For the past few years, the most common repertoire request I’ve had from student pianists has been to play music by Ludovico Einaudi. People hear his music on television, often as a backdrop to adverts or trailers for TV shows – it’s real ‘mood’ music that uses trance-like repeating patterns to lull the audience into a relaxed state of mind…. Read more »
This week I made the return to face-to-face lessons for those students who want them, and I’ve been pleased that there’s been a good uptake. The Zoom facility remains in place permanently, and there are government rules that I have to follow when people visit my house for lessons. Also, the past 6 months have obviously effected big changes in… Read more »
Sometimes when I’m teaching students a particular piece or song, it really captures my imagination and I almost feel envious that it’s not me spending loads of time learning it! The truth is that with a busy freelance teaching business and a young family, I simply don’t have time anymore for regular practise. But, I do enjoy bashing through some… Read more »
This morning, James Proctor of Drystone Radio phoned me up for a chat about learning musical instruments and the practicalities of taking lessons during the Corona virus lockdown. You can hear the whole interview here:
A bit of good news: I’ve found a really good online conferencing tool that will be perfect for conducting piano, guitar and music theory lessons via video link. It’s free for students to use, requires no additional software to be downloaded to PC / laptops (and only a little app for android and apple devices), and so allows musicians to… Read more »
Last week was a really good week for my students: two have got good passes in their ABRSM piano exams – a Grade 4 and a Grade 7. I always feel really pleased for people who come out of an exam with the grade that they deserve. Especially because I remember failing a piano exam when I was a teenager;… Read more »
I had a little time free in my schedule this morning so decide to let some of the villages local to Skipton know about the current promotion I’m running: Adults’ first 2 music lessons free when they quote NEVER2LATE. I dropped flyers in doors in Hetton, Cracoe, Linton and Burnsall – all places within a short drive from my music… Read more »
If you’re looking for a professional, qualified and experienced Teacher of Music in the Shipley / Saltaire area, then I can’t recommend Sarah Dunn highly enough. A former colleague of mine (actually, she was my Head of Music when I taught at Prince Henry’s Grammar School in Otley), Sarah has an excellent rapport with young people and lots of knowledge… Read more »
It’s self-evident that rushing things is very rarely a good thing. In fact, it’s fair to say that most things come out best if you take your time over them: really invest in them and think carefully about what you’re doing. This is certainly true when it comes to making music. Many of the skills required to learn an instrument… Read more »
Following on from my post a couple of weeks ago about local festivals, I’d like to share some information about two in particular that some of my students might wish to get involved with: Colne ‘Festival of Song’ This year’s Colne Luther Greenwood Festival has changed a little from previous years. For one thing, it’s taking place over just one… Read more »