PIANO & MUSIC EDUCATION
Devoted to all aspects of music education, this page features music festivals, events, and venues, as well as piano master classes, exam preparation, and competitions.
A Master Class with Freddy Kempf
It’s time for a masterclass and today’s offering was recorded at the Royal College of Music in London during October 2020. Taking place in the RCM’s Performance Hall, the class was given by renowned British-born pianist Freddy Kempf, who worked with two young RCM students, Nataly Ganina and Kirill Zheleznov. They played Chopin’s Scherzo No….
Tokyo International Piano Association (TIPA)
I’m extremely honoured to be on the faculty of this inspiring and versatile association, and, in today’s blog post, I would like to share a little more information about its achievements, aims and aspirations. The Tokyo International Piano Association (TIPA) was founded in 2016 by Japanese concert pianist and Artistic Director Aisa Ijiri. Aisa’s dream…
Master Class with Alfred Brendel
The following class is particularly interesting as it focuses entirely on Franz Liszt’s monumental Sonata in B minor S.178, and is hosted by legendary Austrian pianist Alfred Brendel. Recorded at the Royal College of Music in London, the class has been split between two pianists, Elmar Gasanov and Petr Limonov, both of whom have since…
Hamish Milne: reflective memories
The relationship between piano teacher and piano student can last a lifetime. When the teacher passes, inevitably, the student takes stock and reflects. Hamish Milne was a concert pianist and pedagogue. He was a highly respected, much-loved piano professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He taught there for over forty years and…
Master classes with Valentina Lisitsa
I’m championing the importance of public ‘class’ lessons and today’s post features Ukrainian pianist Valentina Lisitsa. Valentina enjoys a busy performing career. She established her YouTube channel in 2007 and has been hailed an internet ‘star’. The following classes have been filmed over a period of a few years. They illustrate her approach to performing…
Master classes with Olga Kern
In today’s post I’m continuing my quest to highlight master classes (or public lessons). YouTube is a wonderful resource for teachers and students where we can enjoy various filmed classes online. These videos allow us to learn and are all at our fingertips. Russian pianist Olga Kern was born in Moscow and studied at the…
Master Classes with Nelita True
In many respects a master class is a public lesson, the audience eavesdropping on proceedings. Attending public classes can be surprisingly beneficial both for students and teachers. We can all learn from observing the lessons of others. This is especially true when learning from esteemed pianists and teachers. I stumbled across this interesting filmed lesson,…
Federico Colli and Fazioli at Eton College
One of the joys of living in Windsor (in the UK) is the proximity to many excellent artistic events. There are concerts virtually every week at various churches in the town centre. Performances take place at the Windsor Theatre. You can also enjoy recitals at Eton College. The Windsor Festival runs during September every year…
Pro Corda at 50
Turning 50 is a special occasion. I celebrated my 50th birthday earlier this year and on Sunday I had the pleasure of attending the 50th Birthday of Pro Corda, which was marked with an afternoon concert held at the Purcell Room on the South Bank in London. Pro Corda Trust is a music and educational…
10 Tips for Piano Exam Success
I’m excited to have been invited to be an Honorary Master Teacher at the Tom Lee Academy in Hong Kong, and I’m looking forward to visiting the academy every year to work specifically with piano teachers. My first blog post for the Tom Lee website focuses on piano exams. This perennially popular subject is suitably…
Preparing for your piano course: 5 top tips
This month’s five tips for Pianist magazine’s newsletter examines the benefits of piano courses. My first article on this topic was published in the previous newsletter, and you can read it here. This article focuses on how to prepare for your course, with the aim of developing confidence so that you are able to both…
Montecatini International Piano Festival
I’m delighted to be attending the new Montecatini Piano Festival this year. As many will know from reading this blog, I love to travel with my work and consider it a privilege. I feel travelling is one of the best ways to explore a particular place, culture, or country. This festival is to be held…