Claire trained at The Colchester Institute, Homerton College (Cambridge), and Trinity College of Music. She holds a BA (Hons) in Music, a PGCE for class teaching in schools and an LRSM in piano teaching.

Claire specialises in whole class instrumental teaching - keyboard and recorder - in challenging Primary schools, and has gained places for four children at the Centre for Young Musicians at Morely College and a scholarship for a pupil to a specialist music school. She also teaches whole class music making; this has led to annual entries into Music for Youth and, in 2004, an invitation to the National Festival of Music for Youth at the QEH. Claire believes fervently in inclusive music teaching and the choirs and percussion groups given these opportunities were the whole year group, not audition-based.

Further music teaching includes musicianship and accompanying for the Bayswater Suzuki Group, and musicianship teaching for the London Suzuki Group Summer Camp, and as organist and choir trainer at a local church.

Until recently Claire sang with Collegium Musicum London and the New Renaissance Voices, but has now turned her attention to jazz piano, and is the keyboard player for the Take Four Jazz Band.