Teacher of Singing, Piano and Musicianship / Theory
With 15 years of teaching experience, Aimee now lectures in practical musicianship, sight-singing, and aural skills at the junior conservatoire of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, is a staff member of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Junior Chorus, teaches singing and musicianship at the National Youth Choir of Scotland Angus Regional Choirs which she also directs, and teaches privately from her home studio in Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire.
She offers tuition in voice, piano and musicianship skills to both children and adults, is a member of the PVG scheme and is trained in safeguarding and child protection. Her teaching philosophy is simple: giving students the tools that they need to progress and achieve in their chosen discipline, while nurturing a love for music and having fun!
Private lessons are given from Aimee's home in Bonnybridge or in students' homes for an extra charge and are priced at £30 for one hour or £15 for 30 minutes.
Qualifications and Training
2015: English National Opera Opera Works Young Artist Training
2012: Royal Northern College of Music Master of Music (Solo Performance) with Distinction
2011: University of Roehampton Certificate of Professional Development Music Education (Kodály)
2010: University of Glasgow Master of Music by research (Musicology) with full scholarship
2008: University of Glasgow Master of Arts (Music with papers in Spanish) with 1st Class Honours
2005: Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music Grade 8 Piano
Extensive additional training in singing pedagogy (including Voice Workshop Classical Pedagogy and Teaching Young Voices courses), Kodály musicianship, choir leading, drugs and alcohol awareness, suicide prevention, animateuring, work with homeless adults, work with ASN and SEN.
Testimonials
'Hi Aimee - thought you would like to know that C gave a super performance in her exam today...completely blew them away! Hurrah! Thank you so much for preparing her so well...just wonderful.'
- G. Durick
'I started singing lessons with Aimee last November. My goal was to prepare for a singing recital in June of this year. Aimee was the perfect coach, lessons were fun and challenging. She will bring out the very best in students who are prepared to work hard. I have had a wonderful year studying with her. The recital in June was a great success and I gave another recital in October. I consider myself a very lucky student to have her as my vocal coach.'
- Fiona Shaw
'I had lessons with Aimee when she was in Manchester for about six months. Her lessons were great, well structured and tailored to your individual needs. I always left really positive ready for the next lesson. Aimee is a great inspiration and I was able to achieve an amazing result at a local music festival from having lessons with her.'
- Joanna Brown
With 15 years of teaching experience, Aimee now lectures in practical musicianship, sight-singing, and aural skills at the junior conservatoire of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, is a staff member of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Junior Chorus, teaches singing and musicianship at the National Youth Choir of Scotland Angus Regional Choirs which she also directs, and teaches privately from her home studio in Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire.
She offers tuition in voice, piano and musicianship skills to both children and adults, is a member of the PVG scheme and is trained in safeguarding and child protection. Her teaching philosophy is simple: giving students the tools that they need to progress and achieve in their chosen discipline, while nurturing a love for music and having fun!
Private lessons are given from Aimee's home in Bonnybridge or in students' homes for an extra charge and are priced at £30 for one hour or £15 for 30 minutes.
Qualifications and Training
2015: English National Opera Opera Works Young Artist Training
2012: Royal Northern College of Music Master of Music (Solo Performance) with Distinction
2011: University of Roehampton Certificate of Professional Development Music Education (Kodály)
2010: University of Glasgow Master of Music by research (Musicology) with full scholarship
2008: University of Glasgow Master of Arts (Music with papers in Spanish) with 1st Class Honours
2005: Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music Grade 8 Piano
Extensive additional training in singing pedagogy (including Voice Workshop Classical Pedagogy and Teaching Young Voices courses), Kodály musicianship, choir leading, drugs and alcohol awareness, suicide prevention, animateuring, work with homeless adults, work with ASN and SEN.
Testimonials
'Hi Aimee - thought you would like to know that C gave a super performance in her exam today...completely blew them away! Hurrah! Thank you so much for preparing her so well...just wonderful.'
- G. Durick
'I started singing lessons with Aimee last November. My goal was to prepare for a singing recital in June of this year. Aimee was the perfect coach, lessons were fun and challenging. She will bring out the very best in students who are prepared to work hard. I have had a wonderful year studying with her. The recital in June was a great success and I gave another recital in October. I consider myself a very lucky student to have her as my vocal coach.'
- Fiona Shaw
'I had lessons with Aimee when she was in Manchester for about six months. Her lessons were great, well structured and tailored to your individual needs. I always left really positive ready for the next lesson. Aimee is a great inspiration and I was able to achieve an amazing result at a local music festival from having lessons with her.'
- Joanna Brown
'Aimee Toshney sang a captivatingly fresh and sweet Zerlina.'
Louise Schweitzer, The Brighton Argus, Don Giovanni
'Aimee Toshney’s Zerlina - charmingly gullible, wickedly taken advantage of - produced a real treat with her two main arias. Just a fraction edgy and loud, yet also luscious and enchanting.'
