Teaching and performing go hand in hand, says Leighton star Joe Ashman
Talented young star Joe Ashman is sharing his professional experience in musicals and panto with a new generation of aspiring young singers and actors.
The former Edlesborough School student – who lives in central Leighton Buzzard – has started giving singing lessons, drawing on his own training and background but with a fun element too.
Joe, 22, who played Aladdin in last year’s pantomime at Dunstable’s Grove Theatre, explains: “It’s important that we’re not just doing scales for 30 minutes.
“I always want to hear what sort of music they like, what their favourite Disney movie is etc, then I can teach them technique in the songs they will enjoy, without it getting boring.”
Joe recalls the classes he went to as a child: “They were very poor and I was just another kid – I’m sure the teacher did the same lesson with everyone.
“But it taught me to do the opposite with my students. Teaching and performing go hand-in-hand and in this industry you never stop learning.”
Some of Joe’s pupils are keen to follow a career in performing arts while others sing purely for pleasure.
“I’d never push someone into showbusiness,” he says. “But I’m always happy to nurture someone who expresses an interest.”
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