Philip Thompson Piano Tuition - Peterborough

Congratulations to Lucy on passing her Grade 1 Piano Exam with Distinction! She worked very hard to achieve a fantastic result. Well done Lucy!!!

I'm currently getting one of my students ready for her grade 1 exam in just over two weeks. Make sure you get that all-important aural practice done!

Currently listening to Sir András Schiff playing "The Well-Tempered Clavier (Book 2)" by J.S. Bach. Wonderful stuff. At over two hours though, with no interval, I'm not sure I'll last the whole recital! Well work having a listen.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/play/live:bbc_radio_three

BBC Radio 3 - Listen Live

A little treat for you all from one of my favourite Disney movies! Enjoy!

The Aristocats - Scales and Arpeggios I do not own this movie. All rights reserved by Disney and partners - The Aristocats (1970) Music by Richard M. Sherman & Robert B. Sherman Lyrics by Richard...

Nothing like giving the piano a proper clean before September and the new term comes!

Just when you thought you had enough music, this lot turns up! This should keep me going for a fair while!

Practice... Sometimes it's exciting, sometimes it's terrifying! Not everyone loves sitting at a piano for hours on end, and often it is possible to achieve more in less time. Who wants (or has the time) to spend hours and hours practicing? Here are five questions to ask when you're about to practice which should help you achieve that little bit extra in your practice sessions.

1. Set a goal - what do I want to achieve in this practice session?

2. Figure out the method - how am I going to do it?

3. Set a time limit - how long am I going to practice this for today?

{Warm up - Practice}

4. Assess your results - did I achieve my goal?

5. The next practice session - what do I need to do/not do next time?

In short: Goal - Method - Time - Assess - Next.

Give it a try and let me know how you get on!

Ever asked the question, "Am I too old to learn the piano?" If so, take a look at the answers these teachers give. Whether you're 20 or 70, there are always benefits to learning an instrument.

What do I think? Is it ever too late? Never. Learning piano is fun, engaging, challenging and rewarding. So give it a go. You may surprise yourself!

Am I Too Old To Learn Piano? 5 Answers from Expert Piano Teachers People of many different ages find themselves asking the question: am I too old to learn piano? No matter your age, playing the piano is a wonderful skill to have for a variety of reasons. Studies …

Metronome practice...! Those words instil fear into a lot of people, but the benefits are many. Here's just a few.

1/ It helps you to play at a steady tempo
2/ It keeps you playing in time.
3/ It highlights any rhythmic errors.
4/ It stops you speeding up or slowing down in easy or hard passages.
5/ It helps you to learn tricky rhythms with precision.
6/ It helps develops your internal sense of rhythm.

Here's the app I've been using. It's simple, easy to use, and yet it can be customised to do more complex things as well.

Check it out, and see how far you get!

The Metronome by Soundbrenner

One of my pupils turned up this week having written two short pieces of piano music. It was a great opportunity to dig into some music theory, and learn more about how music is written down. Very impressed!