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...
IMJMusic
piano | theory | accompaniment
Est. 2000
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.
We will begin by learning how to sit at the piano, and how to hold the wrists, hands, and fingers correctly to ensure your playing is effective and comfortable. A simple warm-up exercise will follow, designed to get the fingers moving, before we embark on the learning of 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 develop your musical ear from the outset, without the difficulty of having to read and play simultaneously in your very first lesson!
Naturally, you will learn how to read music notation and how to sight-read in order for you to acquire the skills you need for the future. But along the way, you can look forward to some fun duets, too, which will help develop your sense of pulse and rhythm as you play alongside another musician. Duet playing is particularly rewarding for the beginner as it transforms even a simple piano piece - sometimes containing just a few notes - into something much more impressive to the ears.
Developing your sound
Once the basics are in-place it is inevitable 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 work on here include tone development and the balancing of hands so the melody projects clearly above the accompaniment. We will learn how to shape a phrase musically, and the importance of finding space between the phrases to allow the music to breathe. Being able to play notes with different articulations in each hand contribute greatly to the musical character and it essential that such skills are developed.
But one of the most important techniques every pianist has to master is the art of effective pedalling. To sustain many notes at one time truly transforms the piano sound lending it considerable power and depth and a host of expressive nuances.
Perfecting your technique
One of the most rewarding aspects for any music teacher is when a student reaches a level of proficiency that enables them to tackle complex and challenging works with technical and musical confidence. Whilst teaching a beginner requires patience and understanding; teaching at an advanced level similarly requires developed technical skills and relevant professional expertise.
If you are considering taking lessons with the intention of working towards an advanced grade or diploma you can be confident that we can formulate a programme of study that will prepare you successfully for such a goal. Initial work will begin on selecting suitable technical studies to further your practical skills, alongside critical listening of your pieces you would like to play for your advanced grade or diploma. An assured technique and good stylistic awareness across a range of styles will be expected at this level, however, it's important to play to your musical strengths and to choose music that you have an affinity for.
At diploma level, most students follow the performance route, which can be taken as a purely recital option, or a shorter performance component with supportive tests. For those working towards a teaching qualification, candidates will be required to demonstrate that they can teach effectively and that they have a sound knowledge of suitable teaching repertoire. Whichever path you choose, you will develop a range of skills that will provide a strong technical and musical understanding at a professional level.
