First Testimonial by Faye B.
I first had piano lessons aged 12 to 18, reaching Grade 6 before life got in the way! Aged 27 (after completing a music degree and then heading into a completely different profession) I decided I now had the time and money to start learning properly again, feeling I was getting nowhere fast just sitting at the piano and playing around of my own accord. Having researched teachers in this area, I was impressed by Mike’s website and booked an introductory lesson.
Mike’s friendly demeanour and professional yet comfortable teaching studio made me feel at ease from the start, but what really impressed me was the way that from the very first piece I took along (Chopin’s ‘Raindrop Prelude’), Mike gave me lots of background and historical information about the music, educating me on the type of piano Chopin would have written the music for and how to get a more historically authentic feeling flowing through the piece. He gave me a list of the positive attributes he felt I possessed already and the areas he felt he could help me with, helping me realise straight away that these lessons would have a purpose and push me to achieve rather than stagnate.
I have been having lessons with Mike for sometime now and can’t believe how much I’ve progressed. The thing I like most about Mike is how he manages to choose the most perfect pieces for me to learn: they’re difficult enough and I need to work hard at learning them, while being within my reach so as not to be frustrating, and speak to me emotionally which keeps me wanting to sit back down at the piano and practise day after day (as a teenager I found it hard to practise when faced with the same old boring Grade exam pieces I felt nothing for). I feel this reflects his extensive musical knowledge, not just of the mechanics of playing but also of the body of piano music, which has helped to open my eyes to music I was not already familiar with. Perhaps most importantly, each piece we’ve looked at so far has helped me to develop a particular musical skill, be it playing more musically and with ‘rubato’, or developing my dexterity at playing chords softly and expressively (rather than crashing down in a hurry) while my hands are jumping between octaves.
I feel as though I’m getting fantastic value for money from Mike’s lessons and look forward to them each fortnight. I always feel as though I’m being encouraged to play in my own personal style and never feel the fear of making a mistake I sometimes felt with previous teachers, as I feel Mike recognises that as an adult with a busy life I won’t always be able to practice as often as I’d like! Nonetheless, I’ve made great strides and feel a far more competent and confident pianist than I ever have done before.
Professional, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and dedicated teachers are hard to come by, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Mike to anybody looking for a piano teacher.
Thanks Mike!
Faye B. (Health Professional)