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Online Clarinet Lessons in the UK & Worldwide

Clarinet student playing during a one-to-one online lesson over video call
Teaching since 2009

Want to learn the clarinet but there's no decent teacher nearby? Online clarinet lessons solve that. Every lesson is taught live, by me, on whichever platform suits you — Zoom, Skype or MS Teams. Nothing is pre-recorded and nothing is automated, and my students are spread across the UK and well beyond it.

I teach complete beginners, adult clarinet lessons for returners and improvers, children working through the grades, and advanced clarinet lessons for players preparing for Grade 8, diplomas or auditions. Jazz clarinet is covered too, which very few teachers offer.

Half-hour lessons start at £20. Based in South-East London and would prefer to be in the room? My in-person clarinet lessons cover Lewisham and the surrounding areas.

Get in Touch Free Tutorials

What's Included

The clarinet is unusually well suited to being taught over video, because almost everything that limits a player is visible or audible on camera. Here's how my lessons run:

Built for Video Lessons

Five years of teaching this way has taught me what a webcam can and can't do. We set the camera where I can see your right thumb and your top lip at the same time, I annotate scores on a shared screen as we go, and you keep everything we mark up.

Jazz, Classical & Klezmer

The clarinet spans more styles than almost any woodwind instrument — orchestral and chamber repertoire, swing and bebop, klezmer, folk. I hold an MA in Jazz Saxophone from Trinity Laban and have performed professionally in over twenty countries, so improvisation is taught properly rather than skipped over.

ABRSM Performance Grades

Learning remotely doesn't shut you out of graded exams. Performance Grades are marked from a video you submit yourself, so an online student in Aberdeen sits exactly the same exam as one in Lewisham. Jazz Clarinet is available at Grades 6 to 8 as well, which almost no teacher prepares students for.

Monitor and headphones set up for teaching clarinet lessons online

Learn Clarinet Online, Wherever You Are

Almost everything that holds a clarinettist back shows up on camera: a jaw that grips, fingers lifting too far from the keys, a breath taken too late. Those are the things I spend lessons on, and none of them need me to be in the room. The genuine loss is duetting, so we replace it with backing tracks, notation I mark up on a shared screen, and recordings you send between lessons.

Clarinet teachers are thinner on the ground than piano or guitar teachers, and outside the cities they can be genuinely scarce. That is why most of my remote students came to me: not because they wanted a screen, but because the alternative was a long drive or nothing at all. A side benefit is that you practise in the same room you learn in, on your own instrument, with your own stand at your own height.

Sceptical? Reasonable. Take the first lesson at no cost and decide afterwards — nobody will chase you. In the meantime my tutorials and practice guides are free to anyone, and so is a look at Mais Yeah!, my book of graded jazz pieces for clarinet.

Book a Lesson

Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced

Beginner online clarinet lessons From £20 / 30 min

Beginner Clarinet Lessons Online

Complete beginner? Lesson one covers putting the instrument together, choosing and fitting a reed, and getting a note out that doesn't squeak. After that we go slowly on two things — steady air and a jaw that stays loose — because those habits set the ceiling on your tone for years afterwards. Expect to be playing recognisable tunes inside a month.

Haven't bought an instrument yet? Ask me first. I'll tell you which student models hold their value, what reed strength to start on, and which bargains turn out to be unplayable and end up costing more. Adults are very welcome here — several of my clarinet students began in their sixties.

Intermediate Clarinet Lessons Online

The break is the wall most clarinettists hit, and getting over it cleanly is the single biggest change at this stage. Alongside that we work on intonation, fluency above the stave, and reading well enough that new music stops being intimidating. If Grades 4 to 6 are on the horizon, the scales and studies get absorbed into normal weeks rather than crammed.

It is also the right moment to stop being frightened of playing without the dots. Blues first, then a handful of standards, learning phrases off recordings rather than off the page. Very few clarinet teachers will take you there, and it changes how you hear everything else.

