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.
Review in Faber Music’s Pianofforte Magazine
I’m very happy to be included in Faber Music’s Pianofforte Magazine. This magazine is designed for piano teachers, students and all those who are interested in music education. This yearly publication offers plenty or information about various books, scores and everything related to piano study. In the magazine, I review Chinese concert pianist Lang Lang’s new series of piano books, Mastering the…
Simultaneous Learning: The Definitive Guide by Paul Harris
Paul Harris is a highly respected and revered music teacher, author and educationalist, who is single-handedly changing the delivery of instrumental and vocal teaching. Paul, who has over 700 publications to his name, is in great demand as an examiner and adjudicator. He also leads workshops and seminars all around the world. As a pianist and teacher, I have admired and…
Variations for Judith: Contemporary Piano Music
This set of Contemporary pieces was a fascinating recent discovery. Entitled Variations for Judith for Piano, 11 short reflections on “Bist du bei mir” by G H Stölzel arranged by J S Bach. The collection was the brainchild of British composer Diana Burrell. She wanted to present a very special leaving gift to Judith Serota….
Charles Owen: Rhinegold LIVE at Conway Hall in London
I attended the third Rhinegold LIVE concert last night which was held at Conway Hall in London. This popular Series is curated by Rhinegold Publishing, and each recital has been excellent; all very different, fresh and compelling. It’s a pleasure highlighting events such as these because they proffer an opportunity to create an awareness of the innumerable feast of Classical concerts and recitals taking place in and…
Orchids for piano by Ed Hughes
A blog can provide the ideal opportunity to highlight less familiar Contemporary music, and this interesting set of pieces by British composer Ed Hughes (born in 1968), employs the piano in all its glory. Orchids consists of six movements written between 1990 and 2002 for a collection of fine pianists; Benjamin Morison, Stephen Gutman, Robert Saudek, Nicolas Hodges, Michael…
Faber Music launches the Lang Lang Piano Academy
Chinese concert pianist Lang Lang has already become a legend in the world of Classical music. He has many fans in the West, but he’s also developed a colossal following in the Far East, which has directly increased the Chinese appetite for Western classical music and more specifically, the demand for piano lessons. More than…
A few thoughts on Practical Musicianship and Keyboard Harmony
Today’s post highlights an important yet often forgotten element in music education. Most pupils take instrumental exams at some point in their musical training and are therefore familiar with aural and sight-reading tests. Most practical exams contain these elements, irrespective of level. However, a much broader-based training is necessary if pupils are going to become rounded and complete…
BBC Proms 2014
The BBC Promenade concerts are always an important feature in any music lover’s calendar, and it’s a great pleasure to highlight the 2014 programme. The concerts start on July 18th and run for nearly two months; 76 concerts in over 58 days to be precise. What a feat of organisation, requiring amazing artistic vision and imagination. The Proms is the largest classical…
Andrew Litton at Rhinegold LIVE
The second Rhinegold LIVE Rush Hour concert, curated by Rhinegold Publishing, was held on Monday at Conway Hall in London. Having attended the first concert a couple of months ago, I knew we were in for another treat. Rhinegold established their concert series in order to bring classical music to a wider audience, and with this in mind…
International Piano Master Classes with Angela Hewitt
The tenth Trasimeno Music Festival will be held from July 5th to July 11th 2014. The location is on Lake Trasimeno in the heart of Umbria. It is just twenty minutes from the beautiful historic city of Perugia. The Artistic Director, renowned British Canadian concert pianist Angela Hewitt, established the festival in 2005. She participates in…
BBC Young Musician 2014
I was recently invited to attend the 2014 BBC Young Musician Final. The BBC Young Musician has been in existence for over thirty-six years and during this period it has routinely identified the next generation of outstanding players. Amongst its alumni are Freddy Kempf, Emma Johnson, Michael Collins, Alison Balsom, Nicholas Daniel, Natalie Clein, and…
32 Pianists perform 32 Beethoven Sonatas
Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas represent the composer’s life journey, both as a composer and human being. From the early sonatas, which are stylistically akin to those of Mozart or Haydn, through to the final six, which are amongst the most sublime works ever written for the instrument. They are often performed as a complete cycle. However, they…