Josephine holds the Alfredo Piatti Chair of Cello at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
“Teaching is a great passion of mine. I have now been a Professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London for over 17 years and I am invited worldwide to give masterclasses, teach and act as a Jury Member Internationally.
Ingrained from an early age of how important good teaching is; both my parents are renowned pedagogues, my mother Patricia Noall was one of the main specialist violin and viola teachers at Wells Cathedral School where she taught for 40 years (one of the 4 major specialist music schools in the U.K.), teaching exceptionally young talented pupils, and my father Mark Knight is established as one of the most prominent Professors of his time, responsible for many internationally recognised artists including Lawrence Power and Philip Dukes. Recently retired as Professor of violin and viola at the Guildhall School of Music, (where he taught for over 40 years), he also held positions at the Royal Northern College of Music and was also a visiting Professor at Chethams School of Music.
Having attended Banff International Summer School in Canada, studying with the legendary Aldo Parisot, I realised that I had to have a chance to study intensely with this man and learn all that he had to offer, which was immense. The first leg of my journey was arriving at Yale University, New Haven, USA not knowing anyone, wondering what I had left behind in the U.K. and embarking on an extremely lonely but incredible adventure.
I had a 2 hour lesson every week which I held onto every word Mr. Parisot spoke, practising 8 hours a day for many months, not having any social life (not a choice but simply that I wasn`t enrolled in a degree programme so I didn`t meet anyone!) but then I started seeing the results and realised that his teaching was having a huge impact on my ability, both technically and musically and this just fuelled my desire reach my potential.
Having won a place at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York also studying under Aldo Parisot, I then finished my studies in America coming back home to the U.K. to embark on my career.
My musical upbringing as a child and my time in America formed my belief that as a teacher I aim to give all my students the technical foundation in order for each of them to think independently, and shine as an individual and musician.”