I enjoy putting young people at their ease, and helping them with the performance and not just the music. My aim is to accompany sensitively and to raise confidence in their ability.

When acting as repetiteur for choral groups, I use my own experience of choral singing to bring out the various parts to give helpful note-bashing. I have a reputation of being able to read the conductor's mind!

I took part in the Farnham Competitive Music Festival in 2007 in the accompanists' class, with my husband Tony singing "The Armadillo" by Flanders & Swann. We achieved a grade of "Excellent" with the comments:

"You kept excellent ensemble with your singing partner, always alert to the flexibility and spontaneity of the performance and you switched effortlessly from accompanist to soloist as the music dictated. An extremely enjoyable, stylish performance from both of you."

We enjoyed it too!

In March 2008 I accompanied Edward Hepper of Alton in four classes. In the Lieder Class, for which he won the Festival Goblet, the adjudicator Dr Sheila Armstrong commented: "There is a careful collaboration between you and your pianist who plays most expressively."