Lola

Experience

• 13+ French

• (I)GCSE French (AQA, CIE, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC, MYP)

• (I)GCSE History (AQA, CIE, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC)

• A-Level French (AQA, CIE, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC)

• Oxford/Cambridge Music Applications

• Oxbridge Preparation

• Music (all levels)

I have been a tutor for the Music Faculty in Oxford in 2018 and 2020, teaching French baroque opera (C17th and C18th), Music Thought and Scholarship, and Historically Informed Performance to undergraduate students. Before that (2013-2016), I have regularly given private courses to individuals who sought to strengthen specific disciplines (French language, French literature, history, and philosophy in particular).

I have been working with Keystone since early 2021, giving tutorials in French, Music, and History, as well as a seminar on Western Music History through the series Keystone Inspires.

In general, I have worked with people around the age of 11-13, 14-16, 18-19 years old, but I am keen to teach pupils from all age ranges. I have a lot of experience teaching adult learners, in particular in Music.

Biography

I have finished my DPhil in Music at the University of Oxford with a full funding from the AHRC. My thesis engages with issues related to cultural power, creativity, and opera performance in C17-18th France and Europe. In parallel, I am the Head of Development for an academic institution in Oxford. I also occasionally work for think-tanks (or equivalent) about education challenges and lifelong learning, amongst other topics of predilection.

Before my DPhil, I have been a student at the École Normale Supérieure, which granted me the status of civil servant with a salary (2013-2018). I graduated with two Master Degrees, one in Music and Musicology, and another in Philosophy (in partnership with La Sorbonne). Among the different awards I have obtained over the course of my education, I am particularly proud of receiving the ‘Young Scholar Prize’ for a scientific paper delivered in August 2018 in Utrecht for the STIMU Symposium.

I have also engaged with consultancy work on European geopolitics (with the think-tank ‘Groupe d'Études Géopolitiques’ based in Paris) and energy (as the founder and president of the consultancy group ‘TREVE’). In 2017-2018, I was a laureate of the fellowship ‘Women4Climate’ launched by the network C40 Cities, a leadership group dedicated to issues related to climate.

For my undergraduate, I followed a formation of three years in Paris, called ‘classe préparatoire’ (CPGE), during which students follow intensive classes in all Humanities subjects (including literature, modern and ancient languages, philosophy, history, geography, music). In high school, my formation was also centered around the liberal arts.

My understanding of art and history is deeply grounded in practice. During my middle and high school, I have been a professional singer for Radio France. I have curated various exhibitions in Paris between 2016 and 2018. Between 2016 and 2021, I have worked as an art critic for a French newspaper (I/O Gazette), which has led me to roam through European artistic and production networks.

Personal Approach

Engagement: learning means engaging in a personal relationship with knowledge. The more you spend exploring a topic, with patience and method, the more you are likely to fall in love with it. Often, students struggle because they do not relate with the skills or disciplines that they are confronted with; as a result, they do not see the point in studying them. Showing them how those can interlock with their interests, aspirations, and general sense of curiosity is an essential leverage for building confidence and motivation.

Method: my work is always tailored to the needs, difficulties, and strengths of the student. Depending on those, I plan my lessons with clear short- and long-term goals, adapting the exercises to the progress made and the requirements that arise during the year (e.g. exams). I am very patient, especially with young students, and I am happy to figure out personalized techniques to enhance the student's process of learning and memorization. I always give extra material (some sort of ‘toolbox’ of historical dates or grammatical points, for example) to the student in order for them to strengthen what we worked on during the tutorial and to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the topics discussed.

What I do when I am not tutoring

I am currently finishing my DPhil at the University of Oxford whilst teaching music to Oxonian undergraduates (on topics such as Musical Thought and Scholarship, Historically Informed Performance, and C18th Opera) and working for a research institute in Oxford. I write scientific papers in academic journals (e.g. ‘Revue de Musicologie’) and articles for various magazines and newspapers, generally about arts, culture, and education (e.g. ‘Athwart’). On the long term, I aim to articulate my occupation as a teacher with additional academic and consultancy activities.

Testimonials

“Jemima said you were BRILLIANT! She is so thrilled finally to be understanding things — Thank you so much.” (Mother of a student in French, Year 7)

“The first lesson went really well! [...] Serena felt so much more confident after your help and you were able to simplify the language as in Switzerland French is super hard!” (Mother of a non-Francophone student in French, A Level, in a Francophone school)

“I found it greatly helpful and think we covered everything necessary. I felt engaged and was able to ask any questions, and felt as though I understood the stuff we covered well. […] Finally, and most importantly, it has further encouraged my passion in the subject and given me great insight into my studies at A-level.” (Student in music entering Eton with an Orwell Scholarship)

“Isaac to my opinion has scored his highest ever today! He was super confident and had an amazing pronunciation. Fantastic job. Thank you so much for your support — you prepared Isaac really well for his oral exam.” (Teacher of a A-Level student in French)

“Mia has been very happy so far and I think the approach is very positive and encouraging in Lola’s lessons, which was what Mia was hoping for.” (Mother of A-Level student in French)

“[My son's] teacher told him that he was very well prepared [for his mock exam]. This is really down to you - thank you.” (Mother of A-Level student in French)

“Abigail enjoys Lola’s class and it’s very helpful as a head start for GCSE Music.” (Mother of a GCSE student in Music)

“My son found Lola's class really effective in honing in on the areas that he found challenging. He felt Lola was receptive to his needs and was able to adapt her lesson plan to suit. Lola even followed up with him after the class with a summary of key material and further revision information to support. From my perspective, It was clear that Lola had studied the material that I shared with her in depth before meeting Isaac. All in all she is a very proactive tutor — bravo!” (Mother of a A-Level student in French)

“Excellent class [...]. The discussion, with illuminating musical illustrations particularly incisive and even, dare one say, inspired.” (Student in my Keystone Inspires seminar on the History of Western Music)

“[If you are] interested in classical music and European history, Lola is just the lady to explore the various and sundry connexions and influences between the two.” (Student in my Keystone Inspires seminar on the History of Western Music)

“Terrific class with Lola. Great thanks to Keystone Inspires for offering. Hope there for repeat and very enthusiastically recommend for those who didn’t get the chance. Other classes with a curriculum focused on individual periods or genres would also be very welcome.” (Student in my Keystone Inspires seminar on the History of Western Music)

“Clementine greatly enjoyed her lessons with Lola.” (Mother of a GCSE student in French)

“The lesson with Abigail went very well. She responded well to your approach. I hope the holiday lessons are going to be a great success!” (Mother of a GCSE student in French)