Studio Notice: Closed 5 May; Minor Disruptions 6-7 May 2025
Hello one and all! A very quick note to let everyone know that I’m having some carpentry work done elsewhere in the apartment on Tuesday 6th May and...
The Sunday Listen: 'Time The Revelator' by Gillian Welch
Happy Sunday one and all! I’ve had something of a manic week so I haven’t been able to sit down today and write something. So in lieu of the normal mini-...
The Sunday Listen: 'The Drowned Girl' by Yann Tiersen
This week on the Sunday Listen, we’re looking at Yann Tiersen’s ‘The Drowned Girl’, although in all honestly I could have picked any single track from his...
Happy World Piano Day!
It’s World Piano Day! I don’t entirely know what this fully entails but it’s nevertheless a lovely opportunity to thank every single one of the fifty odd...
The Sunday Listen: 'Water Dances Part 1: Dipping' by Michael Nyman (arranged for two pianos)
I’ve recently really been enjoying the album Minimalist Dream House by the super sister pianists, Katia and Marielle Labèque. Howard Skempton, one of the...
March update: Easter holiday times, deadly accordions, Fat Tuesday, beavers
Hello all! It’s time for my semi-occasional missive. News, events and other ramblings below… Closed March 24/25 & Easter holidays Please note: I won’t be...
The Sunday Listen: 'Ay Walking Oh' by Sam Lee
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Sam Lee in a previous life, putting on events for The Nest Collective and The Song Collector’s Collective, around the...
February Update: Half Term, Irving Berlin's Piano, Neuroarts
Hi everyone, February news and miscellania below! Half Term First off, a quick reminder that I will be away the week Monday 17 February to Sunday 23 February...
The Sunday Listen: 'Succotash' by Herbie Hancock
Well, January whizzed past! Time to pick up the pace and get back to some blogging… I absolutely love this. Even for those of you who are initially jazz-...
The Sunday Listen: 'Palais De Mari' by Morton Feldman, as performed by Igor Levit
This week’s delicately dissonant Sunday Listen is well, ok, some of you will have to go with me on this… At a time when the concert halls of the world were...
Reminder! Lesson price increase from December 1
Hi all, Just a brief, as mentioned in the last newsletter in October and on the website, as of today, prices per lesson are increasing marginally. So please...
The Sunday Listen: 'Piano Sonata No.20' (2nd movement) by Schubert
This week on the Sunday Listen, we’re going back to classical with the second part of one of Schubert’s last sonatas. Suffering from tertiary syphilis and...
October newsletter: New rates, Student of the Month, Joe Boyd, Xmas opening times
Hello one and all! It’s been a very busy few weeks here, and it’s so nice to see a big new cohort of students joining recently. Here’s the latest news…...
The Sunday Listen: 'Uncertain Smile' by The The
Good afternoon everyone! I’ve been busy recently prepping some work towards some Inclusive Music Education training, so this week’s recommendation is a short...
The Sunday Listen: 'Narcolepsy' by Ben Folds Five
It’s been short while since I shared any rock or pop on this blog, so this week’s Sunday Listen takes a look at ‘Narcolepsy’ by Ben Folds Five, a tune I...
The Sunday Listen: 'Gnossienne No.2' by Erik Satie
Good Sunday everyone! It’s been an incredibly hectic past couple of weeks, so this Sunday Listen we’re settling in to a quiet yet mysterious and expansive...
The Sunday Listen: 'Harry Piers 2021' by Penguin Cafe Orchestra
Hi all! I’m having a rest today after a long very happy day at the Book Fair yesterday. Back up to my usual musical tricks tomorrow. I’ll leave you with this...
September news: Keybird, method books, Hastings Book Fair
Hello one and all, Welcome to the September news update! Autumn term officially kicks into gear in a couple of weeks, and it’s been nice gently welcoming...
The Sunday Listen: 'Sonata in D Major (K 119)' by Scarlatti
I recently discovered the recordings of Marcelle Meyer, and this 1954 recording of the glorious Scarlatti K119 Sonata is no exception to Meyer’s flawless...
The Sunday Listen: 'Un Poco Loco' by Bud Powell
Good afternoon all! I had great fun with one of my students this week diving into the basic elements of jazz improvisation, and riffing on a few one chord...
The Sunday Listen: 'Farewell to Stromness' by Peter Maxwell Davies
One of my students, Nigel, introduced me to this week’s gem of a Sunday Listen. ‘Farewell to Stromness’ is a lovely, folk-tinged, neoclassical pastoral by...
August news: 1,000 hours, new music folders, AI
Welcome to the August Newsletter Hello fellow musicians and pianists! So, got time for a quick sit down and a catch up? 1,000 Hours Looking over my calendar,...
The Sunday Listen: 'The Hourglass' by Ben Crosland
This week’s Sunday Listen is ‘The Hourglass’, a simple, compelling piano miniature from composer and educator, Ben Crosland, whose work I use regularly in my...
Latest news: Studio Maintenance, Summer 2024 Discounts, Invisible Recital #2
Dear pianist and parents, As spring bids us farewell, I’m looking forward to the hopefully sunnier climes (please God) of the holidays. The official Summer...
The Sunday Listen: 'Zodiac Suite' by Mary Lou Williams
This week’s Sunday Listen is the Zodiac Suite by the much neglected, Mary Lou Williams, one of the best jazz pianists and composers of the 20th century. Mary...
What I'm listening to: Spring/Summmer 2024 edition
My students often ask me what I’m listening to and, unsurprisingly, I listen to a lot of music – where do I even begin? So, dear pianist, I leave that...
The Sunday Listen: ‘Blueshift’ and ‘Deranged Landscape’ by Max De Wardener
For most of us, we’re used to pianos all being tuned to a certain standard. No piano is quite the same - the exact voice will change from make to make, from...
End of term drinks! Save the date.
Dear students, I’m just dropping a quick note to let everyone know that I’m inviting you to Barnaby’s Jazz Jam on Tuesday 9th July 2024 between 8:00pm and...
The Sunday Listen: 'The Secret Seven' by Owen Pallett
Hello pianists, Tendinitis is really annoying, you know? So I’m coming at this a day late again… I don’t share enough pop music in these mailouts, so this...
The Sunday Listen: 'Circus Galop' by Marc-Andre Hamelin
Hello pianists! Due to a couple of long weekends, and a recovering from a dab of tendinitis, this week’s Sunday Lesson comes to you on a belated, though...
A little update, and a recital of sorts...
Hello pianists! This is just a very quick note to let you all know I’ll be taking a wee bit of leave from Thursday 30 May to Monday 3 June 2024, and will do...
The Sunday Listen: ‘Estampes’ by Claude Debussy
The Sunday Listen: ‘Estampes’ by Claude Debussy Hello pianists, This week’s Sunday Listen is Debussy’s slightly not-as-well-known suite for piano, the...
Practice Papers #001
Why do we practise? To get better at playingTo improve a piece you are learning to playTo prepare for an exam or performanceTo help improve focus and...