Happy Sunday one and all!

A few things to share with you this month — some practical updates, a few recommendations, and even a piano looking for a good home.

Hermeto Pascoal RIP

I was deeply saddened to hear that Hermeto Pascoal, the mad genius of Brazilian music has passed away at 89. 

I’m not an expert on Pascoal, but I’ve been really inspired reading the tributes to his life this week. What comes through again and again is his belief that music is everywhere, in everything. From kettles and bottles to birdsong, water, piano, flute, accordion — even the most ordinary objects became instruments in his hands. He blurred the line between tradition and experiment, turning daily life into one long musical adventure.

One of my students directed my attention to this absolutely joyous video, Música da Lagoa (‘Music of the Lagoon’), where Pascoal literally plays the water of a lake as an instrument.

Give A Piano A Forever Home!

One of my students has a Roland FP30X digital piano available, probably the best digital piano on the market.

It’s essentially brand new, and they’re offering it for £500 (RRP would be £619). Or next best offer. I’ve got more photos if you’d like to see more — just let me know, and I’ll happily pass them along.

My Teaching Philosophy

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been revisiting what really matters in lessons: how we learn, what motivates us, and the kind of musical growth I want to nurture in the studio. That reflection has turned into a big update to my Teaching Philosophy page.

If you’re curious about the ideas behind how I teach (and why I keep encouraging you to listen as much as you practise), you might enjoy reading through.

Updated Studio Policy

I’ve also given the Studio Policy a refresh, cleaning up the language and make it much easier to understand. Nothing dramatic — mostly clarifying a few things, including how the waiting list works, and stricter rules on weekly lesson slots.

If you haven’t looked at it in a while, it’s worth a quick glance.

Price Changes (from December 2025)

From 1 December 2025, lesson fees will change to:

Adult lessons: £29.00
Low income/Under-25s: £24.50

Worth noting: the Musician’s Union recently updated their recommended individual lessons and small-group teaching rates from £38.50 to £44 per hour, which is the biggest jump for many years.

Prices for children will remain the same — no increase there.

Part of the reason for this adjustment is that several people pointed out the large disparity between the hourly rate for adults and for children. The new structure evens things out and feels much fairer across the board.

Of course, this also reflects the usual culprits (inflation, rising cost-of-living, insurance premiums, the new Making Tax Digital changes) and the additional time I now spend writing up more detailed and structured lesson notes for students after each session (again, this came up in feedback and was requested by many students). I’m also investing in a lot more sheet music, subscriptions to platforms like Tonebase, Ultimate Guitar, Musescore and Open Studio, and recording/editing software to I can begin to create more professional looking resources.

I am committed to accessibility so existing discounts still apply and they’ll be added automatically.

Also, as ever, if the increase makes things difficult, please let me know — I’ll continue to offer discounted rates for anyone in more precarious circumstances.

I’ll be in touch with some students individually in the coming weeks.

Behind Every Note is a Movement

Piano tutorials online can be a bit of a mixed bag — some are brilliant, others… less so. But every now and then one pops up that offers genuinely solid advice, and this video is a good example.

That phrase — behind every note is a movement — is such a useful reminder. It captures the idea that technique isn’t just about finger positions, but about how the whole body is involved in shaping sound. Worth a watch if you’d like to think more about the connection between movement and music-making.

Hastings Jazz Festival 2025

If you’re looking for some live music to brighten the darker evenings, the first ever Hastings Jazz Festival is coming up soon. Tickets are already on sale — and they’re a real steal for the quality of music on offer.

Live music is such an important part of Hastings’ cultural life – especially when you consider that it’s vanishing everywhere else – and festivals like this keep that spirit alive. It’s a chance to hear brilliant musicians listening and responding to each other in real time, and to support the kind of events that make the town such a creative place to be. Well worth checking out if you can make it along.

Get tickets here:

Transatlantic Drift ‒ The Great Dance Music Mash-up.

Interesting read in the Financial Times, looking at how dance music styles from the UK, US, Jamaica and beyond have been borrowing, colliding and reshaping each other for decades. A good reminder that music never develops in isolation — it’s always part of a bigger conversation across cultures and generations.

Sorry, this is behind a paywall but there are means to get around that I wouldn’t possibly know anything about…

October Half Term

And finally, a reminder that I’ll be taking a break during 27 October 2025 to 2 November 2025.

No lessons that week, and I’ll be back refreshed afterwards.

That’s all for now — thanks as always for reading, and for being part of the studio!

Will