I enjoy hosting articles written by friends and colleagues on this blog. Pianist and piano professor Julian Jacobson is no stranger to my website. You can read the very popular 2022 series he wrote documenting his Beethoven sonata marathon, here. Today’s new series pays homage to Debussy; Julian will be performing the French composer’s complete Préludes Book 1 and Book 2 on Thursday June 6, 7.30 pm, at the 1901 Arts Club in London. Over the coming weeks, he will offer a sneak preview of his thoughts and experiences on preparing these works in this collection of posts. We begin with an introduc ..read more

Today’s post features the second interview with pianist and piano professor Jan Loeffler. You can read the first interview in this series, here. In this instalment, Jan discusses piano pedagogy. When were you first interested in the pedagogical side of the piano profession and when did you begin teaching the piano? Prof. Matthies told me after starting my undergraduate degree that I should also enrol in the Instrumental Teaching Diploma degree, even though I had been admitted onto the Performance Diploma course. She said that no matter how far I would go in the profession, teaching would likel ..read more

The Occult Schott and I have several books in the pipeline due to be published this year, and this is the first. I wrote Ghostly Piano Tales nearly two years ago after becoming increasingly fascinated by the stories behind ghostly legends. I’ve always been interested in the occult, having experienced the supernatural at work. Most memorable was a surprise ‘sighting’ during a rehearsal at a mediaeval church in London around 25 years ago. I’d gone to the church to accompany a clarinettist with whom I was working. It was a bright, sunny Summer’s day, and as the church caretaker handed us the key ..read more

It gives me great pleasure to introduce a new series on my blog. Pianist and piano professor Jan Loeffler teaches the piano at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in the UK where he works in both junior and senior schools. A significant number of Jan’s pupils have won awards both domestically and abroad. He reflects on a wide range of subjects relating to piano study in this series of four interviews. The differences between studying in the UK and Germany, the value of arts financing, pedagogical influences, piano competitions, and the connection between students and teachers are just a few of ..read more

Chetham’s School of Music’s majestic entrance gates. Many will know that I taught at the 2021 Chetham’s International Piano Summer School; you can read my blog post about it here. This course provided a great opportunity to meet and chat with all types of students, but particularly the adult amateur player. I teach few adult amateur students, as most of my pupils are either children or teenagers; teaching adults requires a totally different approach and perspective to that of working with younger students. Students and faculty members all ate together on the course in the school canteen, and I ..read more

A very happy World Piano Day to all piano lovers around the world. We celebrate today because it’s the eighty-eighth day of the year, corresponding to the piano’s eighty-eight keys. Piano Day provides the perfect opportunity to evaluate why we play the instrument and what makes it the perfect hobby. In my Facebook group, Adult Piano Returners, we often discuss the beauty of playing the piano and why we are all so drawn to it. Here are my five favourite reasons for learning to play, alongside a short video I recorded for Schott Music last week. Sense of satisfaction Learning any instrument prov ..read more

Over the past few years, several of my younger students have expressed a desire to participate in a summer course, and I’ve always been supportive of what I consider an extremely useful extracurricular activity. Those who have attended have invariably improved their playing, sometimes substantially. The opportunity to play regularly with new or different teachers and students throughout a week’s course really encourages students to raise their game. However, finding suitable courses for those between the ages of 6 and 18 takes some investigation. Many establishments offer summer classes and le ..read more

It’s been two years since Schott and I published our three-book series featuring music by women composers from over four centuries, Women Composers: A Graded Anthology for Piano. This publication has proved most popular, not only winning a Presto Music Award but, more importantly, reaching out to a new audience of pianists, whether they be professionals, students, teachers, or hobbyists. Since then, numerous books have appeared highlighting women composers, and it’s wonderful to see this ‘movement’ gaining traction around the world. My hope is that one day there will be as many women in every ..read more

This month’s 5 tips article for Pianist Magazine’s website focuses on voicing. This is a vital role in piano playing and will determine a pianist’s artistry and musical phrasing. I hope the following ideas are beneficial. Voicing, or the highlighting of various musical lines or strands of music, plays a crucial role in good piano playing. Voicing allows us to ‘sing’ a melodic line so that it sounds clearly above any accompaniment. As pianists and piano teachers, we must learn, and be aware of, how to balance piano texture, or else a performance is in danger of sounding dull. Most students need ..read more

I’m fortunate to enjoy most aspects of my work. I hesitate to say ‘job’ as being a musician is so much more than that. It’s most definitely a vocation. As expected with any type of work, some parts of my ‘job’ are more interesting than others. Adjudicating, or judging piano competitions, is a favourite element alongside writing. I’ve adjudicated at various competitions and festivals of all levels and abilities around the world for the past fifteen years; it’s compelling and always varied. There are positive and negative facets to piano competitions. Many dislike the competitive concept, believ ..read more