Recent Blog Posts
Julian Jacobson plays the ‘Hammerklavier’: Part 1
By Melanie Spanswick
/ December 14, 2025
My final guest writer of the year is pianist and piano professor Julian Jacobson, who is no stranger to my...
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Pre-Christmas Cheer
By Melanie Spanswick
/ December 7, 2025
It's December already and we all know what that means: Christmas time, for those who celebrate. After a busy term,...
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Teaching Observations: How many is too many?
By Melanie Spanswick
/ November 30, 2025
I’ve been musing on the topic of students learning and preparing a small amount of repertoire thoroughly as opposed to...
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A Master Class with Eliso Virsaladze
By Melanie Spanswick
/ November 16, 2025
I haven't posted a master class for a while and the following is fascinating. Given by esteemed Georgian pianist and...
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Going backwards to move forwards
By Melanie Spanswick
/ November 9, 2025
My article for last month's Pianist Magazine explores this important practice idea. As a general rule, I’m a fan of...
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The Piano Teachers’ Course UK: My Year of Piano Teacher Training – Becky Flisher
By Melanie Spanswick
/ November 2, 2025
My adult piano student Becky Flisher recently undertook the Cert PTC Piano Teachers' Course and I asked her to write...
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Recordings as a useful practice tool: 5 Tips
By Melanie Spanswick
/ October 26, 2025
This article was recently published on Pianist Magazine's website. Many believe that we shouldn’t listen to recordings of our pieces...
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Piano Pedagogy Spotlight: An Interview with Chenyin Li – Part 4
By Melanie Spanswick
/ October 19, 2025
In this final part of my interview series with Chinese concert pianist Chenyin Li we discuss the importance of teaching...
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Play it again: PIANO Prep Book
By Melanie Spanswick
/ October 12, 2025
The piano is an intoxicating instrument. Those who have played in their youth often harbour a desire to return to...
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Piano Pedagogy Spotlight: An Interview with Chenyin Li – Part 3
By Melanie Spanswick
/ October 5, 2025
This post is Part 3 of my Piano Pedagogy Spotlight interview series with Chinese concert pianist and piano professor Chenyin...
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