I ended a busy year with two days of classes at the Yehudi Menuhin School last week, teaching on the Overseas Masters Winter Piano Academy. I love giving these classes and have done so on several previous occasions in 2012 and 2014, because the academy runs every other year. Malaysian pianist Bobby Chen organises the…
Category: Melanie Spanswick
5 Top Tips to Improve Your Warm-Up Regime
This article first appeared in Pianist Magazine’s Newsletter in August 2016. Most of us gain from a brief ‘warming-up’ or ‘pre-practice’ session. This might include stretching or playing very slowly. It could also involve negotiating simple piano exercises, sight-reading, or preparing mentally with a coffee! Everyone has their preferred method and I hope these suggestions…
Celebrity Christmas Gala at Kings Place 2016
Yesterday I spent a thoroughly enjoyable morning at Kings Place. It is a hub for the arts near Kings Cross Station in London. I soaked up a Christmas Gala concert with a difference. I don’t write many reviews. You’ll already know that if you are a regular reader of this piano blog and I rarely…
Around the Globe Piano Music Festival 2016
Colet House is located on the perpetually busy Talgarth road to the west of London, where it’s the home of the Study Society. Behind a perfunctory, inconspicuous door, lies a rather grand entrance hall which deftly transports visitors to a bygone era. I love places like this: the mystery behind the facade, the labyrinth of…
The Faber Music Piano Anthology
In 2016 I was invited to compile a new anthology for leading UK music publisher Faber Music. This hefty volume is designed to be a gift book for anyone who enjoys playing, or who fancies exploring, a large and varied collection of piano works. The volume was first available in a luxury hardback edition featuring…
A Master Class with Garrick Ohlsson
I’ve been working in Germany over the weekend, tutoring a bilingual piano workshop near Düsseldorf, so I thought it appropriate to highlight a master class today. Gelsenkirchen is a city in the North Rhine-Westphalia state of Germany. I’ve been visiting a couple of times a year since 2014. I provide piano classes (which are free…
5 Top Tips To Improve Your Listening Skills
My most recent Pianist Magazine newsletter article contains 5 tips designed to cultivate and improve our listening skills, and I thought it may be of interest to readers. We might think we hear what we play, but often our attention is focused elsewhere; finding notes, reading the score, pedalling – the list is endless. But…
A Year At A British Music Conservatoire: Lewis Kesterton
Music conservatoires. Opinions are rife as to whether they are an ideal way to study music. Some find them inspiring, others wish they had studied elsewhere. My own experience at the Royal College of Music was great. It was a really steep learning curve. Studying at such a great institution was a privilege. I will…
The Mindful Pianist: Mark Tanner
The Mindful Pianist is a book written by British pianist, author, teacher, composer, researcher, examiner and adjudicator, Mark Tanner. This volume forms part of EPTA’s, or European Piano Teachers Association, Piano Professional Series, and is published by Faber Music. I invited Mark to answer twelve questions about his life and diverse career as a musician. You’ve…
A Weekend at Jackdaws Music Education Trust
I had the pleasure of tutoring a second piano course at Jackdaws Music Education Trust over the weekend. Jackdaws offer residential and one-day instrumental and vocal courses. They also provide various education projects and a Young Artists Programme. Additionally, there are performances by world-class musicians. Piano courses are becoming increasingly popular. This includes weekend courses…
The Value of Lectures and Master Classes
For many pianists, teachers and students, master classes, lectures and workshops can play a fascinating and beneficial part of ongoing musical development. Last Friday night I attended the first event of the new London Piano Festival, of which pianists Katya Apekisheva and Charles Owen are artistic directors, held at King’s Place. Legendary Austrian pianist Alfred…
10 Top Tips To Pass Your Piano Exam
As the new term gets underway, many will be preparing for music exams at the end of the year. The aim of this post is to provide a few extra pointers and ideas for last-minute preparations Once the pieces have been learned, scales, arpeggios and technical work is all in place, how can students feel…