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Popi Charitaki

Director/ Piano teacher/ Greek Dancing teacher

Popi Charitaki was born in Athens, Greece and lived and worked in England since 2002. She holds a diploma in Music Harmony and in 2014 she completed her studies as a Preschool educator (CACHE Level 3 Diploma: Early Learning and Childcare pathway), and in 2017 she completed the Trinity CME (Level 4 Certificate for Music Educators, Trinity College London). Her studies continue in music composition at the Open College for the Creative Arts. Since 2005 she has gained great experience in teaching music and piano in several public schools and privately. From 2009 to 2018 she was an educator in the Kindermusik program, while at the same time, she had the role of supporting teachers from the region of Greece / Cyprus / Middle East. Popi has extensive experience in Special Education and with her students, she has taken part in an international documentary on Autism, which has received over 80 awards around the world, part of which is accompanied by musical compositions by Popi Charitaki. Since 2012, her uniquely visionary collaboration with Eleni Lagoudaki has led to a series of international presentations, seminars, and the creation of educational interactive games inspired by the philosophy and methodology of SoundstepsbyEL. In 2018 Popi created 'Armonia Music Tuition and Creative Space' in Leicester. Popi is also the leader of the Leicester Greek Dancing Group since 2016.

Yimin Wang

Piano Teacher/ Piano Technician

 

Yimin Wang, a piano Tutor from Shanghai, boasts 16 years of teaching experience and is currently pursuing a master's degree in music therapy at the University of Derby.

 

She is a certified advanced piano teacher from the Central Conservatory of Music and the China Conservatory of Music. She serves as an examiner for the China Conservatory of Music Grading of Arts for Social Education. Furthermore, Yimin holds a Level 5 qualification in Early Childhood Education from New Zealand. She has dedicated nine years to studying ballet in her spare time.

 

Her dedication to excellence has earned her accolades, including the "International Excellent Tutor" at the Hong Kong Youth Arts Festival and the "Excellent Guide Award" at the China-UK International Music Festival, among a total of 12 prestigious awards. Through her steadfast principles of "Persistence, Exquisiteness, Pleasure," along with her effective teaching philosophy： Playing piano is not only a skill, but more about the depth of how to understand music, and how to make the music beautiful and colourful; Music is one of the ways to achieve happiness. Moreover, learning musical instruments helps to develop your personality.

 

Yimin has significantly benefited her students, leading them to remarkable achievements. The students have won awards in the following piano competitions. Three of them have even won international championships:

The Global International Musicians Association, China-UK International Music Festival, Juilliard International Musicians Association of North America, Los Angeles International Youth Music Open Competition, Singapore International Piano Competition, Vienna International Association for Music and Culture Exchange, International Franz Liszt Piano Competition, and Hong Kong International Youth Art Festival.



Helen Butterfield

Violin Tutor/ Rusty Strings conductor

 

Helen Butterfield is a highly respected Violin Tutor with over 25 years of experience teaching children from 5 years of age to adults. She is passionate about allowing the student to follow their own musical journey, whether it be to achieve graded exams or to learn for fun. Helen is proficient in preparing students for graded exams under ABRSM and Trinity Exam Boards, but also teaches folk music styles, and introduces a variety of genres into a student's repertoire. Over the years she has taught in schools, community centres, at home, and online.

Her career has also given her skills and expertise in delivering community music activities, including leading choirs and junior orchestras, and developing and leading innovative community music projects involving collaborations with filmmakers, visual artists, and partner community organizations.  This has enabled Helen to prepare her students for ensemble playing and extend their musical experiences beyond the instrumental lessons. She has also worked extensively as a Community Worker, mostly in Community Arts, which has encouraged her to strive to widen opportunities for more deprived sections of the community to take part in music learning and experiences. Her work at the music scheme at Woodgate Community Centre for over a decade has enabled Helen to contribute to this goal.

Helen is a member of the Leicester Symphony Orchestra and plays in a modern country band. She also plays and records in an Americana duo and has played and recorded with a range of musicians. She also runs a monthly music session and is very involved in the local music scene as a player and supporter.

Frances Deepwell

Deepwell Arts Owner

 

Frances had a long and successful career in higher educational development and digital education. Arts and crafts though, have always been very important in Frances’ life, as her mum is the painter, Rosemarie Deepwell. Frances studied art through school, with a particular leaning towards three-dimensional sculptures in ceramics and wood, as well as block printing. She has continued with pottery and drawing as a side activity for herself and encouraged her children with many and varied crafts and creative hobbies. Frances believes in the power of arts and crafts to form social connections and foster wellbeing, which is much needed at this time. That is why she launched Deepwell Arts for those who want to develop their skills in artistic expression with a range of media, and for those who just want to experience the process of making. Deepwell Arts also hosts workshops and events at a beautiful arts-and-crafts venue in Oxford.


Dionysia Kollia

Artist/ Byzantine Iconography teacher

 

Dionysia or Denise for the English speakers, was born and raised in Athens. She moved to the UK in 1991 and studied photography. She has volunteered at schools in Peloponnese, and Corfu, Greece and the Kilby school in Leicestershire, giving art lessons and preparing many theatrical sceneries for school plays. Dionysia worked as a scenery producer for a children’s musical for the National Theatre of Corfu. Dionysia studied iconography from a young age. Orthodox iconography is a way of expressing spiritual truth through art. Icons are windows into the divine, helping people connect with God and the Saints. The unique style and symbols used in the icons, point beyond the physical world to reveal deeper spiritual realities. It is a way to experience timeless faith and connect with the sacred, especially during prayer and meditation. It’s a visual language that has remained largely unchanged for centuries, acting as a living connection to the ancient Church.

She lives in a small village in Leicestershire with her husband Presbyter father Ioannis Provatas and their nine children. 

Krisztina Dufala

Creative Wellbeing leader

Krisztina Dufala, born in Hungary and raised in Poland, has a rich background in visual arts, theatre, choir, and various dance forms. She holds two master’s degrees in linguistics and speaks eight languages. A pivotal software translation project in Mexico ignited her passion for salsa dancing and Mexican art. She met her husband at a salsa class, moved to the UK, and they taught Cuban Salsa together. Krisztina also has experience working with vulnerable groups, and as a trainee creative therapist she uses dance and art to enhance wellbeing. After becoming a mother, she found joy in creative activities with her child. She is now studying Holistic Integrative Art Therapies to combine art, movement, and mindfulness in her work.Â