Traditional music lessons generally follow a widely accepted approach that blocks musical expression. I remember, as a child, how my own teacher would use the same approach for each new piece I learned while preparing for my graded exams. We would spend weeks and months embedding the muscle memory to execute the notes on the page and then when she could no longer find things to correct in my playing we would add in the expression marks i.e. when to play loud, soft, speed-up e

As I go to write this blog post I notice a new feature offered by my website provider...AI blog posts. Simply type in any prompt and bang, a few paragraphs for you to post and call your own. As with AI music, we now have the option to bypass the creating stage and go directly to the end product. But to take this route is to reduce the act of creation to merely a means to an end. Something time-consuming and unnecessary that we can now conveniently bypass. To me this approach

If we want to become fluent musicians we must learn like a child. Practicing simple musical elements that can be deeply understood and...

One of the challenges of the fluency method is playing for playing’s sake. If you’re used to a system of learning where the learning...

Many adults find themselves at a stage in life where they'd like to either go back to piano (having played in their youth) or fulfil...

Since I started teaching (over 20 years ago now) I’ve always had my doubts about inherited conventional ‘wisdom’ on what is the best way...

The traditional model for instrument lessons is familiar to most: Turn-up each week and present your playing to a teacher who duly points...

I remember taking piano lessons as a kid and learning the 'problematic' task of reading music. I went as far as grade 5 when I was about...

This simple question sparked a rediscovery of my love for playing the piano. It’s a refreshing alternative to the more common struggles...

Music education (and our education systems in general) tends to over-emphasise the head - or the analytical mind. We first observe others...