April and May has been a busy time with some interesting work and the conclusion of projects which have been in the offing for a while. These have been satisfying and worthy endeavours and, as usual, I’ve loved my involvement with each one.

During the last week of April I took a flight (on a ‘prop’ aircraft, which I always find exciting) to the Isle of Man. I had never been to this island before so when I was invited to adjudicate for a week, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse. I undertook five full days of judging classes for the Manx Music and Dance Festival, also known as the Guild, which is affiliated to BIFF or the British and International Federation of Music Festivals. This organisation provides a performance platform for musicians of all levels, ages and capabilities, and I’m proud to be one of its adjudicators.

This festival was a lot of fun. It started with a day or so of piano classes followed by vocal classes, choirs, folk groups and musical theatre revues. I was one of six adjudicators working that week which demonstrates the size of this festival. I wondered why there were so many entries and the reason soon became clear: music is taught in schools on the Isle of Man, because this self-governing island doesn’t adhere to the mainland’s ‘rules’ which, more recently, has included wiping music study out of most school curriculums. The results are plain to see on the Isle of Man, with a wide variety of students enjoying their music and sharing their performances at a festival seen as an important yearly event.

Over the past few weeks I’ve published two new books as part of the Schott Student Edition. They both feature the piano music of French late-Romantic composer Mel-Bonis or Mélanie Bonis. The first, Album pour les tout-petits Op. 103, contains 20 pieces for elementary level students, and the second, Scènes enfantines Op. 92, consists of eight works for intermediate level players. I enjoyed doing the necessary research for this project, and Schott and I are looking forward to adding to the series over the next few years. You can find out more about these volumes, and all five books I’ve contributed so far, by clicking here.

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to attend The Art of Piano Education Awards held in the Elgar Room at the Royal Albert Hall. Many will know the significance of this venue as it’s the home of the BBC Promenade concerts, also known as the ‘Proms’, held every year over the Summer season. The Elgar Room on the third floor of the Royal Albert Hall is ideal for hosting smaller events and it was well-suited for the children’s concert and award ceremony which took place on Monday May 12th.

This occasion was first and foremost an opportunity for young pianists to perform contemporary music and I joined the proceedings for the second half of a substantial concert. After a selection of young pianists originating from an array of different countries had given their performances, mostly with a band (jazz styles were definitely the order of the day), and had been awarded certificates and prizes, a group of music writers and composers gathered to collect various awards for their work. There were seven winners in total including me, and it was nice to be able to catch-up with friends and colleagues.

Organised by EVC Music (owned and run by Elena Cobb) and author, composer, and teacher Andrew Eales, who was MC for the awards ceremony, this is the second year of The Art of Music Education Awards and last year some of my books were also nominated.

I was accompanied to the event by Schott’s marketing executive Nathalie Lacloche and we made a day of it, starting with coffee and cake at Blooms just behind the V&A museum in Kensington, and finishing at Comptoir Libanais in South Kensington for lunch afterwards.

The award was given for my book Ghostly Piano Tales, and those who read this blog regularly will have almost certainly seen and heard some of the 24 little pieces and their accompanying ghoulish stories. I’m delighted that esteemed judges Penelope Roskell, Graham Fitch, and Andrew Eales liked this publication sufficiently to award the volume ‘The Best Printed Contemporary Sheet Music Prize’: there was some stiff competition at the finalists stage and you can find out more about these awards, the story behind them, and view all the winners by clicking here.

It’s a joy for my work to be recognised and I do hope my Ghostly Tales finds its way onto many a piano around the world: it’s already finding a place on a selection of piano exam syllabuses but more about that next month. My thanks must go to my Schott Music team, both in Mainz, Germany and the UK, who have enabled my work to be highlighted in this way.

Finally, I recently recorded an interview for the new Pianist Magazine Podcast, due to be published later this week, in which editor Erica Worth and I discuss all things piano. My interview is the eighth podcast in the series and you can find out more about it by clicking here.