GUEST ARTICLES
A series of posts written by guest writers on many aspects of pianism and music education.
Chicken Wings: Amy Reynolds
Devised by my ex pupil Amy Reynolds, ‘Chicken Wings’ may be of interest to anyone focusing on the elbow. Many pedagogues feel this part of the body to be of real importance when playing the piano, and Amy felt compelled to write about her recent discoveries. I have reproduced her blog post here. Chicken Wings…
11 ways to kick start your practice routine: Evgenia Chudinovich (GéNIA)
Happy World Piano Day! Today’s guest writer is Evgenia Chudinovich (GéNIA). GéNIA has written for my blog before and you can read her very popular article here. She is a highly experienced pianist, teacher, author, composer, and creator of Piano-Yoga®. Here, she offers some practice tips for those in need of some inspiration. Have you…
A Young Pianist’s Journey: Amy Reynolds
Today’s blog is a guest post written by my student Amy Reynolds. Amy came to study with me a year ago, and together we’ve enjoyed quite a journey. Here, in her own words, she explains how we went about obtaining her dream, which was to study the piano at a British music conservatoire. After hours…
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…
The Harpsichord: Katharine May
This post has been written by harpsichordist, pianist, teacher, and writer Katharine May. Katharine teaches the instrument and gives regular concerts, both as a soloist and chamber musician. I am delighted to be writing for Melanie`s blog, and sharing with you my love and enthusiasm for the harpsichord, which I`ve been playing for most of…
Memories of Moscow: Alicja Fiderkiewicz
I’m pleased to introduce Polish concert pianist Alicja Fiderkiewicz on my blog. Alicja enjoys a busy career. She studied at the renowned Central School of Music in Moscow, which is attached to the Moscow Conservatoire. Here, she recalls her time at the Central School and provides a fascinating glimpse into the professional training of young…
Maintaining Concentration in Piano Playing and Practice: GéNIA
Russian pianist, teacher, composer, and founder of Piano-Yoga®, GéNIA has kindly written this fascinating and very helpful guest post. It focuses on the most effective methods of keeping concentration during practice and playing. Often pianists mistakenly believe that many of their challenges manifest due to a lack of practice or lack of skills, rarely…
Introducing Stringbabies®: Kay Tucker
My guest writer today is ‘cellist Kay Tucker who is the founder of Stringbabies®. Stringbabies® students learn to sing and play simple songs based around the tuning and technical progression on their instruments. At the same time they learn a notation system based around shapes which progresses very naturally into conventional notation. An important part…