Patient Piano Coach for Adult Beginners and Returners — Build Confidence with Clear Practice Plans

Find out more about Benedict

• 1) When did you first develop a passion for music and your favourite instrument?

  I first developed a passion for music when I was accepted into the choir of St. Paul's Cathedral at the ripe old age of six! Hearing the music we were creating echo around the colossal walls of the cathedral was inspiring enough to hook me for life! It was also there that I encountered a new instrument: the organ. The St. Paul's organ is simply awe-inspiring, but at that point in my life, the organ seemed too daunting to even consider as an instrument I could play. It was around the same time that I began at a new school where my passionate viola teacher (singing operatically over my playing) and my eccentric piano teacher (prancing around the piano in time with my C major scale) truly fueled my inherent love of music and propelled me to achieve a high level of proficiency on my instruments.

• 2) Is there a particular type of music or artist that you listen to on a loop without it driving you crazy?

  Being born into a classical music family and raised in a choral music environment, you might think I have a pure musical soul… But I do have one guilty secret… I enjoy video game music. The spaghetti western-style soundtrack from "Red Dead Redemption II," for example, helped me through my final exams at school, and I've been known to stare wistfully out of the window while listening to Gustavo Santaolalla's soundtrack from "The Last of Us." Let's keep that between us, shall we?

• 3) Explain to us the most difficult or riveting course you could personally give to a student of music.

  My music lessons usually involve more improvisation than most. And by "more than most," I mean more than zero. Improvisation can be as easy or as challenging as you want it to be, which is why I consider it the most demanding-it certainly has the potential to be! I find that my students, even those initially apprehensive, end up embracing improvisation. It gives them a way to express their ideas, enabling them to use the instrument in their unique way for the first time. It's a great shame it's not more widely taught!

• 4) What do you think is the most complicated instrument to master and why?

  This is the easiest question to answer: the organ. Mastering the organ involves coordinating your two hands (which may be playing on two different keyboards), your feet (often handling the bass line), and managing the stops you currently have activated (which determine the organ's sound). Additionally, organists need proficiency in a number of additional skills that generally aren't required on other instruments. Score reading, sight reading, transposition, harmonisation, improvisation, and accompanying are all expected skills for organists. It's not easy, but it's also incredibly rewarding once you've taken the time to acquire a level of competence!

• 5) What are your keys to success?

  There is only one key; breaking down significant goals into smaller ones. I often apply this approach with students when assigning their weekly tasks, significantly accelerating their progress. This method provides focus for the mind and boosts motivation. You can cover any distance with enough small steps.

• 6) Name three musicians you dream of meeting in your favourite bar in the early hours of the morning. Explain why.

  Gershwin (can I meet ghosts…?) I seem to have immersed myself so deeply in Gershwin's piano music that I might as well admit my obsession, although I'd like to ask him about that challenging 10th interval he loved to incorporate into his compositions. Not all of us have hands like Rachmaninoff!
  
  Paul Michael Harris, known as "Harry The Piano." Harry's performances on the piano can only be described as witchcraft. Give him any tune and musical style, and he'll effortlessly improvise a full-length, beautifully composed, flawlessly delivered piece without a moment's hesitation. He's the ChatGPT of music. But better. I'd like to meet him to learn the exact Latin spell he used to sell his soul to the devil.
  My past self, to advise against placing my hands near that splintered piece of wood an hour before an organ recital. And then to remind myself that a plaster is a better alternative to superglue.

• 7) Provide a valuable anecdote related to music or your days at music school.

  There I stood, viola in hand, about to step onto the stage. As a twelve-year-old boy, playing in front of the entire school at the beginning of the school year was pretty much the archetypal performance-related nightmare. But, as I stood there, palms sweating and visibly shivering, one of the music teachers approached me. The conversation was simple:
  "Nervous?"
  
  "Yeah…"
  
  "Don't be. It's just music."
  
  And with that, I was invited to the stage.
  
  What might seem like a flippant dismissal of an entire art form was exactly what I needed to hear in that moment. Sure, music is probably one of the most important creations of the human race, but the incredible irony is that no individual performance holds significant repercussions (especially as a school child). Remembering that it's "just music" reminds you that no matter how many scales and exercises your teacher assigns, no matter how many people are watching, or no matter how confident we are about how a piece "should" be played, music is fundamentally an art. This means that you always have the freedom to experiment, make mistakes, and love what you do.

• 8) What are the little touches that make you a Superprof in music?

  I'm very focused on the student's goals. Not every student has the same objective-some students are grade-focused, some want to learn a wide range of easier pieces, and some want to learn to improvise and compose. While it might be easier for the teacher to fit every student into the same mould (for example, the ABRSM syllabus), I don't believe that this is conducive to a lifelong passion for the piano. I teach students what they want to learn and open their minds to consider learning about other things that might help them achieve their goals.
  
  I make crystal clear the things a student must do to improve at the pace they desire. An epidemic is going through the music student population where students simply have no clue about how to practice. In my lessons, I demonstrate and practice specific practice techniques with my students to ensure that their personal practice (the majority of time in the week that they will spend on the instrument) is well utilised. I don't take the skill of practice lightly.
  I develop the musician, not just the player. How should I sit when playing? What's a Gigue? Should I warm up before practice? Why do D major and B minor both have two sharps? How do I avoid nerves in a performance? There are so many aspects to playing an instrument that go ignored in many music lessons around the world. In my lessons, I don't only provide the information required for my students to simply play a piece; I aim to act as a mentor, using a piece, scale, or exercise as a tool to develop a wide range of skills in my students. I believe this approach produces far more motivated and successful musicians.