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, usually after countless rewrites and corrections, and the writer is free to speak about the process through those rose-tinted glasses. This week I leave for my third book tour over…
Tag: Play it again: PIANO
A Piano Day at Ackerman Music
For those based in the South East of England, I will be presenting a workshop at Ackerman’s music shop in Hove, East Sussex, on Thursday 16th August (later this week). This workshop, which is primarily for piano teachers, spotlights several Schott publications: Play it again: PIANO and Piano Junior, the new piano tutor method written…
Playing to Your Strengths
I haven’t written many guest posts over the past six years – the length of time that I have been running this blog. There’s no particular reason for this, but when the superb writer, author, journalist, and presenter, Jessica Duchen, kindly invited me to pen a post for her excellent blog, it was an offer…
Presenting at a Piano Pedagogy Conference
Until last week I had only ever attended one piano pedagogy conference, and had never participated in such an event; so it was with a spirit of adventure, as well as slight trepidation, that I ventured into the unknown. After a successful trip to the Far East over the Summer, where I gave three weeks…
Play it again: PIANO Book 2
Play it again: PIANO Book 2 follows on from where Book 1 left off (find out more about Book 1, here). Book 2 is also a progressive, graded course, taking students from intermediate level up to advanced; approximately Grade 4/5 up to Grade 8 +. Who is this course for? Play it again: PIANO is…
Play it again: PIANO Review
Play it again: PIANO has already received some excellent Amazon reviews, and I’ve been extremely happy with the feedback so far; from teachers and students, to a whole gamut of piano professionals and enthusiasts. This week, however, the Schott Music team and I were delighted to receive the following review from the Pianodao blog. Pianodao…
A few thoughts on piano teaching in Singapore & Malaysia
I spent an energizing and inspiring Summer period away from home this year. For me, this was the perfect way to enjoy a substantial break from my conventional teaching and writing. After working trips to the US (New York) and Germany (Gelsenkirchen), I savoured a relaxing, short holiday in Devon (South West of the UK)…
Play it again: PIANO Book 1
The piano is an intoxicating instrument. Those who have played in their youth often harbour a desire to return to it later in life. Piano ‘returners’ make up an increasingly large cohort of amateur pianists. Whether younger or older, it’s usually fairly easy to pick up again and progress can be swift, proffering the opportunity…
Melanie Spanswick 