mrs Fenech Field was my singing teacher since I was ten years old, right up until I left St. Swithun’s School at the age of eighteen. During these eight years, Mrs Fenech Field gave me many things: improved vocal technique among other technical skills, but she also gave me great support, confidence in myself and my abilities, and mechanisms for coping with my nerves and low self-esteem. With Mrs Fenech Field’s help and encouragement, I managed to achieve my grade 8 with distinction and take on roles in musical theatre productions which I never would have been able to otherwise. As someone who finds music-reading a challenge, taking on Stephen Sondheim seemed impossible. Yet, with much hard work and dedication, Mrs Fenech Field got me through and helped me achieve something I thought I couldn’t, and made me the best Mrs Lovett I could possibly have been. Sondheim is now my favourite composer! Mrs Fenech Field has helped me to prepare for many musical theatre roles for productions in school, at Winchester college and with Petersfield Youth Theatre, and also helped me prepare for auditions. I thoroughly enjoyed all my lessons with Mrs Fenech Field, and learnt a lot from her wealth of experience as a singer and a performer, and will carry that advice with me. Her love for every genre, and singing in general, inspired me to try new things and move away from my comfort zone of musical theatre. Mrs Fenech Field will always be my most influential musical role model and I am very lucky to have had her help, guidance, support and, of course, her excellent teaching. I would recommend her to anyone who wants to improve their voice, not only in their own field, but also in a wide range of genres and also improve their confidence and love for singing.
Sam MacGregor - BBC Radio 1 Presenter
https://www.instagram.com/sam___macgregor/
Mrs Fenech Field has been my singing tutor at Claires Court Senior Boys School for four and a half years. It is over this time that she has carefully crafted my voice to enable me to gain a Distinction for my Grade 6 Trinity College Exam. Each weekly lesson was something I looked forward to, there was always something to learn whether that be with her technical training through wide-ranging genre or to further improve my vocal production. Despite my voice breaking over my time with Mrs Fenech Field, she taught me many ways to still perform and sing while working around the vocal change. Her knowledge and experience of changing voices helped me through the, (what can be a hard), transition. Outside of my classical repertoire she has also encouraged me with my aspirations as an acoustic singer/songwriter. She has come out of her time to watch and support me at several gigs, I am extremely grateful for all of Mrs Fenech Field's work and would recommend her to anybody wishing to be pushed to their musical limits and ambitions.
Caroline Calascione, mother of private pupils Sarah and Hannah Calascione
Kate taught singing from 2006 to 2009 to my two daughters Sarah and Hannah who have been at The Tiffin Girls' School, Kingston. From the outset she captured the attention of both girls with her empathy and enthusiasm. She delighted in teaching them songs that they chose, but was also able to coax them into taking exams. Sarah reached grade 8 and Hannah grade 5. Above all, Kate has infused the girls with a love of singing that I am sure they will never lose. Most recently Hannah was awarded the part of Maria in Tiffin School's production of West Side Story, and the grounding she received from Kate has been vital in helping her to tackle this challenging role.
Chloe Graham - St Swithun's School - Grade 8 Merit
I had Mrs Fenech Field as a singing teacher for three years and in those years she developed my singing technique and encouraged and nurtured my creativity extremely well. She helped spark off my passion for classical singing and under her guidance I was also able to study more contemporary pieces. Due to her teaching expertise and encouragement I auditioned and was given a place to study singing at the Junior Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Junior Royal College of Music. Mrs Fenech Field was very motivating and helped you achieved your goals as I managed to gain Grade 8 singing and will take my singing Diploma in Spring 2010.
Cat Kennedy - St Swithun's School - Grade 8 Merit
I started singing lessons with Mrs Fenech Field in 2006, when I was a pupil at St Swithun’s School and immediately noticed my singing technique and style, and most importantly to me, my own confidence in my abilities, improve exponentially. After leaving St Swithun’s, I returned to the school once a week to continue my lessons with Mrs Fenech Field, where she helped me embrace my love of musical theatre by allowing me to choose, under her expert guidance, the direction our lessons should take. In 2010 she encouraged me to work towards Grade 8 Singing, in which I gained a Merit. She never stopped believing in me, and I would have never achieved this result without her. I always looked forward to our lessons and enjoyed them immensely.
Grace Newton - JACAD - Professional Singer/Dancer
https://www.mandy.com/uk/dancer/grace-newton
I started singing lessons with Mrs Fenech Field at the Jayne A Coleman Academy of Dance when I was about 10 years old, (and continued until the age of 18). When I first met her I could barely sing a note in tune and now; due to her hard work, dedication and her way of nurturing each individual pupil, I am so thrilled to be able to call myself a singer. She has shaped my voice, and more importantly she has made me fall in love with singing. For that, I cannot thank her enough.
Alex Green - St Swithun's School - Jazz Singer
I was first taught by Mrs Fenech Field in 2006 at St Swithun's School in Winchester and have continued to have lessons over the past five years. If ever I've needed help preparing for a performance, recording or anything I've always been able to depend on Mrs Fenech Field for advice and support. Not knowing that much about music myself, Mrs Fenech Field from the very first lessons knew how to teach me and helped me improve my voice hugely. I looked forward to my singing lessons every week and the array of songs Mrs Fenech Field would have for me to learn and perform. I'm very grateful for all the work and help I've received from Mrs Fenech Field and from her I've developed and even greater passion for singing and performing. She's passionate, dedicated and a truly wonderful teacher.