Today’s post is a ‘round-up’ of my work over the past couple of months.

Book projects are coming to an end for this current year. I have two more to be published before 2026. The first is a beginners’ book for ensemble playing. This is (probably) the final book in my Snapchats duets & trios series. The series has been around for quite some time now and there are currently three books available, all published by 80 Days Publishing. These volumes contain short original duets (four hands at one keyboard) and trios (six hands at one keyboard) for students from initial level to Grade 6 of the UK exam board syllabus standards. They are a lot of fun to play, so do check them out by clicking here.

After working with some students on a school music scholarship open day last year, I was surprised, and rather perturbed, to discover that many of the youngsters attending the session couldn’t read music properly and therefore had real issues sight-reading even the easiest duets in Book 1 of my series. I decided to make it my mission (!) to write a duet and trio book entirely for beginners in this series, so that nice tunes can be enjoyed by two or three pianists at one piano, providing a satisfying and happier sight-reading experience.

Snapchats duets & trios for beginners fills this void and I can’t wait to record some of the pieces with my students. More on this publication soon.

The second book, to be published in October, is the Prep Book to be featured in my popular series Play it again: PIANO (published by Schott Music). This has been a mammoth undertaking and it’s taken a while, partly because we have completely changed the typesetting (no easy task) and redesigned the series going forward. We will also be doing this for Book 1, 2 and 3 gradually over the coming years as we prepare to translate them into several languages, starting next year with German.

I won’t say too much about the Prep Book at this point as all the relevant information will appear in a later post, but it’s intended primarily as a ‘warm-up’ volume to Book 1, partly because Schott and I have had many enquiries as to the publication of an easier book for those who are yet to reach Grade 1 level (where Book 1 begins). The Prep Book is for late beginner level to Grade 1, and it contains 37 pieces plus lots of technical help and advice, in a similar vein to the other books in the series. We will also be adding Play it again: PIANO repertoire books for each level, again, guided by you, the reader, as we’ve had frequent requests for new music coupled with more technical help.

Moving on to summer pursuits. After my trip to Budapest, Hungary, where I went on a little musical pilgrimage (you can read my post about this experience by clicking here), I had the opportunity to coach a wide variety of gifted young pianists who had come over from the Far East for a ‘London’ musical experience. The pupils hailed from Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand and Indonesia, and were on a trip organised by the First Education Group based in Hong Kong. I’ve worked for this organisation before (online, during the pandemic), delivering group classes, and it was lovely to be able to meet the team ‘in person’.

The classes were held over two days at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and after several hours of coaching over 30 pianists of all levels, we enjoyed a prize-giving ceremony and mini-concert. The RAM provided an excellent backdrop for this event, what with its impressive concert hall and beautiful Steinway model D.

The young pianists played a variety of repertoire, some of it from exam syllabuses, but I was pleased to hear more unusual works, too, such as a concert study by Edward MacDowell (from Op. 39) and the Caprice Espagnol, Op.37 by Moritz Moszkowski. Piano pieces were generally well-prepared and pupils were responsive and eager to learn.

The following Saturday, I was back at the RAM, this time to adjudicate for the Opus One Music Festival and Summer School. Organised by pianist, educator and forward-thinking entrepreneur Shirley Wu, this festival takes place in several countries – Canada, France and the UK. It grew out of the Festival de Musique Ça Va Bien Aller, a trilingual online festival launched in 2020 that brought together 15 international artists for weekly concerts during the pandemic, receiving praise from the Canadian Federal Government. Over time, the Opus One Music Festival has developed into an intensive summer course for conservatoire students and advanced amateur players. Younger pianists have now crept into the mix, as they often do, and these students undertook a week of classes and concerts as well as the addition of a new competition, all held in London.

I adjudicated the final competition session alongside fellow jury member, Michael Steer, and we were in for a treat. Most classes were piano solo, but there was a chamber music session as well.

A good many of the students playing in the competition had previously attended my classes the week before at the First Education Group event, proving how keen and dedicated these young students really are, partaking in copious musical events over the summer period. I’m looking forward to working with both organisations next year.

For those who enjoy podcasts, Pianist Magazine has a new series. Magazine editor and interviewer Erica Worth has already recorded many episodes and you can listen to them all by clicking here. My podcast is number eight in the series and I have attached the link below:

Finally, last Friday the new RSL Awards piano syllabus was published. Similar to other UK music exam boards, there are eight grades plus an initial or ‘debut’ pre-grade one syllabus. My piece – The Lady of Raynham Hall – from Ghostly Piano Tales (Schott), was selected for Grade 3 and appears alongside a collection of works ranging from classical and musical theatre, to jazz and pop styles. Click the link below to hear it:

Find out more about RSL’s new syllabus here.

Find out more about the Opus One Music Festival and Summer School by clicking here.

Find out more about Ghostly Piano Tales by clicking here.

Find out more about Play it again: PIANO by clicking here.

Top Image: David Josefowitz Recital Hall at the Royal Academy of Music (copyright: Melanie Spanswick).