Experienced teacher – piano, singing, composition

You could come in person to my studio or we could meet online. My focus is teaching musicianship—to generate genuine fluency in the language of music. As a pianist, singer and composer myself, I naturally teach others in those disciplines, but I'm happy to teach musicianship skills to all kinds of musicians.

I don't offer trial lessons, but an initial chat or email exchange before the first lesson is recommended. My approach is not the conventional one, so you need to be sure it really is what you're looking for. If you would like to discuss learning with me, please get in touch.

Music as language—a way of expressing, feeling, and communicating

My teaching works to close the gap between perceiving and expressing music—to communicate using the language of music with fluency in a way that feels natural. If you like the idea of building a strong connection with musical "vocabulary and syntax", I'd love to teach you, whether you are just beginning your musical journey, returning after a long break, or working at a professional level. I help people release their expressive fears and inhibitions to develop a genuinely natural, confident relationship with music using a very simple model. This makes it possible to express yourself effortlessly without having to work anything out theoretically or technically.

My approach is initially completely non‑denominational, genre‑wise. The underlying principles of musical fluency that I teach apply equally to all genres—classical, jazz, and pop. Whatever genre(s) you might ultimately aim to play, sing or compose, my goal is always the same: for you to understand how music works from the inside out, so that making music is a fluent, expressive, and profoundly enjoyable experience. To do this, you work on developing mental clarity to form a deep inner awareness of rhythmic and tonal elements based on expressive intention. Meaning or feeling is the foundation of musical fluency.

My materials for fluent piano skills are available at PlayPianoFluently.com

Zen-like focus on a simple model whilst letting go of external results

The simple, elegant, common-sense model of rhythm and tonality that I use cuts through the dense complexity that often surrounds conventional music training, with its focus on technique and theory. This gives you a clear framework that you can rely on to form the kind of moment-by-moment focus that we use when speaking our native language.

A large part of the work involves letting go of the ego's concerns. We work to make music purely an act of expression, without any need for impressive external results. This makes it feel much more intuitive, grounded, connected and meaningful. However, letting go does require courage—we often have cognitive habits that we think keep us safe but actually just get in the way. The free expression of inner feelings can trigger fear and embarrassment but once you tackle the tendency to be self-conscious and controlling, the caution can turn to thrill. Results and progress then appear naturally as a byproduct of curious, playful practice.

 

One model for different musical purposes

People with different backgrounds and motivations can embark on this journey towards fluency in the language of music. Some may want to develop their skills following a more exploratory and playful approach than conventional training. Others are drawn more to the reflective, meditative qualities of organised sound. Many of my students are experienced musicians seeking to reconnect with their original passion for music, and gain powerful fluent musicianship skills.

Many people long for greater expressive freedom when making music. The conventional approach often causes people's music-making to become stiff and unnatural. When there are long‑standing blockages, my coaching is almost like therapy, guiding people to understand how their past experiences have hampered their natural inner musicianship. Whilst everyone's needs are different, the underlying principles that I teach are always the same: simplicity, clarity, attention, and a direct connection to musical meaning.

As students learn to focus and let go, they come to rely on the model naturally and express themselves freely. They develop a grounded sense of rhythm and tonality, which fosters a relaxed physical attitude to making music without needing to study technique, and a deeper understanding of musical structure, that connects to their inner musical "ear" without needing to use complex theory. With focus and letting go, they begin to express music with greater confidence, freedom, and expressive intention, whatever their level, background, or preferred style of learning.