Bellows and Buttons
Music Tuition Weekends
Tutors
Dave Gray, Paul Young, Mel Biggs, Vicky Cooper and Helena Painting.
Dave Gray
Dave grew up in Lincolnshire, currently lives in Newcastle upon Tyne, he studied Folk & Traditional Music at Newcastle University where his technique blossomed under the direction of Andy Cutting & Julian Sutton.
He is a highly skilled and committed educator who has experience teaching on the Folkworks programme at Sage Gateshead and at Folkworks Summer Schools; tutoring at Newcastle University; working as a workshop leader for Live Music Now; and leading other youth and adult folk music learning projects across the north of England. He has taught at a number of Ethno�s and the National Youth Folk Ensemble residential courses. Dave also tours regularly with Katie Doherty & the Navigators and Cri du Canard. He is well known for his enthusiasm and presence on stage.
He is a highly skilled and committed educator who has experience teaching on the Folkworks programme at Sage Gateshead and at Folkworks Summer Schools; tutoring at Newcastle University; working as a workshop leader for Live Music Now; and leading other youth and adult folk music learning projects across the north of England. He has taught at a number of Ethno�s and the National Youth Folk Ensemble residential courses. Dave also tours regularly with Katie Doherty & the Navigators and Cri du Canard. He is well known for his enthusiasm and presence on stage.
Paul Young
Melodeon teacher by day, ceilidh musician and caller by night, Paul is the caller and box player with The New Fox Band and Rastrum, a regular guest musician with a number of others, and also operates as a one man ceilidh band. He's a former dancer and musician for Black Swan Rapper and has also played for bal folk (French dance) in a duo with fiddle player Sarah Loughran.
A full time tutor and musician since 2012, Paul currently teaches about a thousand private melodeon lessons per year, with pupils across the UK, Europe and North America, with specific focuses on English, French, Scottish and Irish style playing.
A full time tutor and musician since 2012, Paul currently teaches about a thousand private melodeon lessons per year, with pupils across the UK, Europe and North America, with specific focuses on English, French, Scottish and Irish style playing.
Mel Biggs
Mel Biggs is a musician, performer and melodeon teacher based in Derbyshire, England.
Renowned the world over for her perceptive, patient and mindful manner in teaching groups and individuals, Mel is a leading light in the world of melodeon teaching; both on and off-line.
Having been teaching since 2009, Mel has an ever expanding toolkit of techniques at her disposal which she adapts to every new teaching scenario. You can expect a bespoke blend of learning-by-ear, call and response playing, analogies, visualisations and pattern recognition, tune deconstruction and notation in moderation.
Mel is a consummate performer, vocalist and accompanist wracking up a wealth of experience in trio Moirai, playing for the vibrant Harlequin Morris, and most recently as an actor-musician in the UK & Canada tour of Fisherman's Friends: The Musical.
Renowned the world over for her perceptive, patient and mindful manner in teaching groups and individuals, Mel is a leading light in the world of melodeon teaching; both on and off-line.
Having been teaching since 2009, Mel has an ever expanding toolkit of techniques at her disposal which she adapts to every new teaching scenario. You can expect a bespoke blend of learning-by-ear, call and response playing, analogies, visualisations and pattern recognition, tune deconstruction and notation in moderation.
Mel is a consummate performer, vocalist and accompanist wracking up a wealth of experience in trio Moirai, playing for the vibrant Harlequin Morris, and most recently as an actor-musician in the UK & Canada tour of Fisherman's Friends: The Musical.
Vicky Cooper
Vicky is band leader for Silkstone Greens North West Morris and is a relative newcomer to all things folk, but long time musician. She has previously taught at North East Playgroup, Derbyshire Playgroup, Whitby Folk Festival and Melodeons in Wensleydale. She has a passion for encouraging others to take up the melodeon in the hope they love it as much as she does! She plays D/G and G/C melodeons, with a particular soft spot for French tunes
Helena Painting
Helena is a keen advocate for adults beginning their musical journey, teaching Absolute Beginner melodeon workshops at melodeon events and folk festivals since 2018. Helena is a regular tutor at Melodeon Playgroup, and has taught at folk festivals including Towersey, Sidmouth, Shrewsbury and Chippenham, working solo and alongside Ed Rennie as part of their Squeezebox from Scratch project. A lover of folk dance and music, Helena runs supportive steady-speed sessions, with a particular focus on English tunes.