I have just returned from another enjoyable and successful book tour. This tour was the busiest yet with visits to four countries and multiple cities; Singapore, Malaysia (Melaka and Kuala Lumpur), Indonesia (Jakarta and Surabaya), and Hong Kong. On this trip I was fortunate to have company: I gave teaching workshops alongside colleagues Samantha Ward,…
Tag: Schott Music
A Far Eastern Book Tour
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…
Playing to Your Strengths
I haven’t written many guest posts over the past six years, which is the length of time that I have been running this blog. There’s no particular reason for this, but when the renowned writer, author, journalist, and presenter, Jessica Duchen, kindly invited me to pen a post for her excellent blog, it was an…
Play it again: PIANO Book 2
About the Series Play it again: PIANO is designed for those ‘returning’ to the piano after a break. This could be anyone from a child or teenager to an adult. It’s an excellent progressive compendium providing interesting and useful repertoire for those stages between piano exams. Plus, it provides helpful information on piano technique, scales,…
A few thoughts on piano teaching in Singapore & Malaysia
I spent an energising 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
About the Series My four-book piano course, Play it again: PIANO has been written with the ‘returner’ in mind. Book 1 takes pianists back to Grade 1 level of the British music examination board standard. The entire course consists of 97 piano pieces from the Prep Book through to Book 3. Most pieces are drawn…
Jazz Piano Tutorials by Tim Richards
I don’t usually feature jazz, rock or pop piano music here on this blog, but occasionally it’s fun to ring the changes. Acclaimed jazz pianist and educator Tim Richards has recently released five excellent tutorial videos to accompany his successful books Exploring Jazz Piano (Volume 1), published by Schott Music. These informative and engaging clips…