Will Hay

Blog

  • Wedding Pianist, Piano Entertainer, Corporate Events Pianist

    Wedding Piano PageI have put a new page together this weekend on the gigging pianist side of my work as opposed to the teaching side which is now accessible from the main site as well as the blog and also through the domain weddingpianist.info

    The sample playlist below is from a recent ‘cocktail piano’ performance just outside Chester.

    SAMPLE PLAYLIST

    1. Norah Jones – Turn me on
    2. Bach – C major prelude
    3. Sinatra -My Way
    4. Miles Davis – So What
    5. Aerosmth – I don’t want to miss a thing
    6. Bach – Sarabande from 5th French
    7. Misty
    8. Bach – Gavotte from 5th French
    9. Billy Taylor – I wish I knew how
    10. Gershwin – I got rhythm
    11. Sinatra – I’ve got you under
    12. Debussy – Le petit Negre
    13. Let there be love
    14. Come fly with me
    15. Bach – Invention in D minor
    16. Monk – Off Minor
    17. Billy Joel- Just the way you are
    18. Handel – I know that my redeemer
    19. Carmichael – Georgia on my mind
    20. Billy Joel – She’s always a women
    21. Debussy – Doctor Gradus
    22. Billy Joel – She’s got a way
    23. Monk – Round Midnight
    24. Take Five – Brubeck
    25. Nina Simone – My baby just cares for me
    26. Mood Indigo
    27. Einaudi – Una Mattina
    28. Freddie Mercury – Crazy little thing called love
    29. Blue Moon
    30. Debussy – Golliwog’s CakeWalk
    31. Bublé – Home
    32. Sinatra – The Lady is a tramp
    33. Black Coffee
    34. Billy Joel – Baby Grand
    35. Summertime
    36. Bach – Courante from 5th Suite
    37. Well you needn’t
    38. Gershwin – They can’t take that away from me
    39. Handel – Hallelujah Chorus
    40. Norah Jones – The nearness of you
    41. Ballade pour Adeline
    42. Fauré – Pie Jesu from the Requiem
    43. James Blunt – Beautiful
    44. Katie Melua – Closest thing to crazy
    45. Sinatra – New York, New York
    46. Norah Jones – Come away with me
    47. Einaudi – Le Onde
    48. Van Morrison – Moondance
    49. Schumann – Dreaming
    50. Chopin – Raindrop Prelude
    51. I get a kick out of you
    52. Debussy – Clair de lune (During the lineup)

  • The lonely little piano

    The Lonely Little Piano 2nd Edition Front Cover

    One of my first posts on the blog last year, reviewed a story book for piano lovers by Tom Allan, published by Penketh Publications. The book is now in second edition and has an appealing new cover design worthy of mention. 

    “… The latest book from Penketh Publications written by Tom Allan is destined to delight piano lovers aged from 8 to 80.

    “A little blue-and-gold piano was just what Jessica and Jack had always wanted. But as the children grew older they played it less and less. The little piano was lonely – until he was joined by a strange new companion!”

    Available only direct from the publisher, priced £4.99 …”

  • Teaching dates this term – Summer 2009


    Click on the links below to view lesson times for this half term

    St. Werburgh’s: 20/22nd, 27/29th April, 6th, 11/13th, 18/20th May, 8/10th, 15/17th, 22/24th, 29th June, 1st, 6/8th July.

    Upton Heath: 21st, 28th April, 5th, 12th and 19th May, 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th June, 7th and 14th July.

    St. Oswald’s: 21st, 28th April, 5th, 19th May, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th June, 7th and 14th July.

    Chester Catholic High: 30th April, 7th, 14th, 21st May, 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th June, 2nd, 9th July.

    Tattenhall Park: 23rd, 30th April, 7th, 14th, 21st May, 4th, 11th, 18th June, 9th July.

    Saighton: 23rd, 30th April, 7th, 14th, 21st May, 4th, 11th, 18th June, 9th July.

  • Piano Points Results – Easter 2009

    Piano Points CertificateAt the end of the term, the top 11 total piano points achievers are as follows:

    1. Mollie from St. Oswald’s with 42 points,
    2. Alison and Katherine from Upton Heath with 40 points,
    3. Sophie from Queen’s with 39 points,
    4. Laura from St. Oswald’s, Emily from Tattenhall Park, Bella from St. Werburgh’s, Huw from Chester Catholic High and Jacob from Ellesmere Port Catholic High with 38 points,
    5. Beth and Kate from St. Werburgh’s with 37 points.

    68% of students have achieved the target 28 points for the term and will be receiving a certificate shortly.

    The top 5 Average points achievers for the term are:

    1. Mollie from St. Oswald’s on 4.20 points per lesson,
    2. Alice from Tattenhall Park on 4.00 points per lesson,
    3. Laura from St. Oswald’s on 3.80 points per lesson,
    4. Daniel from St. Werburgh’s on 3.78 points per lesson, and#
    5. Beth from St. Werburgh’s on 3.70 points per lesson.

    60% of students have managed and average of 3 or more points per lesson.

  • Piano Concert raises £160 for Kampala Music School

    Students at 150309 piano concertA big thankyou to all those who attended or performed at the last piano concert held at All Saint’s Church, Hoole which raised £160 towards a piano bursary for Kampala Music School. 

    Some parents have asked about a DVD of the concert as there was video and audio recorded. I have considered this and thought about maybe selling them to further boost the KMS fund however I have decided instead just to make available digital videos of individual student’s performances to their parents if they contact me to request them. They can be available in either DivX for playback on Windows PC or 3GPP for mobile phones.

    Technology did not quite permit the live webcast stream with video as originally intended though there was a low bandwidth audio stream captured by the webcam.

    Some higher quality audio clips of the concert will become available on my gallery or by special request.