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…
Category: Melanie Spanswick
Guildhall Young Artists Online 2026
A Very Happy New Year! I wish you all a wonderful, healthy and happy 2026. We galloped through 2025 at such speed that I hope 2026 will slow down a little! There are many events and projects in the pipeline over the course of the coming year. A few highlights include several forthcoming publications: a…
Julian Jacobson plays the ‘Hammerklavier’: Part 2
This is the second post in pianist and professor Julian Jacobson’s mini-series for this blog focusing on Beethoven’s most complex master piece for the piano, the ‘Hammerklavier’ Sonata in B flat major Op. 106, which he will be performing in London on Sunday January 11th 2026 at Mill Hill Library. Today, he discusses his past…
Favourite Books of 2025
Wishing all my readers a very happy festive season As the year draws to a close, I’m focusing on my favourite books of 2025. I’d like to highlight the following five books which I’ve really enjoyed reading. This is a rather random collection of fiction and non-fiction; some were published in 2025 whilst others are…
Julian Jacobson plays the ‘Hammerklavier’: Part 1
My final guest writer of the year is pianist and piano professor Julian Jacobson, who is no stranger to my blog having written several guest post series already. This mini series focuses on Julian’s forthcoming performance of and lecture on Beethoven’s mighty ‘Hammerklavier’ Sonata No. 29 in B flat major Op. 106 on Sunday January…
Pre-Christmas Cheer
It’s December already and we all know what that means: Christmas time, for those who celebrate. After a busy term, which, for me, finished yesterday, it’s good to have some time to reflect on the past few weeks and look forward to the festive break. The Play it again: PIANO Prep Book (Schott Music), which…
Teaching Observations: How many is too many?
I’ve been musing on the topic of students learning and preparing a small amount of repertoire thoroughly as opposed to studying a much larger number of pieces in a perhaps more ‘laid-back’ fashion. This is a perennial subject, especially amongst adult returners, and is often quite a controversial issue. A common question in my Facebook…
A Master Class with Eliso Virsaladze
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….
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…