Hello and welcome to my first ever blog post! As a music tutor I am endlessly discussing new ideas, theories and philosophies with my students and seeing as I've now entered the world of social media I thought I'd share them online. So often I'm asked how do I teach piano, which is in my opinion a very strange question. In my experience there is no set method that works on every single student. I've taught children under 5 and adults in their 50's. I've taught in person, via Skype, on keyboards, uprights and grand pianos. In every situation it's up to me as a tutor to adapt to that particular student's learning needs. The question I ask is 'what do you want?' Regardless of why you've chosen to learn piano you can speed up the process by explaining what it is you want to learn to your tutor. Not interested in classical? Not a problem. You'd rather compose your own music than play other people's? Fantastic! You've just always really wanted to learn that one song? You can. I've found there's a bit of a stigma concerning piano teachers and it usually involves cranky old ladies, cats and a ruler across the knuckles if you make a mistake. Admittedly, that was my own experience at the tender age of 3 but times have changed people! The world of music is a fascinating mix of old and new, classic and ever-changing and I never tire of helping my JKM students discover their place in it. If you're unsure of where you fit feel free to comment on this post and be sure to check back for weekly updates.

-J