I haven’t posted a master class for a while and the following is fascinating. Given by esteemed Georgian pianist and pedagogue Eliso Virsaladze, it was filmed on October 5th, 2025 at Hong Kong City Hall for the Chopin Society of Hong Kong, China. Student Shujun Wang plays Chopin’s Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp minor, Op….
Author: Melanie Spanswick
Author of 33 mostly piano-related books, composer, adjudicator, examiner, and piano faculty member at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Going backwards to move forwards
My article for last month’s Pianist Magazine explores this important practice idea. As a general rule, I’m a fan of piano exams or any type of ‘test’ which encourages a student’s progress. Most teachers are delighted when their student gets to grips with a piece or an aspect of their piano playing enabling them to…
The Piano Teachers’ Course UK: My Year of Piano Teacher Training – Becky Flisher
My adult piano student Becky Flisher recently undertook the Cert PTC Piano Teachers’ Course and I asked her to write a little about her experience and how it might help shape her future piano teaching goals. Becky passed the course with a distinction. Last June, I took a leap and enrolled in the Cert PTC,…
Recordings as a useful practice tool: 5 Tips
This article was recently published on Pianist Magazine’s website. Many believe that we shouldn’t listen to recordings of our pieces before we learn to play them mainly because we run the risk of ‘copying’ the artists we are hearing. However, recordings can be of real value during the learning process. Here’s how you can use…
Piano Pedagogy Spotlight: An Interview with Chenyin Li – Part 4
In this final part of my interview series with Chinese concert pianist Chenyin Li we discuss the importance of teaching both in her life and to her work. Why do you love teaching? What is your teaching philosophy? For me, teaching feels like an extension of performing. At its heart, both are about communication. In…
Play it again: PIANO Prep Book
The piano is an intoxicating instrument. Those who have played in their youth often harbour a desire to return to it later in life. Piano ‘returners’ make up an increasingly large cohort of amateur pianists, and whether younger or older, it’s usually fairly easy to pick up again from where you left off. Progress can…
Piano Pedagogy Spotlight: An Interview with Chenyin Li – Part 3
This post is Part 3 of my Piano Pedagogy Spotlight interview series with Chinese concert pianist and piano professor Chenyin Li. In this article, we discuss Chenyin’s performing career. Tell us about your current performing activities. Do you play mostly solo recitals or concerti? Do you have a preference? At the moment I perform mostly…
Seeds of Hope: Music Aid for the Children of Palestine
Pianist, composer and teacher Alison Mathews is the brainchild behind this innovative concept. I was delighted to be asked to contribute a short piano piece to the book which sits alongside works by such renowned educational composers as Pam Wedgewood, Chris Norton, Wynn-Anne Rossi, and Elissa Milne. Alison was inspired by a film that she…
Top Piano Practice Tips: An Interview
UK-based Marcel Zidani is a concert pianist, teacher, and composer. He runs a large Facebook group called Adult Piano Beginners (click here to join) which currently hosts over 44,000 members, and it was this group that proved the original inspiration for my own Facebook group, Adult Piano Returners (click here to join). Marcel is also…
Piano Pedagogy Spotlight: An Interview with Chenyin Li – Part 2
Today’s post continues the Piano Pedagogy Series with Part 2 of four interviews featuring Chinese concert pianist and teacher Chenyin Li. In this post, we discuss Chenyin’s advanced study, research and her repertoire. You won a full scholarship to study with Tamas Vesmas at the University of Auckland. Tell us about your experience studying in…
Opus One Summer Music Festival
Over the summer, I had the good fortune to adjudicate at an up-and-coming music festival and competition in London held at the Royal Academy of Music (pictured above). The Opus One Summer Music Festival concluded its second edition this year, further establishing itself as an international platform for young musicians. The week-long programme running in…
Piano Pedagogy Spotlight: An Interview with Chenyin Li – Part 1
I’m continuing the popular ‘Piano Pedagogy Series’ on my blog today featuring the first of four substantial interviews with Chinese concert pianist and teacher Chenyin Li. Chenyin enjoys a busy concert career and, since 2011, has contributed to nearly 90 CDs and dozens of video performances as the exclusive pianist for Pianist Magazine. She is a piano…