Piano Teaching
Discover a world of great music...
With so many piano composers and styles to choose from, students are encouraged to explore the repertoire as widely but always to select music that interests them. This approach helps sustain each student's musical interest but inspires the development of new skills and techniques along the way leading to great musical accomplishment.
Working with such a wide range of students at different ages and levels is both rewarding and invaluable: to appreciate how students learn and develop across a much wider plane and the challenges faced at advanced levels provides perspective and understanding, and help shape the learning programmes of those just starting out.
Establishing the basics
Taking your first steps as a beginner may be daunting but with a carefully-selected programme of attractive and enticing pieces, and supportive exercises to develop your technique, you will soon have the basis of a musical foundation on which to build.
We will start by learning how to sit at the piano and the importance of adopting a good hand position. After a few simple warm-up exercises to get some mobility in the fingers, we will learn our first piece together. This will be shown to you without the music, initially, to help you develop a better aural sense of the music and to make your first piece more accessible.
You will, of course, still be taught how to read music: a vital skill that gives pupils the confidence to discover new music independently; however, approaching a new piece without the music helps new students actually play something meaningful at their first lesson without being overwhelmed with reading and playing simultaneously.
To develop rhythmic awareness and listening skills further, a number of duets intended for beginners will be introduced. But, please don't worry about this: many beginners find the playing of duets really enjoyable and are surprised by just how good the ensemble sounds! Having worked with many beginners, rest assured, we will find the one that is right for you.
Piano Accompaniment
Completing the ensemble...
Est. 2000
IMJMusic
piano | theory | accompaniment
Piano Teaching
Discover a world of great music
Piano Teaching
Explore a world of great music
With so many piano composers and styles to choose from, students are encouraged to explore the repertoire widely but always to select music that interests them. This approach not only helps sustain the student's musical interest but inspires the development of new skills and techniques along the way leading to greater musical accomplishment.
Working with such a wide range of students at different ages and levels is both rewarding and invaluable: to appreciate how students learn and develop across a much wider plane and the challenges faced at advanced levels provides perspective and understanding, help shape the learning programmes of those just starting out.
Establishing the basics
Taking your first steps as a beginner may sound daunting but with a carefully selected programme of attractive and enticing pieces, along with supportive exercises to develop your technique, you will soon a musical foundation on which to build your skills.
At your first lesson we will look at how you should sit at the piano, and how to adopt the correct posture for the wrists, hands and fingers. After a little warm-up to get your fingers used to the keyboard we will learn our first piece together: a simple but enjoyable jazzy tune that we'll try without the music at first. This is a great way to foster your musical ear from the outset, freeing you from the challenges of reading music straightaway.
Naturally, you will by taught how to read musical notation so you can learn new music between lessons. Along the way, you can look forward to some fun duets, which will develop your sense of rhythm and how to play alongside another musician. Duet playing is particularly rewarding for the beginner transforming even a simple piano piece containing just a few notes into something much more impressive to the ears.
Developing your tone
Once the basics are in-place, it is inevitable that you will want to expand not only your technique but your piano sound as well. To play convincingly with musical feeling involves much more than merely following instructions: it's about listening to your playing and developing a critical ear every time you play.
The skills we will learn here include tone development and the balancing of hands so the melody sings clearly above the accompaniment. We will learn how to shape a phrase musically and the importance of finding space between phrases to allow the music to breathe. Being able to play with different articulations contributes greatly to the character of the music and it is essential that such skills are developed.
But one of the most important techniques every pianist has to master is the art of effective and expressive pedalling. To sustain many notes simultaneously truly transforms the piano lending it considerable power and depth along with a host of expressive nuances.
Advancing your technique
When your skills reach a level of proficiency and maturity that you begin to look at the more advanced piano pieces of the repertoire with optimism, choosing the right teacher who has the professional expertise to take your playing to the next level is crucial.
Having worked with advanced players for some twenty-five years, you can be confident that we can formulate an effective programme of study that inspires you to improve. We will start by assessing where your strengths lay and the kind of repertoire you enjoy playing. Alongside this you will be encouraged to explore pieces outside of your comfort zone and to develop critical listening of your own playing and that of others.
Performing with a precise articulation, particularly at speed, poses a common challenge at this level, alongside developing endurance and concentration. Through focused technical studies, diverse repertoire, and performance opportunities, we will tackle these challenges head-on, equipping you with the skills and confidence necessary at diploma level.