Tom Fitzgerald

Grounded firmly in Canada's longstanding Ottawa-valley fiddling tradition, Tom is an avid explorer of many musical genres, namely traditional & contemporary Irish, American fiddle, and jazz. Tom is a seasoned performer and an original member of the international touring band "The Fitzgeralds". He also tours frequently with Celtic group "Runa" across North America. He is a Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Champion (2012) and a Canadian Open Fiddle Champion (2012), and has performed with Natalie MacMaster, Leahy, Jade Eagleson, Nathan Carter, Tommy Hunter, Tony McManus, Brian Finnegan, We Banjo 3, among others. 

I enjoy helping students navigate their own personal limitations (i.e. lack of practice time due to busy work schedule, current skill level, limiting beliefs about ones own potential), and creating a personalized practice plan that feels both challenging but also achievable and realistic to their given situation. I also believe that versatility is an increasingly important skill in today's music industry. I feel I have developed a strong and robust understanding of a variety of musical styles, and I'm confident I have the experience, skill set, and curiosity to inhabit the musical world that the student brings to me. I particularly love working with students on improvisation, technique, musicality/feeling/groove, practice strategies, and how to develop more musical freedom & confidence.  

I'm often less prescriptive when it comes to teaching music, and would rather empower the student to develop the tools and resources to solve their own problems. Therefor my primary goal with any student is to help them first become objective listeners of their own playing. I use a variety of methods to do this including; metronome practice, recording and listening back and talking with the student about what we're both hearing/not hearing, listening and playing along to quality recordings that demonstrate a high degree of musical understanding and feeling.