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…
Tag: Music Education
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….
Opus One Summer Music Festival
Over the summer, I had the good fortune to adjudicate at an up-and-coming music festival and competition in London held at the Royal Academy of Music (pictured above). The Opus One Summer Music Festival concluded its second edition this year, further establishing itself as an international platform for young musicians. The week-long programme running in…
Start Playing the Piano: Pianist Magazine
Pianist Magazine publishes several ‘extra issues’ per year and the latest one is out today. I’m writing a little about it as I recently proofread most of the articles: I’ve been proofreading for Pianist for the past couple of years. Intended as a beginners’ handbook, this concise 84-page guide offers a bevy of useful articles…
ANZCA Piano Exam Syllabus 2025-2027
ANZCA (Australian and New Zealand Cultural Arts Limited) are a music examination board popular across Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand. Based in Australia, they have been operating since 1938. ANZCA offers comprehensive programmes for most instruments and this year they have just published a new piano syllabus. There are three syllabus…
Ravel Master Classes led by Pierre-Laurent Aimard for G. Henle Verlag
French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard has teamed up with publisher G. Henle Verlag to offer a series of master classes in honour of the 150th birthday of French composer Maurice Ravel (1875 – 1937). This piano course is intended for young professional pianists who wish to receive advice and guidance from a leading interpreter of Ravel’s music. Pierre-Laurent…
World Piano Day 2024: Why play the piano?
A very happy ‘World Piano Day’ to all piano lovers around the world. We celebrate today because it’s the eighty-eighth day of the year, corresponding to the piano’s eighty-eight keys. Piano Day provides the perfect opportunity to evaluate why we play the instrument and what makes it the perfect hobby. In my Facebook group, Adult…
Julian Lloyd Webber at 70: Julian Lloyd Webber
Today’s guest post has been penned by Julian Lloyd Webber, who turns 70 today. A musician needing no introduction, I’m delighted to feature Julian’s work. This renowned ‘cellist has also become a beacon for music education, and, as the following article testifies, he has worked, and continues to work, tirelessly to ensure young people have…
Real Ear Training: Roland Perrin
My guest writer today is Roland Perrin. Roland has written a book entitled Real Ear Training, published by Faber Music. In this post, he describes the inspiration behind the book and explains how students will benefit from using it. My name is Roland Perrin. I am a jazz/world music/classical composer, pianist and educator, and you…
Indonesian Charm
Over the past nine days I have been touring in the Far East. It’s always a pleasure to work with students and teachers in different parts of the world, and fascinating to note the various similarities in teaching styles, despite the cultural differences. I began my trip in Indonesia, a country I visited briefly last…
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…
Five New Year Tips to Seriously Improve Your Piano Playing in 2019
Happy New Year! It’s January 1st 2019 and I hope you have all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas and New Year’s Eve. At the start of any new year, we make resolutions, create new goals, or perhaps re-evaluate or reflect on existing goals. It’s the perfect time to revisit our hobbies, or investigate new ones. Many…