First Class Hons Degree from UHI in Music. Acting school graduate. Available to teach beginner - advanced in singing, beginner guitar and advanced in performance mentoring, working at your own pace.

Find out more about Kim Oehme

• When did you first develop a passion for music and your favourite instrument?

  Though my parents never played any instruments, they love music and I have a lot of memories of listening to music in the house growing up, especially on Sundays after cleaning, my mum would put on records and dance around the house whilst she cooked Sunday dinner. Music has always been a place of safety and connection for me. When I was a child at school I played the recorder then for a short while the flute, but I lost interest in playing during my teen years. It wasn't until I became an adult in my 20s before I started to learn to play music again, and I started with the guitar. I went to college and studied music at 23, choosing the guitar as my instrument. I left that at HNC level to go to drama school and that's where I started getting singing lessons. I firmly believed that I "couldn't sing" and it's taken me a long time to move past that. I eventually went back to University in my 30s to finish music education and studied singing there, qualifying with a BA Hons in Applied Music. I was very discouraged from studying or pursuing music in School, and so I have found my way back to it because the desire - the need - has never really left me alone. I love writing songs and playing guitar and singing so much, I'm not quite sure how to function as a happy person without it!

• Is there a particular type of music or artist that you listen to on a loop without it driving you crazy?

  So many. Older albums that come to mind are The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Was obsessed with that in my teens and still am. I listen to it very regularly. Another one is Fairground Attraction - the First of a Million Kisses. We used to listen to this CD so much in the car, and I still think some of the songs in this album are just totally sublime. Bon Iver's first two albums had a big effect on me and still do - he has quite the ability to tap into nostalgia in a way that resonates deep with me.

• Explain to us the most difficult or riveting course you could personally give to a student of music.

  Honestly, the thing that most students find difficult is HOW to practice, which I spend a lot of time going over, especially for guitar! Knowing how to practice and at what speed to do so is very challenging for most folks, and ironically, going slow and steady is the fastest way to make progress, but it is very hard for most people! Learning at the speed of no mistakes is the quickest way to doing anything well.

• What do you think is the most complicated instrument to master and why?

  Completely depends on each individual! I have found the guitar easy in comparison to the piano - many others would find it the opposite, or would find singing impossible but fiddle accessible. It's very personal. For me, I think the low whistle is very hard - I have tried to learn it and my hands just.... won't. I can't imagine being able to play it fast with all the inflections and precise movements required! And then secondly, I think singing is quite complicated because the body is the instrument and it can change so easily from one day to the next, so having a decent amount of confidence and tools to work through the challenges of using your own body to make sounds you want to feel happy with is just a constant thing, which is fun and challenging and is just always evolving and changing!

• What are your keys to success?

  Practicing slowly and intentionally to play with ease and speed. Persistence. Deep breaths. More practice. Learn to enjoy where you are. Get a teacher!

• Name three musicians you dream of meeting in your favourite bar in the early hours of the morning. Explain why.

  Tom Waits - imagine his chat? yes please
  Bonnie Raitt - I just need to know how she does some of those amazing things with her voice, she's amazing.
  Joni Mitchell - again, imagine her chat. Would love to speak to her about songwriting and art in general. What a life.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to music or your days at music school.

  Showing up and participating is actually all that is required of a learner. The metaphor of 'going fishing' is a beautiful way to see it. It's not really about what you catch, it's about showing up and standing in the river. Sometimes the outcome is that you catch a big fish and that's great and super exciting, the process of it all contributes to this feeling of success, but it's like climbing from one mountaintop to another. You can only really enjoy the sweetness of the view after the effort of the climb. They balance eachother out. Turn up, go fishing. Enjoy the process. Sometimes you'll catch a big one, sometimes you won't. But what you get out of the experience as a whole ends up being less about the big fish and more about standing in the river, and that's where all the pleasure is.

• What are the little touches that make you a Superprof in music?

  My history and experience in acting and music has given me a unique look at how we use the voice for both singing and performance in general, and there are so many overlaps that didn't come up in studying singing, I found it kind of astonishing! That, combined with the fact that I am an adult learner of music gives me a perspective that assists my teaching in a unique way. I remember learning the guitar, I remember the very first chord I tried to play, and I remember struggling so much with singing, tension, holding on, voice cracking, all of it. I found it very hard, and now I can do both quite well, and even though I feel I can do both well, I am still learning and working on it all the time, I am always learning new instruments! I am currently getting fiddle lessons and always keeping myself in the position of learner because this helps me to remember how hard it can be, and enables me to move first with empathy, to relate to folks that find learning hard. It's all a process, you must leave your ego at the door and trust the process, and try to enjoy it as you're doing it!