I’d been thinking for a long time about how to mark my 40th Birthday (5.12.23), and I’m delighted to share with you on this page about a musical and charity project which does just that. Read on… One thing which has remained unchanged throughout history, is our unwavering appreciation for the miracle of life. As I reach the age of 40, I look back on the past four decades not only with that same appreciation, but with a huge dose of gratitude. I thought for a long time about what I might do to mark this milestone. I could never claim to be a party animal, but after what feels like 40 miraculous ..read more

Over the years, we’ve tended, as teachers, to pigeonhole books into certain categories. There are books of pieces (the ‘repertoire’), books of exercises (studies or etudes), and tutor books (which combine all these). There is some strength in this approach, but it doesn’t necessarily support the holistic approach many of us now seek to use. Piano Grades are Go! is currently published by EVC Music in two volumes covering Initial to Grade 1, and Grade 2 to Grade 3. They contain ‘characterful solos at the standards of the major exam boards…with an emphasis on the performance directions and musica ..read more

A few years ago, we’d have scoffed at the idea that online and digital music exams would be commonplace, and the idea that in the future, music exams would become online and digital-only was inconceivable. Yet, a recent announcement by ABRSM that their new suite of performance diplomas would only be available as digital exams, has raised the real possibility that in-person exams may soon be a thing of the past, and perhaps not even too far away. There is a growing realisation that the days of in-person exams are numbered, and it might not be too long before we have to face that particular musi ..read more

As awareness has increased in recent years, there have been a growing number of volumes of piano music by women composers published. A while back, I explored Her Story, compiled and edited by Karen Marshall and published by Faber Music. Joining those already on the market are these two volumes of Piano Music by Women Composers, compiled and edited by Immanuela Gruenberg and published by Hal Leonard. Book 1 includes 40 upper-elementary to early-intermediate pieces, and Book 2 includes 30 intermediate to upper-intermediate level pieces. Both books contain brief composer biographies. Book 1 of P ..read more

I’m sure I’m not the only music teacher who’s spent many years attempting to not only decipher the comments included on the music exam mark sheet, but also translate them into something meaningful for the student. For years, the language used by examiners when writing on the music exam mark sheet has been contentious. For a long time, it was the handwriting which perhaps caused most problems, and although this has, in many cases, been remedied by having typed mark sheets, I would suggest that the language being used is still far from ideal. I want to preface this post by saying that in many wa ..read more

One of the nice things about being sent things for review, is that you often come across books which you may not otherwise have seen. I get sent a lot from the ‘big publishers’, but some of the most interesting items come from composers themselves. Darren Day’s Belfast Heart is just one of those. The book contains 12 piano solos for the late-intermediate/advanced pianist (I’d say Grade 4+), a mixture of original pieces and arrangements of Northern Irish songs. I’m occasionally a little dubious about self-published books, in terms of both the quality of the publication and the quality of the c ..read more

I have to confess, I wasn’t sure what to expect from My Quirky Notebook, the latest volume of piano music from Angeline Bell. I had so enjoyed reviewing her last book, My Lyrical Notebook, I wasn’t quite sure what this ‘quirkiness’ might hold. But, I was not disappointed, for this book is another triumph. Often when I sit down to review a book, I put post-it notes in the pages of the pieces I enjoyed most. Out of 20 pieces, I marked 10 favourites which is pretty impressive. That’s not to say the other 10 were no good, just that half were favourites! This book has a real holiday feel to it, re ..read more

Sometimes a book comes along which I enjoy playing from so much, I forget to actually write the review! Perhaps that is the greatest endorsement? Peaceful Piano Playlist Revisited has been on and off the top of the piano for about two months. I think this is a good thing! I think I’m correct in saying this is the third volume in the Peaceful Piano Playlist series, and some of you may remember I reviewed the Christmas edition in 2022. I really like these books because in many ways, they do just what they say on the tin. You’d be surprised how many books I’m sent for review which don’t do that ..read more

What better way to celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, than with this excellent and varied selection of British Classics, another publication in Faber Music’s well-conceived The Piano Player collection, with beautiful illustrations from Edward Bawden. You may remember that last year, I reviewed the Wintertide volume in the same series, and likewise, this book of British Classics would make an excellent gift item. I was initially sceptical about the contents, but on closer inspection, and having had time to sit and play through the pieces, there’s a really lovely, varied s ..read more

In this guest blog post, Clementine shares her own experiences of picking up the flute again after a break, and restarting as an adult learner. I teach a lot of adults and I thoroughly enjoy it! They all bring their own experiences and insights to their lessons, and whilst they’re often nervous restarting, they quickly realise how much they remember, and maybe even sometimes, it’s not as scary as they thought! I wanted to share with you a little bit about my journey of restarting playing the flute as an adult learner after a break of about 16 years, and how it’s never too late to return to pla ..read more