Lessons
I offer face to face and online lessons
Cognitive
Benefits of Playing the Piano
Many studies have shown links between playing the piano and improvements in memory, reading comprehension, concentration, language development, and higher brain functions required for maths, science and engineering.
Physical
Piano playing develops hand strength and dexterity (fine motor skills), as well as hand-eye coordination, which leads to enhanced reaction times and agility. It has also been linked to increased HgH (human growth hormone) which boosts energy levels, muscle mass and also delays the effects of aging.
Mental Health
One of the most wonderful effects of playing the piano has to be its positive effects on mental health and well being. Piano playing has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety and depression by providing a route to express your emotions. In addition, it can help you to build confidence and improve your self esteem.
Adults and Children Welcome
Adults
If you’ve always wanted to learn, or you had lessons as a child, we can develop your skills at a pace that suits you
Children
Give your child the best start in music learning with one-to-one piano lessons
Beginner to intermediate level
Personalised Teaching Approach
Every student is an individual with different ways of processing new information and different levels of musical knowledge at the start. I use a combination of teaching techniques to suit the person, so they can get the most out of their lessons and still progress at a rate that suits them.
If you have specific goals in mind, e.g. learning to read music, learning to play that favourite piece of music, studying for graded exams (practical or theory) or rekindling skills learned in childhood, that will be the focus of our lessons, around which I’ll help you to develop a full understanding of the music and the piano.
Click the buttons below to view videos of my students performing their duets and solos in my studio and at our recitals
Face To Face Lessons
For the optimal learning experience I recommend face to face lessons. In particular, young beginners, who can struggle to engage online, benefit highly from the personal interaction in face to face piano lessons. I teach at my home in Bedhampton, in a large, comfortable room with space to play rhythm and notation games, which are particularly effective with young beginners.
To ensure a safe environment for all, I maintain COVID-19 safety measures as follows:
Provision of sanitising hand gel/ hand washing facilities
Option to wear masks
Sanitisation of the piano keys and surfaces before and after each lesson
Click here to download my COVID-19 health and safety requirements for face to face piano lessons.
Online Lessons
I conduct online piano lessons via the videoconferencing platform Zoom. It is very simple to set up and works well for virtual piano lessons, enabling you to be taught from the comfort of your own home. This allows you to fit in piano lessons even if you have a busy schedule or are not local to Havant.
The minimum requirements for online lessons are:
Broadband internet connection
Device with wifi connectivity and an inbuilt camera, e.g. any smartphone/ iPhone/ Android/ iPad/ tablet/ laptop
A keyboard or piano
Something to prop your device on to angle it towards you and your instrument
Having spent over a year teaching solely online, a number of factors have shown to impact the quality of the Zoom calls, so are worth considering if you would like online lessons:
Distance from router
If you find you have a poor connection, try connecting directly to your router with an ethernet cable (for laptops)
If the above isn’t possible, you can try wifi extenders which boost your wifi signal and are fairly inexpensive
Simultaneous use of bandwidth
If someone in your household is streaming, or downloading/ uploading large files, this will use up a significant portion of your bandwidth, resulting in a poor connection
It would be worth coordinating with them so that your lesson time is left free of heavy internet usage
Time lag
This one is almost impossible to solve, there will always be a lag between the time I speak to the time you hear me, and vice versa, which makes duets/ singing/ counting in time pretty tricky.
Connecting your device directly to your router minimises the lag somewhat
Wearing headphones can also improve the alignment of sound
Pricing
£74* per month (30 minute lessons)
Standard lesson
Face to face and online lessons are charged at the same rate
£111* per month (45 minute lessons)
Extended lesson
For the higher grades and also when teaching music theory, longer lessons of 45 minutes are sometimes required. These are charged at the same rate, just scaled up pro rata.
Lessons are invoiced monthly with 38 lessons per year averaged across the 12 months
*Monthly rate is calculated pro rata if starting lessons partway through the academic year, resulting in a lower monthly fee
Book a Free Lesson
The first lesson is free with no obligation to continue, so if you’re interested just send me a message and we can arrange your free trial lesson.