Toby Newcombe BA (hons), PGCE
“Toby is really encouraging and supportive, particularly when I haven’t picked up the guitar for weeks or months. There is no finger wagging and ‘you will never learn if you don’t practice’. Basically, it’s nice to be treated like an adult, chat about bands we both like and learn a new skill”
“It’s great that he’s not just a teacher, that he gigs regularly and has worked elsewhere in the music industry. Also it’s fun to go and see him play live too.”
“Toby is an accomplished musician; however, he is also a great teacher. He is quick to identify what I need to focus on and stretches me just enough to give me the confidence to reach my potential.”
For 20 years, Toby has worked and taught in a number of different areas of the music industry and has used this training and experience to deliver innovative and engaging music lessons for both children and adults.
The teaching method that Toby has developed offers you structure, consistency, flexibility, and rewards and ensures every lesson is delivered to the highest standards.
Toby has a lot of experience to share, and his teaching space is a highly creative environment with instruments, music resources, and recording facilities at your fingertips.
musical background
Growing up, Toby learned to play the guitar, bass, and piano, achieving Grade 8 in these instruments and gaining a real passion for blues and jazz and improvising.
Toby has been involved with numerous different artists and bands, recording material with various producers and playing in prestigious music venues such as The Dublin Castle, The Camden Underworld, The Water Rats, The O2 Academy, and Koko.
During 2016, Toby worked on a cruise ship in the house band. He spent time sailing around Cuba and Miami, performing four to five sets a day in varying styles, from country to disco to soul to jazz. Toby was able to immerse himself in the incredible Cuban musical culture and played with many talented Cuban musicians.
You might have seen Toby out and about in Hertfordshire playing in the well-known functions band ‘Number 7’ who perform every weekend at weddings, bars, and parties.
Videos of performances
teaching background
Toby has been teaching music for 20 years. His first job was teaching guitar part-time at a local music school. He soon realised how much enjoyment he got out of the job and strived to inspire his students and helping them progress.
Toby has worked as a peripatetic guitar teacher for Hertfordshire Music Service for seven years, teaching in primary schools, secondary schools, and music clubs. Working at the Music Service helped Toby develop his instrumental teaching skills, and during his time there, he guided hundreds of students through their ABRSM and Rockschool exams.
Toby has also worked as a music lecturer at Hertford Regional College and spent four years lecturing music students through BTEC and UAL qualifications. He gained a lot of skills teaching so many different aspects of music while focusing on the employability of the profession.
Toby obtained his PGCE in 2016. He focused his work on the teaching of adult learners and the psychology behind music; whether it makes a person concentrate better, whether learning an instrument boosts intelligence, and the way certain music can evoke different emotions and memories in people.