Lizzie Parkes (Woodwind)

Hi! I'm Lizzie, and I teach woodwind here at Sheffield Music Hub. I specialise in oboe, closely followed by saxophone, and I also teach clarinet, flute and bassoon.

I started off playing recorder at age 7, picking up the oboe when I was 8. I learnt oboe, saxophone and clarinet with Hampshire Music Service before moving to study at the University of Sheffield. Since then, I have tried living in many different places (including Japan), but found nothing could compare with the Peak District. While travelling, I also taught myself flute and bassoon.

I have been teaching woodwind since 2017, when I began teaching privately in Somerset. I completed my teacher training in Nottinghamshire in 2022 and I now work across three authorities - Sheffield, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. When I'm not teaching, I enjoy playing in an array of ensembles, including orchestra, concert band, jazz/big band, chamber ensemble (e.g. wind quintet, sax choir), and pit band.

Some things about me...

• Favourite song/piece of music: I like so much music that I cannot really pick one, but Holst's The Planets is special to me as it inspired me to play classical music
• Favourite thing to do outside of work: watching anime, playing videogames and drawing manga - I'm a really big nerd!
• Favourite food: strawberries, they remind me of home
• Favourite place in Sheffield: the reading room at the University of Sheffield's Weston Bank Library, looking out over Weston Park duck pond while surrounded by the musty smell of old books
• One thing about me that would surprise you to know: I nearly studied marine biology at university - instead, my first degree was in Japanese studies