Intermediate online clarinet lessons From £20 / 30 min
Advanced online clarinet lessons From £20 / 30 min

Advanced Clarinet Lessons Online

At this level the work is finer: colour and control across the whole range, articulation that survives speed, orchestral excerpts, and the slow business of finding a sound that is recognisably yours. I prepare players for Grade 8 and ARSM, for conservatoire auditions, and for Jazz Clarinet Performance Grades 6 to 8 — digital exams you can now sit from anywhere in the world.

Plateaus are almost always diagnosable in one sitting, and the cause is rarely what the player assumes. If you just want a second opinion on your sound or your reeds, book a single session — there is no expectation of a weekly slot.

Online Lesson Rates

Clarinet lesson prices are identical whether we meet on screen or in person — you are paying for the teaching, not the travel. Daytime slots cost less if your week is flexible. Your first lesson is free and payment afterwards is by bank transfer in sterling.

30 Minutes from £20
45 Minutes from £30
60 Minutes from £40

Thirty minutes a week suits most people starting out. Get in touch and I'll suggest what suits your goals and practice time.

What Our Clarinet Students Say

Rated 5.0 ★★★★★ 39+ reviews on Google
Tom has been a wonderful teacher for our son, both through his school lessons and private tuition. What impressed us most was not only his musical expertise, but also his patience, encouragement and genuine enthusiasm for teaching young children. One thing we particularly appreciated was how responsive and caring Tom was whenever we had questions or challenges — he was always willing to offer practical advice and encouragement rather than simply waiting for things to improve. ★★★★★ Xiao Bai — Clarinet via Google Reviews
Tom has been teaching my son clarinet for more than 5 years now. He started at his primary and when my son moved on to secondary he was adamant that Tom should continue teaching him. He is an incredibly engaging teacher and my son always looks forward to his lessons. ★★★★★ Frau F — Clarinet via Google Reviews
Tom is an excellent music tutor. In six months of lessons, my son passed the ABRSM exam as a merit from being a complete beginner. He lead him very well from the beginning stages of learning music and helps him to enjoy music. He also made his lessons very exciting. Hyun Joo — Clarinet
Tom is an inspirational teacher and musician. He taught my son Logan Clarinet from beginner to grade 5 with fantastic results. Logan recently achieved grade 6 and is studying GCSE music which I put down to Tom instilling this interest in him.

Tom also introduced Logan to the saxophone and is giving him a refresher to allow him to play for relaxation and maintain his love of jazz. I could not recommend Tom highly enough for his warm and supportive teaching and motivational approach. Pam H — Clarinet
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Frequently Asked Questions

What do online clarinet lessons cost?

£20 for half an hour, £30 for 45 minutes, £40 for the hour. Nothing is added for travel because there isn't any, and daytime slots are cheaper again. Children and adult beginners usually start at 30 minutes and stretch to 45 once their embouchure can take it.

The clarinet takes a little more patience than the saxophone in the first few weeks, mainly because the embouchure is firmer and crossing the break between registers takes practice. Most beginners produce a clear note in their first lesson and are playing simple tunes within a month. Six months to a year of steady practice usually gets someone to a comfortable Grade 1.

Yes, and this surprises people. Performance Grades are assessed from a video you record and upload, so where you live is irrelevant — Grades 1 to 8 are bookable from anywhere. Nothing is required before Grade 5. From Grade 6 upwards you need Grade 5 Music Theory or an accepted equivalent behind you first. Jazz Clarinet runs on the same basis at Grades 6 to 8.

Very little. Your clarinet, a stand, and any device with a camera and a decent connection. Prop it far enough back that I can see you from the waist up rather than filling the frame with your face — posture matters as much as fingers. Wired earphones stop the feedback howl. An external mic is a nice-to-have for detailed tone work, nothing more.

Yes, though geography is less of an obstacle than the clock. I work UK hours, which makes Europe and the Middle East straightforward and North America workable if you can take a morning lesson. Australia and East Asia are harder but not impossible. Tell me where you are and I'll say plainly whether the diary works.

Book an Online Lesson

Let me know roughly where you are and how long you've been playing, and I'll reply with the slots I have free.

Online clarinet teacher

Give me a call

+(44)7704 762 561

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