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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
Theory and Musicianship
Joining the dots...
Theory and Musicianship
Joining the dots
Music theory is usually thought of as an uninspiring part of learning a musical instrument because often that's the way it's taught: away from the piano without any relevance to the music the student is actually playing. Encouraging pupils to really think about how music works not only accelerate their progress, but enables them to make sense of the music they see, hear, and play.
You will have the opportunity to expand your knowledge of music theory alongside your playing, in addition to developing essential aural training and musicianship: skills that can prove invaluable as your playing improves.
Music theory in practice
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​​​Learning how music is written on the stave and the symbols used to represent pitch and rhythm is the cornerstone of effective music reading in performance. And when combined with a sound knowledge of scales and chords provides the student with confidence to understand musical tonality from the ground up.
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Through completion of a progressive series of theory handbooks, students practise how to write and recognise scales, intervals and chord progressions; as well as to understand more about rhythm and how time signatures affect how music is felt or perceived. At advanced levels, students learn how to write effective harmony, how to compose, and how to analyse unseen scores with musical comprehension.
​It is my belief that a sound understanding of music theory often leads to more insightful and playing and gives students the confidence to talk about music with others intellectually.
Aural perception skills
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​Infants imitate the sounds they hear from a very young age to help them communicate; however, it is not uncommon for some music students to play without really listening or engaging with the music at all. Being able to process the sounds we produce significantly enhances the performance, making it more insightful.
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Students sharpen their listening skills through regular aural training practice. The ability to recognise articulation, phrasing, dynamics, rhythm, and tempo are fundamental for a solid musical understanding. And with further practice, the identification of specific scales, intervals, chords, and cadences by ear should be achievable, enabling a much deeper awareness. Success in this area is invaluable not just for passing aural tests in graded exams but also for listening papers at GCSE and A-Level Music.
Harmony | Music Analysis | Composition
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Students who take music at Key Stage 4 and 5 are sometimes surprised by the range of skills they need to develop alongside their playing. In addition to learning about music history, music students will be expected to compose, complete harmony exercises that respect conventions, and to analyse music scores and recordings.​
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With a Master's degree in Music Theory and Analysis, I am familiar with advanced level study in a range of disciplines including historical performance practice, aesthetics, harmony, composition, and music analysis. This can prove particularly useful to students wishing to work towards higher grade music theory exams or GCSE or A level Music.
IMJMusic provides friendly, expert tuition in piano, music theory, and accompaniment on a German grand piano in an air-conditioned teaching studio in Swindon
How do find me:
2 Romney Way | Shaw Ridge
Swindon | Wiltshire | SN5 5QB
How to contact me:
07886 726128
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