Michael Starkey

Michael has been a fantastic banjo teacher- his flexible approach, positive attitude, and genuine love for what he does shines through in each lesson and has made learning the banjo an absolute joy. If you're considering learning the banjo, you couldn't ask for a better teacher. I recommend him 100%!

Speaking only from my experience as a complete novice (to banjo and playing music in general), I couldn't recommend Michael enough for his seemingly endless patience, amazing skill and very obvious passion for his music. An excellent tutor.

Patient and generous teacher. Great teaching material. Lessons in traditional-style guitar have been very helpful, very relevant.

I highly recommend Michael for clawhammer banjo lessons. I've been learning to play in the old-time style and it's been a real pleasure to be taught by someone who is so obviously into the music.As a teacher he is very nurturing, patient and welcoming. He's opened my ears to what is a very satisfying seam of music!

I met Michael at an SMG day course when I was starting to learn to play the guitar. At that time my playing was very basic, to say the least. However I was impressed by Michael's sympathetic approach and decided to start taking regular lessons and have done so for over a year. I have learned a huge amount from his classes and have a level of confidence in playing I never believed I could achieve. Michael's strength lies in his very relaxed approach and you never feel intimidated. I have had many teachers in my life but few with the skills Michael has to offer. The hourly class is only a fraction of what you get for your money as he prepares music sheets in advance and send you MP3 's afterwards to allow you to practice more effectively. During COVID my classes continued on zoom without a hitch. I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending him to you as a tutor.

I highly recommend lessons with Michael. As a teacher he is patient, down-to-earth, encouraging, always positive and has an obvious passion for music. I have been doing weekly lessons via Zoom for around 8 months now with not a single technical difficulty - it feels just like an in-person lesson. I have learned a lot from Michael over the past 8 months and my confidence in playing has grown so much thanks to him. I'm looking forward to learning even more and continuing to progress. Thanks Michael!

Before I started lessons with Michael I had taught myself basic chords etc but was stuck playing the same tunes and not really progressing. That changed overnight! I had always wanted to learn to play finger style/finger picking country/folk and had imagined it to be too difficult but Michael quickly changed that perception.!I have learnt more in the last few months than in years of practising on my own. You really cant over-estimate the progress you make with a great teacher. Our lessons are always fun and Michael always knows just how challenging to make the next song to work on which means I have much more focused practice outside of our lessons. I'm looking forward to adding in banjo lessons very soon, Cant recommend highly enough,

Michael was a fantastic teacher when it came to the 5-string Banjo. As a total beginner to the instrument, I was particularly encouraged by Michael’s teaching style, which was patient, educational, and above all really encouraged me to continue with the Banjo. I highly recommend him for anyone looking to learn a new instrument or improve their music skills!