At Cirencester Singers we offer lessons in a range of styles – and are confident that we can help you find your voice!
Lessons with Amy
Amy Garry, BA (Hons), MEd, PGCE, MISM
Amy runs Cirencester Singers and leads our choirs, as well as teaching singing privately at home and in local schools. She is classically trained as a soprano, having achieved a Distinction at Grade 8 ABRSM Singing in 2010, before moving onto study Music (BA Hons, 2013) at the University of Leeds with Voice as her primary instrument. Amy then moved back down from Leeds to complete an MEd in Educational Leadership, Policy & Development at the University of Bristol (2016) before completing her PGCE (2018) and becoming a classroom music teacher. After teaching in the classroom for four years, including a post as Head of Music at Cirencester Kingshill School (2020-22) Amy has been running Cirencester Singers and teaching singing as a freelance teacher full time since September 2022.
She teaches a wide range of ages and styles of music, including Classical Voice, Musical Theatre, Pop, Rock and Folk. Amy enjoys working with individuals to find out their strengths as vocalists and work together to build upon their vocal technique and confidence in performing.
Amy also sings in function band ‘The Honey Riders’ and enjoys filling the dance floor with the band…and getting to wear some impressive sparkly boots!
Amy currently works with the following exam boards: Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and Trinity College London.
Lessons with Andrew
Andrew Hopwood, MISM
Andrew Hopwood was born in North Yorkshire. For 20 years he worked in the World of Opera; the majority of this time was spent with Opera North and Scottish Opera.
Andrew now teaches in Gloucestershire and continues to sing professionally. He takes in a wide range of engagements from oratorio and recitals to performances at celebrations such as weddings both at the ceremony and providing background music at the reception. He works closely with the Bride and Groom to provide them with their ultimate musical dream.
His teaching is divided between his school work and private practise. Over the past 12 years he has had unrivalled exam achievements. His success as a teacher is further emphasised by the fact that students have subsequently gained entry onto established music courses at colleges around the country to study voice. He also teaches music theatre and has helped students follow this path in to singing.
Andrew not only offers classical teaching method but also works with musical theatre. He works with the following exam boards: The Associated Board of The Royal Schools of Music, Trinity College, London and the London College of Music for musical theatre.
Andrew’s most mature student was an 83 year old gentleman suffering from dementia who had a most beautiful voice and found that singing helped him to fight some of the symptoms of his condition. This proves that your vocal age is not necessarily your physical age – you are never too old to give singing a try! Indeed some of Andrew’s students come through the ‘University of the Third Age’ and he helps many people to prolong their singing and enjoyment of music. He actively coaches using some elementary re-habilitation exercises. He is particularly keen on good vocal health and teaches accordingly.
Andrew believes that it is important to practise what he preaches and he continues to perform professionally. Recent solo engagements have taken him as far afield as Kraków in Poland and Malta. Andrew is also Music Director for the Painswick Singers and the Thames Head Singers.
Cirencester Singers 