Get set for Christmas

The half-term break offers a chance to relax and reflect on the exciting weeks ahead. Many of my students are preparing for their first performance platform event which takes place in just over two weeks. This gives all my students an opportunity to perform their chosen piece in a relaxed and friendly, informal environment. Whilst, I no …

Struggling with scales

One of the most important things I realised when I started teaching the piano ten years ago was the value of time I had invested myself (however reluctantly at the time) in learning scale patterns. They really are one of the fundamentals of piano technique upon which much of the repertoire is built. Making it …

New Arrival

Happy New Year! First announcement of the year is that I am now a daddy. Eleanor Felicity was born on 2nd January weighing 8lb 10oz. She is a gorgeous little girl (not that I’m biassed at all) and seems to enjoy vying for attention with Geoffrey and Ruxpin when she isn’t draining her mother’s milk! She …

Autumn Leaves Project

This term, my students have been creating a backing track for an Autumn Leaves video I made. Most have chosen to use a drum track and record a performance of their piano piece along with the drums. This provides the extra challenge of playing in time with the drums! We have used Tape Machine and …