Piano with Anastasia

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Piano with Anastasia

Teaching Piano in the context of general musicianship using Kodály methodology in Fleet, Hampshire, UK

30/08/2026

Just spent a lovely day at the EPTA (European Piano Teachers' Association) conference. Great to catch up with Karen Marshall (author of Get Set piano and many others) and Victoria Proudler (composer of the Piano Grades are Go series) again too 😍🎹🎵🎶

09/08/2026

Some pieces of music just stop you in your tracks. ✨🎹

I haven’t shared anything here for a little while - summer holidays have a way of making time disappear - and I’ll probably be quiet on here until September.

But I couldn’t quite let this one wait.

Broken Sunsets by Alexis Ffrench is simply beautiful. There’s something about the way it unfolds so gently, with moments of stillness and light, that seems to absorb me into its world.

So this time, I’m sharing the whole thing. All 6+ minutes. No edits, no rushing — just the music, from beginning to end. 🌅

If you have a few quiet minutes, I hope you’ll pause, put everything else aside for a little while, and let it wash over you.

Wishing you a peaceful, beautiful summer. ❤️

I’ll see you in September. 🎶

13/07/2026

Another wonderful year comes to an end... and what a year it's been! ☀️🎶

Looking back, I'm incredibly proud of everything my students have achieved. From first lessons to polished performances, exam successes to musical discoveries and countless moments of perseverance and growing confidence, it's been a joy to share each step of the journey with you.

Thank you to all my Piano With Anastasia families and to my adult students, for your enthusiasm, commitment and trust throughout the year. It's a privilege to teach such a fantastic community of musicians and I never take that for granted.

Although term has finished, the music doesn't stop completely! I'm looking forward to seeing many of you for occasional summer lessons over the holidays. For those taking a well-earned break, I hope you enjoy every minute. Whether you spend the summer travelling, relaxing, exploring new hobbies or making music at home, I hope it's filled with happy memories.

If you do find a few minutes to sit at the piano now and then, remember that it doesn't have to be a long practice session. Playing a favourite piece, revisiting something you love, or simply enjoying making music can be just as valuable.

Wishing you all a wonderful summer. I can't wait to hear all about your adventures and continue making music together next term. 💚

10/07/2026

Every so often, a message arrives that makes me stop what I'm doing and smile.

This was one of those.

It's easy to think piano lessons are about learning the right notes.

But moments like this remind me that they're about so much more.

They're about helping children believe in themselves.

They're about giving them strategies for when things don't go to plan.

They're about building resilience alongside musicianship.

After my student's school performance, her mum told me that although she'd made a mistake, she remembered something we'd covered in lessons: "If you keep the music flowing, the audience is very unlikely to notice." So she just kept going.

When something unexpected happened, she had a strategy to fall back on and the confidence to use it.

Mistakes happen...
..but she wasn't afraid of them.

That's real confidence.

Sometimes, as teachers, we never quite know which parts of our lessons will stay with a child. It's a real privilege to discover that something practised quietly in a piano lesson gave a young musician the confidence to shine when it mattered most.

I'm incredibly proud of this wonderful young pianist, and deeply grateful to her mum for taking the time to send such a thoughtful message.

Messages like these remind me why I love what I do. ❤️

07/07/2026

🎹 One of the most powerful parts of practice happens after you've stopped playing.

Many students think practice ends when they close the piano lid.

I think that's where some of the best learning begins.

Research shared by Bulletproof Musician highlights that taking just a minute or two to reflect after practising can make future practice much more effective. Rather than simply moving on, ask yourself:

✨ What went well today?
🎯 What could I do differently next time?
💡 What will I focus on in my next practice session?

This is something I encourage all of my intermediate and advanced students to do, as well as teenagers and adults at any stage of their musical journey. Planning your next practice session before you finish the current one means you sit down at the piano next time with a clear purpose, rather than wondering, "What should I work on today?"

It's also exactly what I do in my own practice. Even a quick note in a practice diary or on your phone can make a huge difference.

Remember: practice isn't just about playing more, it's about thinking more intentionally about how you practise. 💙

Do you take a minute to reflect after practising? Or, if you're a parent, is this something your child does already? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

04/07/2026

🎉 A huge congratulations to two of my wonderful students on achieving a MERIT in their ABRSM Grade 3 Piano exams! 🎹✨

I'm incredibly proud of both of them. Achieving a Merit at Grade 3 reflects consistent practice, perseverance, musical development and a willingness to keep improving week after week.

What makes me especially happy is seeing how much both students have grown in confidence and musicianship throughout the process. Exam success is wonderful, but it's the skills developed along the way - careful listening, expressive playing, resilience and independence - that will stay with them long after the certificate is framed.

Well done to Zara and Toby – you should both be immensely proud of yourselves. It has been a pleasure to guide you on this part of your musical journey, and I'm excited to see where your playing takes you next. 🌟

👏 Congratulations again!

01/07/2026

🎵 Myth vs Reality 🎵

**Myth:** Good musicians are naturally confident.

Have you ever watched a performer walk onto a stage and thought:

*"I wish I had their confidence."*

It's easy to assume that confident musicians are simply born that way.

**Reality:** Confidence is built, not inherited.

Most musicians don't become confident because they never feel nervous.

They become confident because they've learned to trust their preparation.

The student who performs confidently at a concert has usually spent weeks learning the notes, solving problems, refining tricky passages and practising performing.

The pianist who walks calmly onto a stage may still have butterflies in their stomach.

The difference is that they know they've done the work.

In fact, many professional musicians still experience nerves before performances. Confidence isn't the absence of nervousness; it's the belief that you can cope with whatever happens.

That's why, in lessons, we don't just learn pieces.

We learn how to:
🎹 Break challenges into manageable steps
🎹 Solve problems independently
🎹 Recover from mistakes
🎹 Trust our preparation
🎹 Keep going when things don't go perfectly

Because real confidence doesn't come from telling yourself you'll succeed.

It comes from proving to yourself, again and again, that you can overcome challenges.

Every practice session, every solved problem and every small achievement lays another brick in the foundation of confidence.

Confidence isn't where musical growth begins.

It's often where it leads. 🎶

28/06/2026

**🌡️🎹 Piano Lessons: Extreme Edition 🎹🌡️**

This week's challenge wasn't scales, sight-reading, or tricky rhythms...

It was staying focused while the temperature outside climbed above **30°C**!

A huge well done to all my students this week.

With temperatures soaring outside, concentrating on scales, sight-reading, and new pieces was no small feat. We were all incredibly grateful that the piano room stayed at a comparatively comfortable **25°C** though it still felt rather warm by piano-playing standards!

Despite the heat, students arrived ready to learn, worked hard, stayed focused, and made excellent progress. It's easy to practise and concentrate when conditions are perfect; it's much harder when you're trying to think through a musical phrase while feeling decidedly warmer than you'd like.

I'm so proud of the determination, enthusiasm, and musicality everyone showed this week.

Thankfully, next week's temperatures look set to be a little more manageable, and I'm looking forward to another week of making music together.

Well done, everyone! ☀️🎹🎵

25/06/2026

It's going to be hot teaching today! 🥵🥵🥵. I've got thermos flasks of iced squash at the ready - I tried to buy some ice pops, but everyone had had the same idea and after a grand tour of supermarkets, I gave up! 😢

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Fleet

Website

https://pianowithanastasia.blogspot.com/

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