Book tours are fun. They could be referred to as the ‘pinnacle’ of the whole writing journey. By this time, the books are safely published. The writer can now speak about the process through those rose-tinted glasses. This week I leave for my third book tour over the past year, retracing my steps in the…
Tag: Music Education
Teaching Piano Improvisation to Groups: Christopher Norton
My guest writer today is renowned New Zealand born composer and music educator Christopher Norton. Christopher is well-known for his Microjazz series; a collection of jazz piano books for students of all levels which has sold well over a million copies worldwide. More recently, he has written Micromusicals for schools, and he continues to compose music…
My Journey as a Composer: Lindsey Berwin
British teacher and composer Lindsey Berwin is my guest writer this week. She has written several pedagogical publications for teachers and students. I asked Lindsey about her work as a composer, and why composing has become an increasingly important element in her life. My journey as a composer began some thirty years ago, primarily in…
Mindfulness in Music: Notes on finding life’s rhythm: Mark Tanner
My guest writer today is pianist, composer, author, adjudicator, and music examiner, Mark Tanner. Mark has penned many piano and music-related publications. This includes The Mindful Pianist, published by Faber Music in 2016. He has also written numerous educational compositions. Many of these have been featured on various exam syllabuses. Today, he provides an insight…
A New Exam Syllabus for Stringbabies: Kay Tucker
Kay Tucker is founder and director of Stringbabies, a programme enabling young children to learn stringed instruments. I met Kay several years ago and it has been inspiring to observe her continued success, establishing an ever-growing network of teachers and students who are using this increasingly popular programme. Kay has kindly written the following guest…
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…
Piano Classes with Nikolai Lugansky
This short but interesting master class given by Russian pianist Nikolai Lugansky was published just last month and recorded in October 2015. This acclaimed virtuoso pianist gave a class for piano students at the Rudolfinum in Prague. He was also giving concerts with the Czech Philharmonic. I feel there is so much to learn and…
The New Steinway Spirio and Daily Telegraph Article
I was pleased to write an article for the Daily Telegraph in which I commented on concert violinist Nicola Benedetti’s recent article which discussed whether children should be made to play an instrument or not. Benedetti is a superb advocate for music education. She works tirelessly for the social music programme Sistema England. I nearly…
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…
Warm-ups
A couple of days ago, I was discussing ‘warm-ups’ with a colleague. We talked for well over an hour, not all about warming up admittedly, but it is possible to chat about this subject endlessly. After all, everybody’s regime is different. If you’re just starting to learn the piano, or any instrument for that matter,…
Perfect Piano Posture
Some of the most important elements in piano playing are acquired during the first few lessons. These elements often remain with us for life which is why it is crucial to start in the correct way. Bad habits are indeed very difficult to eradicate. It’s much better not to start at all than to do…
6 reasons why selecting a good piano teacher is vital
The piano is a complex instrument to learn because there are so many aspects to think about from the beginning. A good teacher will make or break your experience but unfortunately prospective students don’t often take the time to select a suitable tutor; many seem to sign up for lessons with the first one they…