O'Connell Music spreading the joy of music

Nichola is a professional pianist from York. She has worked with local Theatre Groups such as NE Theatre and has accompanied many musicals including ‘Grease’ and ‘Into The Woods.’ Nichola is currently working as a house pianist at ‘Bettys Tea Rooms’ and can play a wide range of genres such as jazz and classical music. Nichola also regularly accompanies ABRSM Examinations and has worked at the York Steiner School as a professional accompanist. When studying at the University of York and graduating with honours in 2013, Nichola gained a keen interest in Ethnomusicology and was awarded a scholarship to study Gamelan Music at the Institute of Arts, Surakarta, Indonesia. Her gamelan composition, ‘Whispering Prophecies’ was premiered live in the ‘Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall in June 2022.

Nichola has extensive teaching experience and has worked in multiple schools throughout the York and Leeds area. She has worked as a peripatetic Piano, flute and theory teacher for North Yorkshire County Council and currently works at the York Music Centre, York Music Hub and the School of Music. She has also taken up a secondary peripatetic position at the Morley Academy in West Yorkshire. Nichola is open to taking on students of all ages and abilities but primarily works with Grades 1-8. All of her students have passed Examinations with a 100% pass rate. Nichola also runs ensembles including ‘First Keyboards’ at the Music Centre and has taught large classes of theory students. Nichola incorporates teaching approaches such as Dalcroze, Eurythmics and Kodaly into her teaching style so that young students can develop an effective inner ear from the beginning.