Sheila Nelson b.5 March 1936

Sheila Nelson has followed a distinguished career as teacher, writer and performer. She has written much educational music, has played with the English Chamber Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Menuhin Orchestra. It is, however, as a teacher that Sheila Nelson is best known and most highly regarded.

Sheila was already well-known as a teacher when in 1976 she went to the USA on a Churchill Fellowship, to study the teaching methods of Paul Rolland. On her return to the UK she was invited by the Inner London Education Authority to lead a string project in the east London borough of Tower Hamlets. This unique scheme, involving teams of teachers giving string tuition to whole classes as part of the normal school curriculum was the subject of a six-part documentary series and attracted international attention.

Sheila’s recent publications include co-authoring the award-winning Essential String Method – a radical advance in string teaching, which teaches musicianship alongside instrumental skills. Sheila travels worldwide as a teacher and workshop facilitator.

Sheila Nelson is published by Boosey & Hawkes