About

Georgia Vale

I am a violinist, teacher and educational publisher based in the UK. My musical training began at the Junior School of the Royal Northern College of Music and continued at Wells Cathedral School, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and the Utrecht School of the Arts. I studied with several distinguished teachers including Yfrah Neaman and Keiko Wataya, and later continued my studies with Simon Fischer.

I have many years of teaching experience and previously served as an examiner for ABRSM for seven years in both the UK and the Far East. Alongside my musical training, I also studied Chinese at Oxford University, an experience that broadened my academic interests and international perspective. Today my work focuses primarily on writing, developing and publishing educational materials for string players, while continuing to perform as opportunities arise.

How Hey Presto! began

When I returned to teaching, I struggled to find beginner violin materials that combined clear explanations, attractive presentation and genuinely engaging music. So I began creating my own — the books I wished I had had as a child.

My pupils immediately responded to the colourful illustrations, characters and small details, but most importantly they became deeply engaged with the music itself. Clear note charts and concise explanations gave them the confidence to work things out independently, freeing lesson time for developing technique, musicianship and expressive playing.

Encouraged by their enthusiasm, I made the difficult decision to self-publish. Soon afterwards I was approached by Paul Douglas — a fellow musician, parent of one of my pupils, and owner of DH Records — who offered to help. Paul produced the original CDs, bringing excellent sound quality as well as imaginative backing tracks and sound effects that enhanced the musical experience enormously.

Music theory that students actually enjoy

While teaching with my tutor books, I realised that many pupils also struggled with traditional theory materials. I began writing theory workbooks designed specifically for violinists, carefully structured so that each concept is introduced in small steps, revisited regularly and applied directly to practical playing.

The result was a series that pupils approached with confidence rather than anxiety — often racing ahead to get to the more fun pages later in the books.

Music for mixed-ability string groups

Around the same time I founded Chaddesley Junior Strings and encountered another familiar problem: suitable repertoire for groups with widely differing abilities. Much of the existing music available then either bored the more advanced players or overwhelmed beginners.

Once again, I began writing my own pieces, ensuring that every part was musically interesting, technically appropriate and suitable for performance. These arrangements proved highly successful and became the basis of the Hey Presto string ensemble publications.

Hey Presto Strings officially launched in September 2010, and within months Music Teacher magazine featured the story behind its creation.

The Top Ten technique series

Some years later, a conversation with a fellow teacher highlighted another gap: concise technical exercises that allow players to focus on coordination, control and sound without extensive note-reading. This idea became the Top Ten series — short, targeted studies organised into sets of ten exercises.

In 2016 the violin and viola series were published by Spartan Press. Today the books are once again self-published, and the series has expanded to include a cello version developed in collaboration with my colleague Rachael Perry.

Top Ten has received enthusiastic reviews from The Strad, ARCO Magazine and AUSTA Magazine.

---

Today, several publications have been developed in collaboration with specialist colleague, cellist and teacher Rachael Perry, who co-authored the cello editions of the Top Ten series, the ABRSM-compatible cello scale charts and Music Theory for Double Bass.

Hey Presto materials are widely used by individual teachers, schools and music services in the UK and internationally. Every publication is developed directly from real teaching experience, refined through practical use in lessons and ensembles, and designed to support clear, confident musical progress from the very first lesson through to more advanced study.

My own pupils and ensemble members have loved using these books and music — I hope you will too.

Georgia

---

Rachael Perry – contributor

Rachael Perry is a graduate of the Royal College of Music. She was principal cellist with the Bophuthatswana National Chamber Orchestra, where she also taught at the Bophuthatswana International School.

She has performed with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and now works as a freelance cellist and teacher in the Midlands.

Rachael has contributed to several Hey Presto publications, bringing her extensive experience as both performer and teacher to materials for young string players.

---