Roderick Dunnet, Behind the Arras, Don Giovanni
'Aimee Toshney was a vibrant Susanna, with a clear voice and an obvious stage presence.'
TyneOut Magazine, The Marriage of Figaro
'Aimee Toshney in the title role, who made her natural Scottish accent actually sound rather sultry...she sang and acted very well and her final rejection of Don Jose was done with heartless panache.'
William Marshall, Huddersfield Examiner, Carmen ('Huddersfield wowed by performance at Town Hall')
'Stefan Janski has done that brilliantly, and the singers in the 'serious' roles, bringing intensity and intelligence to movement and expression, are a credit to him as well as to the musical training they've been given. It's an object lesson in period performance, too: Roger Hamilton obtains a superb Handelian sound from the orchestra in the pit, and the singers show a mastery of baroque style that many of their older professional colleagues would be hard put to emulate... Aimee Toshney excelled in the straight soprano role of Romilda.'
Robert Beale, Manchester Evening News, Serse
'A very talented singer and actress...you have the ability to make the stage your own. There is a real sense of presence when you appear, even in the simplest act of 'sashaying' across the stage...a real gift.'
Keith Cheetham, Late Director, Focus Opera
'No fewer than 44 solo parts are listed...the quality of singing and acting is consistently, inspiringly high.'
Andrew Clark, The Financial Times, Paul Bunyan
Concert
'A sparkling night of entertainment.'
Craig Borland, The Buteman, Concert for the Bute Arts Society
'From the very beginning of the performance there was a special sense of atmosphere, matching the events of the gospel story as we journeyed through it. ..soprano Aimee Toshney shared with us the deepest of emotions, singing the part of Mary, the mother of Jesus, after seeing him die.'
JH, www.congletonchoralsociety.org.uk
'What a terrific night of entertainment at our last Burns Supper in “The Glasgow Art Club” in Feb 2016, which was made perfect with songs from a superb soprano Aimee Toshney. The feedback we got from our patrons was fantastic and I would not hesitate to book her again for 2017. Aimee gives a real depth of feeling to any of Robert Burns’ songs. It is a must to get her to sing “Oh Whistle and I'll Come Tae Ye, My Lad” a song which she completely owns. Her sparkling performances will delight any audience.'
David B. Vennard - President, the Glasgow Haggis Club (rebooked 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)
'It was just brilliant having you with us at the week-end. You were so responsive, musical, flamboyant and it was a real joy to be in front, conducting you. As I said, I loved the focus of your voice, and well done you for being so game to go for those runs at the speeds we were taking it, especially on Sunday!'
Marion Dodd - Conductor, Roxburgh Singers, formerly BBC Singers
'A real showstopper came from Aimee Toshney in Tesori's 'Girl in 14G'...altogether a most enjoyable and varied programme.'
Opera Scotland, on Burns to Bernstein at Ayr Gaiety Theatre
'Aimee's recital was a real delight...long, clear phrasing...she projected her personality superbly...brought tears of laughter from her audience.'
Geoffrey Roberts, on cabaret recital for Saddleworth Chamber Concerts Society
'I felt I just had to email and tell you how much I enjoyed your recital at Ayr Town Hall Council Chamber last Sunday afternoon. I loved your very expressive delivery and you were pitch perfect. A good selection of songs too. I was also very impressed with Ewan's excellent sensitive accompaniment.'
Susan Porteous, Vice-Chair, Ayr Arts Guild, on Songs for A Sunday Afternoon at Ayr Town Hall
'Thank you both for a splendid concert yesterday. We were greatly impressed and enjoyed the afternoon immensely. You deserve to go far. Good luck with your careers.'
Michael Hitchon, Treasurer, Ayr Arts Guild, on Songs for A Sunday Afternoon.
'It also provided the opportunity for individual apprentice artists of the Festival to shine in solo moments - which indeed they did, presenting various lyrical songs mostly of both Delius and Samuel Barber...Scottish soprano Aimee Toshney brought out the amber glow of another refrain which caps each stanza of the song "Autumn" ("No one knows where to!").'
Richard B. Beams, Opera con Brio review of 'Delius and the Americans' concert, Wexford Festival Opera
'Stylish singing and well-presented...attractive ornaments and good coloratura...musical and accomplished singing...the quality of the voice was outstanding...this aria, especially the first half, really was very special...'
Lynne Dawson, Head of Vocal and Opera Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music, on recital, RNCM Opera Theatre
'...this reviewer is happy to pick Aimee Toshney’s Song to the Moon by Dvořák as particularly moving. The music, obviously but the singer’s extra mile, definitely.'
Tim Pomeroy - Voice For Arran review of McLellan Arts Festival gala concert, Isle of Arran
SAME Conference
Choir Leading
'There's just something about you - you just ooze positivity!' Janice M, The DAISY (Domestic Abuse Integrated Support) Project
(Learn to Live Project, 'Blood Red Roses' project, International Women's Day tasters 2016 and 2017