The Pianory

Yes it's now 2023. Infact it is almost Spring 2023; I have neglected my website and my blog appallingly. But I have been busy! Head to my resources page and you will see a link to my TES shop where I have been uploading my own designed resources  I use in my teaching studio. If you are a student, or a teacher, or a parent of a student, you will likely find something there to enjoy and aid your piano playing journey.  So the teaching is keeping me busy; but do not fret! For I have found plenty time to...

        The weather is a little iffy still, down here in Cornwall , but we have had some sunshine as well as rain and the bluebells are definitely out. I love this time of year. Everything seems so fresh and full of promise. I took this photograph locally whilst walking with our dog. There's only one thing that can come close to music for simultaneously taking my breath away and lifting my mood, and that's nature.

Another hectic week here. With five year old twins, my piano lessons work, keeping house and looking after our lovely dog ( yes, that's him pictured; he's a rescue Jackahuahua and we adore him) it can be really hard to carve out time to do what gives you pleasure. But today I massively succeeded... I met friends for coffee after school drop off. I went for a run in the countryside. And best of all, I played my piano for a solid hour. There was laundry to do. There were breakfast dishes piled up. The hoover needed to be run...

..the birthday of Sergei Prokofiev ( 1891-1953) one of the greatest composers of the 20th Century. Well known for amongst many other works, his Peter and the Wolf, and score for the ballet Romeo and Juliet. I particularly love, from the latter , the Montagues and Capulets; a piece that for me is fairly unrivalled in it's sense of drama and power; making it perfect for Shakespeares epic tragedy. It was originally written for orchestra of course, but check out this snippet of the piano version played by the absolute legend that is Evgeny Kissin. Happy Birthday Sergei! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asWU3OzOrK8