To help celebrate 30 years of Amber, we are shining a light on our dedicated music practitioners and teachers that make such an impact on the children and young people we support. James Marchese has been nominated by Mia’s family for our Music Practitioner and Teacher Spotlight!
Mia’s mum Lisa tells us ‘James is brilliant with Mia and extremely patient, especially when she steals all of the instruments during their sessions! Mia really enjoys the sessions as she is a very musical little girl. We couldn’t have asked for a better teacher’.
James tells us: ‘Visiting Mia and her family is always the highlight of my week. Mia loves music so much and sings at the top of her voice in every session we have together. She loves exploring different types of instruments and has usually learnt the words to another new song every time I visit! Mia has benefited so much from the support provided by The Amber Trust, and it has been wonderful to see how she has developed musically over the last couple of years’.
James is a member of our Music Teacher Directory, a resource for individuals seeking music teachers experienced in teaching blind and partially sighted children. James is based in the New Forest and teaches privately in Hampshire as well as teaching clarinet, saxophone and recorder in schools and sixth form colleges in Hampshire, Dorset and London.
Mia is currently on our Little Amber scheme, an innovative music service that aims to enable blind or partially sighted babies and young children to engage with music. Families on our Little Amber scheme receive a set of music activity cards, a set of percussion instruments, and 8 hours of home visits a year from a specially trained Amber music practitioner like James.