Today’s guest post has been written by Israeli pianist, teacher and writer Rami Bar-Niv, who is no stranger to my blog. Rami has recently published a new book, ‘Piano Playing Wisdom’, and in this post, he writes about the inspiration behind it. Piano-Playing Wisdom After the success of my book ‘The Art of Piano Fingering:…
Category: Melanie Spanswick
Remain Composed Podcast
Happy World Piano Day! Today is World Piano Day, which is now an annual worldwide event. It takes place on the 88th day of the year because of the number of keys on the instrument being celebrated. Established in 2015, by composer Nils Frahm, it is now well known across the globe, and it forms…
Composing Educational Piano Music
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of judging the Pianist magazine Composing Competition. I’ve done this really fun ‘job’ for the past five years alongside my superb colleagues and fellow judges, owner of The Piano Shop Kent, Nigel Scaife, Presto Music’s Product Manager, Matthew Ash, and, of course, Pianist magazine editor, Erica Worth….
Classic Piano Repertoire: Intermediate level
This article is the second part of a three-post series delving into suitable repertoire intended to develop piano playing at whatever your current level: it was published earlier in the week on Pianist Magazine’s website. Whether your practice is structured so that you are able to tackle the following repertoire altogether, or you decide to…
Guildhall Young Artists Residency Dubai 2026
An aspect of teaching that I particularly enjoy is the chance to meet and work with new students and this type of coaching is instantly possible on music courses. Here, one has the chance to work with a variety of students in a much shorter time frame than would be feasible with regular one-to-one coaching….
New Publication: Chakra Suite for Clarinet and Piano
The Chakra System The origins of the seven chakras are deeply rooted in Eastern spiritual traditions. The Chakras are considered the basis of human existence and the human chakra system is commonly accepted as seven energy ‘centres’ stretching physically from the spine to the crown of the head. This system is also representative of disparate…
Hope Is The Thing at Trinity College Chapel
Over the weekend I was fortunate to visit Cambridge University for a performance of a short choral piece that I wrote for choir a few years ago. This performance was held at Trinity College Chapel and conducted by the senior organ scholar, Augustine Cox. It formed part of a concert celebrating music by British and…
Classic Piano Repertoire: Elementary Level
I usually focus on practice tips for my bi-monthly Pianist Magazine column (this article was published on Pianist’s website last month) but what we play is just as important as how we practice it. As a teacher, I’ve found that the ‘progression’ of piano music for a student is vital. I teach many younger students…
Singing Ourselves in Time
The following article was first published on Pianist Magazine’s website a few months ago as part of my ongoing ‘5 top tips’ series. Singing. It can be a useful tool for pianists, or any instrumentalist, to help shape phrases, particularly when practising slower cantabile-style nocturnes, where it can encourage us to pay closer attention to…
Australian Guild of Music & Speech: The 2026 Piano Syllabus
This week I learned that nearly 60 of my original piano compositions have been included in the Australian Guild of Music & Speech examination board’s new 2026 piano exam syllabus. For a composer, it’s always a delight to hear that one’s music has been included in any publication, but for it to be featured in…
Snapchats Duets & Trios for Beginners
At the end of last year, my fourth publication, featuring original piano duets and trios for students, was released. The Snapchats Duets (four hands at one keyboard) & Trios (six hands at one keyboard) series began in 2016 with just one book containing mainly elementary level duets plus a few trios which are from Initial…
Julian Jacobson plays the ‘Hammerklavier’: Part 3
This is the final post in pianist and professor Julian Jacobson’s series examining the ‘Hammerklavier’ sonata in preparation for his lecture recital on Sunday January 11th at Mill Hill Library in London. In this article, Julian explores and examines some of the pressing preparation issues found whilst working at this epic piece. Purchase your tickets…