‘…a highly gifted teacher with a warm, friendly personality…’
Dawn is based in the centre of Fakenham, in easy walking distance from Fakenham Junior School, Fakenham Academy and Fakenham College. As well as teaching pupils from Fakenham itself, Dawn’s piano, flute and recorder pupils are drawn from the towns and villages of the surrounding areas of North and West Norfolk. Online lessons are also very popular, and mean that pupils can be anywhere in the UK or abroad. Currently she has pupils as far away as London and Truro, and her online Balkan dance group members include people living in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, London, Sheffield and more, as well as some in France and Finland.
Here is what her pupils have to say about their music lessons:
“I always thoroughly enjoy and look forward to my music lessons with Dawn. She has introduced me to a wealth of wonderful piano pieces and has given me so many helpful tips and techniques to improve my playing. Dawn is not only a very knowledgeable and talented musician but also a highly gifted teacher with a warm, friendly personality and a great sense of humour. Her patience and insight are much appreciated! I recommend her to all age groups without reservation.”
Stephanie
Adult pupil of around grade 7 playing level
“Dawn is a great teacher. She’s very supportive and makes the lesson something to look forward to.”
Ben
Aged 18, working towards Grade 6 piano.
“Monday is always manic for me but I am saved by the oasis that Dawn provides for me in the middle of the day. I sit by a lovely warm log burner in the winter or by windows looking out onto a beautiful little garden in the summer and lose myself on Dawn’s piano, which, with her happy chatter and teaching, I love. I have enjoyed it so much that my daughter and granddaughter are also being taught by Dawn.”
Jannie Bruce
Adult piano pupil
“She’s a very good teacher and a very good sight-reader and I’m very glad we met her and I like the fact her piano is nice and loud. But that’s too many ‘ands’, isn’t it?”
Joshua
Aged 8
“Joshua has been taking lessons with Dawn for a couple of years and loves his lessons and is practising much more than before. Dawn is thorough, open to a child’s enthusiasms and eccentricities, but also (gently) firm. I (We!) can’t recommend her too highly.”
Joshua’s Dad
“Dawn consistently helps me achieve the best. She is patient and a good teacher and, having had lessons elsewhere for a short time, I find Dawn is still the best!
Helena
Aged 14, Grade 6 distinction piano
“I took up piano playing again after a gap of 20 years. Dawn has been very encouraging and has helped me to regain some of my very rusty technique without putting pressure on me. I am enjoying the lessons and it is a delight to be able to sit down at home and play complete pieces.”
Bridget
Adult piano pupil, Grade 7 level
Dawn Wakefield and several pupils who took part in a fundraising Practice-a-thon in aid of CLIC Sargent charity for children with cancer and Tapping House Hospice
“I started playing the piano three years ago as a complete adult beginner in my early 60s. I had hardly any previous knowledge of music and wanted to learn to play for my own pleasure and as a challenge – also to learn something new in retirement. Dawn’s patient teaching and always positive comments have now enabled me to play Grade 2 or 3 level piano pieces, many of them lovely classical favourites. I look forward to each lesson as a time of learning, encouragement and fun. Learning the piano has opened up a new world for me.”
Chris C
Retired piano pupil
“Dawn is a very experienced teacher with lots of patience. My daughter, who is 8, enjoys the lessons, which are exciting and fun. You never get bored as a result of an excellent teaching style, which meets the individual’s needs. She has been learning piano with Dawn for nearly four years. She likes Dawn very much because she thinks that Dawn is funny and tells jokes. We love it and would definitely recommend Dawn to others.”
Jinhua
Mother of Ava, piano pupil soon to take Grade 3
“Dawn has been my piano teacher for 12 years and has helped me progress and achieve Grade 6 with a merit last year. She is very helpful and willing to spend the extra time to enable you to achieve your best. Whether you are working towards an exam or just playing for fun, Dawn’s style of teaching is relaxed and enjoyable.
Jessica
Aged 20, piano pupil
“Dawn is an accomplished musician, playing and teaching three main instruments; piano, flute and recorders. She has a wide appreciation of different genres of music. She teaches me flute and I enjoy our sessions together as she is relaxed and has a pleasant teaching style. Dawn has endless patience with me as I need a little longer than younger students, myself being a very mature student. I always look forward to my lessons.
Sylvia
Retired flute student of around Grade 3 playing level