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HOW TO IMPROVISE THE BLUES with Alberto Ferro
Alberto Ferro is one of the finest piano teachers and improvisers I know. Since he joined our school in 2017, Alberto has become one of London's most sought after piano teachers, often booked out weeks in advance. His gentle and disarming approach combined with an incredible skill for breaking down concepts has made a huge…
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THE BEST PIANO STUDENT EVER
Our team meets up every month, to brainstorm, explore, dig deep and generally keep our teaching tools and resources at the highest possible standard. Recently, we had a very different conversation. Because we are so busy and our time is limited, it has become apparent we can’t just coach piano to everyone and anyone! If…
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PRACTICING PIANO EFFICIENTLY – Part 4
Two activities happen every time we sit at our piano: playing is one, practicing is another. It is easy to say we should practice more and in better ways. What is the point of practicing piano efficiently if we never play for the simple pleasure. We all love to sit at the piano and wander…
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LOUISE FARRENC – FRENCH COMPOSER AND VIRTUOSO PIANIST
Louise Farrenc (1804-75) was a French composer and virtuoso pianist. Highly-acclaimed during her lifetime, she is unquestionably deserving of our continued admiration today. You can hear the classical influence of her teacher in composition, Hummel, in many of her works. Yet like her male contemporaries, she experimented with increasingly complex harmonies and compositional structures throughout…
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PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT – Myth 3
There are several myths surrounding the idea of piano practice, a few of which I will try to debunk in a series of posts. It is important to notice that as per any myth, each contains a certain degree of truth. You need to practice until perfect Also presented as ‘you need to practice…
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PRACTICE MEANS REPETITION – Myth 2
We generally believe that boredom and mechanical work are necessary parts of proficiently practicing piano. Nothing could be further from the truth! What is true however, is that if you hear someone practicing the piano hour after hour, day after day, be it a family member or neighbour, you will possibly hear the same piece…
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SERIOUS PRACTICE MEANS LONG HOURS? – Myth 1
There are several myths surrounding the idea of practice, a few of which I will try to debunk in a series of posts. It is important to notice that as per any myth, each contains a certain degree of truth. The distinction is crucial because although they seem to pour out naturally from common sense,…
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MUSIC – A MATTER OF TASTE
Your taste is the best teacher that ever existed in culinary art; and music, by the way! It tells you what music you like to play and how to play it. Actually, it tells you how not to play it. It does this constantly, every time you sit at the instrument. It’s that little voice…
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BLÜTHNER FACTORY VISIT
By 1900, Blüthner had become the largest piano maker in Germany, producing around 5,000 instruments per year. More than 165 years later, the fifth generation of the family is watching over Julius' legacy to build the finest, hand-crafted pianos available. Our students had a great time watching the craftspeople at work and enjoyed playing the…
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WHEN YOUR BRAIN HIJACKS YOUR FINGERS
Your brain hijacks your fingers because they speak two completely different languages. So, it’s really important to understand and recognise these two different languages. Our logical brain - the part that processes information and adds up numbers and figures - is important in making day to day calculations. It helps us decide whether or not…
