Step Parikian

What is it about me and maths?

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Music must have been the first of my long-standing passions; my father was a violinist so I grew up with music always in the house.

Cricket and maths were the other two and cropped up at roughly the same time - an inspirational maths teacher coinciding with cricket in the playground, at home and on the (black and white) TV.

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I can't imagine life without any of them, but maths is top of the list. Music and cricket (in fact, the arts and sport in general) are an essential part of education and daily life, but our daily use of maths, not to mention how well it trains the brain, puts it top (in my book at least).

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So, when I took a step back from 30+ years in orchestral management due to the pandemic, I naturally wanted to find a way of sharing my love of maths. Having recently helped my two daughters to successful GCSE and A level grades, I feel confident in tutoring others who need a guide through topics they are finding difficult.

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I have now been tutoring successfully (see recommendations) since the summer of 2021. My current pupils range from Y5 (10 years old) to Y11 (16), which gives me the opportunity to use my knowledge of the syllabus from early years, through 11+, 13+ and up to GCSE. I can also help A level students, having gained A grades in both Pure and Applied Mathematics.

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Alongside my love for music and maths, I strongly believe that children should be given opportunities to take part in any sport.

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One Sunday morning, walking into Spencer Cricket Club and seeing a sea of young players, I realised that the game was very much alive and that I wanted to be involved in a bigger way than my decidedly average playing career.

Ten years on and the girls section at Spencer CC has grown from 30 to 500 under my leadership. This has given me plenty of opportunities to use my ECB Level 2 coaching qualification.

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As well as cricket, I coach hockey at Spencer. For the last four years, I have been running a junior team that plays in an adult league; we created the team to address the lack of match opportunities for the older girls, and I am very proud to have received Volunteer of the Year Award in the 2022 Active Wandsworth Awards, and Spencer Hockey Junior Section Coach of 2023.

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My career in music started as a sound engineer, working with the likes of The Smiths, The Fall, Billy Bragg and Jeff Beck. A move sideways into orchestral management has seen me touring the UK, Europe and much of the rest of the world (favourite place - hard to choose between Hong Kong and Phnomh Penh, although Seville must come close), as well as overseeing concerts and recordings in venues from Abbey Road Studios to Buckingham Palace and the Royal Albert Hall.