About Us

Dinsmore Music Academy - Piano Tutor in Manchester
welcome to the

Dinsmore Music Academy

Our mission is to continue to provide affordable music tuition to students of all ages and abilities, offering them the very best in music tuition, alongside the wider opportunities to experience music in a much more collaborative way. We offer lessons in a variety of settings, including from the comfort of your own home – as we know our clients often appreciate the flexibility we can offer.
 
We are proud to have worked with students of all backgrounds and offer a variety of support for students with Special Education Needs. We also work with charities to help support families to access our services.
 
We engage regularly with our local partners utilising the skills and expertise of local musicians and institutions to offer the best experiences for students and a pathway to further study. Our tutors have a wealth of experience they bring to the Academy, which further enriches our offering and provides students with a range of experiences and access to wider opportunities.

our founder

Richard Dinsmore MISM
Principal Tutor and Founder
BA(Hons), CertPTC,
ABRSM CME

Richard Dinsmore is well established as a musician and tutor in the Manchester area. The Dinsmore Music Academy was an idea born out of a love and passion for teaching and a way to capitilise on his continued success as a private tutor. Seeing a clear need for a more inclusive and multi-sensory approach, the aim now is to help even more students to reach their musical goals.
 
Richard graduated from Lancaster University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music & German in 2009, studying with both John Clegg and Peter Noke, and has gone on to receive further commendations for his work in Music Education receiving the CertPTC and ABRSM CME qualifications in 2019. He has continued to undergo further study with renowned Pedagogue and Author of “The Complete Pianist” Penelope Roskell and continues to attend regular CPD events often attending lectures by leading Music Educators in the UK.
 
Richard has worked with many schools in Cheshire to deliver Piano, including Sale Grammar School and Pownhall Hall School in Wilmslow. He currently teaches Piano at Hale Preparatory School alongside his busy private teaching. Whilst being a proficient pianist and dedicated tutor, Richard has also trained as a singer, having performed at the RNCM as a young treble in Mendelssohn’s Oratorio Elijah with his tutor and mentor Daphne Sumbler and regularly incorporates this into his teaching.
 
Richard now works as the Principal Tutor at the Dinsmore Music Academy, which he founded in 2022, and continues to inspire students of all ages and abilities to reach their full potential. He now provides regular workshops and masterclasses, alongside individual lessons, to promote greater musicianship and greater collaborative approaches to music making.

FAQs

If you want to start lessons immediately you can visit the Academy Portal page and sign-up via the sign-up sheet and someone will call you to discuss arranging your initial consultation.

This is a very informal session where you meet your tutor and explore some initial musical ideas and discuss what you want to achieve from lessons. This allows us to support you in the best way to achieve your goals.

At our Academy we encourage students to begin by building their musical knowledge with piano/keyboard as their main instrument. Lessons incorporate singing and some exposure to Ukelele & Guitar. Students are free to later specialise in Piano, Voice or Guitar once they have a solid foundation on Piano. Students are given opportunities to access a variety of different musical instruments.

We offer a variety of options including, home visits, online and group lessons. Please discuss with us what option best suits you at your Consultation.

Students either ‘enrol’ as a regular student and pay monthly by invoice or arrange to book their lesson on a ‘Pay As You Go’ basis and pay per session.

Enrolling as a student gives you the greatest flexibility. Lessons can be amended or cancelled via the Academy Portal.
 
If you decide to Pay As You Go, cancelled lessons usually incur a charge or penalty. Full terms are given at your consultation. We do our best to be flexible for families as we know sometimes plans change suddenly.

Timetables for tutors are organised depending on tutor availability and scheduling considerations, so we can’t garauntee a specific tutor. However please speak with us and we will do our best to accommodate your request.

Our Academic Year runs Sept to July and we publish our teaching dates for the entire year.  Usually 1 month’s notice is required to stop lessons. A final invoice is sent if there are any outstanding fees owed.
 
Students are assessed through a number of ways including exams, termly assessments, informal concerts, workshops & masterclasses throughout the year. 
 
For this reason exams are optional. We offer a range of different exams to suits all needs so please ask about the best option for you.
 
 

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