Piano Lessons in Swansea

AFYM Swansea Festival – February 7th, 8th, and 9th

We had a fantastic time at the AFYM Swansea Festival, where our pupils performed brilliantly across various categories. It was wonderful to have Leonora and Paul join us for the event, making it a truly special experience.

Friday Highlights

Jason impressed everyone with his engaging introductions before playing his solo piece, Haunted House, and the duet Gypsy Band.

Jason took me to Brunch at his Chinese Restaurant in Bryn y Mor Road where we had dumplings! Photos below.

Sohrab gave a fantastic performance of Tuxedo Jazz and was awarded a Gold for his efforts and hard work.

Megan played beautifully in the competitive Grade 3 section, earning a Certificate (3rd place) for Grade 4 Cloudscapes.
Peyton also gave strong performances in both Cloudscapes and the Grade 3 category.

Saturday Performances

Saturday featured a variety of performances, including duets and solo pieces. I had the pleasure of performing the Tango duet with Leonora.
My solo performance was Caballos, while Leonora captivated the audience with Moonlight Sonata and Tugela Rail.

One of the most thought-provoking moments of the day came from the adjudicator’s comments on Moonlight Sonata.
He remarked, “Everything is in the score except the most important bit.” What did he mean by this? Essentially, while the notes, rhythms, and dynamics were played correctly, the true essence of the piece—the emotion, phrasing, and interpretation—needed to be felt beyond what was written on the page.
It was a valuable insight into the depth required to bring a piece to life.

Sunday Reflections

Sohrab participated in the non-competitive section and received an outstanding review.
The adjudicator even suggested that he might have a future as a jazz pianist!

The festival concluded on a high note as Sohrab and Megan won Gold for their duet performance of Tango.

Well done to everyone!

It was an incredible weekend filled with inspiring performances and valuable feedback. Congratulations to all our pupils for their hard work and achievements!

All pupils spoke Introductions clearly and confidently. 🎹🎶🎹🎶

Please send me photos, I’m not allowed to post the videos.

✨ Concert Recap – Saint Illtyd’s Church, Fforestfach, Swansea ✨
Monday January 27th 2025

What a night! Despite a rough start with torrential rain and delays, the concert turned out to be a wonderful evening filled with amazing performances.

A huge thank you to everyone who came along and supported the event!

🎶 Repertoire Highlights:

We enjoyed a fantastic mixture of exam pieces, beautiful duets by Martha Mier, Thomas Johnson’s Tango duet, and even a Piazzolla favourite.

A special mention goes to Jason, whose introduction to “Haunted House” had everyone hooked, and to Johnnie for bringing a newer genre of anime music into the mix!

🎹 A Stunning Setting:

The concert was held in the beautiful Saint Illtyd’s Church, which provided a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

We were fortunate to perform on a Grand Piano, a truly special instrument that added to the evening’s magic.

☕ A Big Thank You! ☕️

A huge thank you to Jeanette , Martin and Laura for organising teas, coffees, and hot chocolates during the interval, and for staying behind to help clear up afterward—it was truly appreciated!

Also, a big thank you to Saint Illtyd’s Church, who kindly donated due to the delayed start. Their generosity and hospitality made a real difference.

🎷 Audience Favourites: 🎹

The audience voted for their favorite pieces of the evening:

• Tuxedo Jazz – 8 votes
• Spanish Guitar – 4 votes
• Tango Duet – 3 votes
• Green-Eyed Jealousy – 3 votes
• What a Wonderful World – 2 votes

The duets were a clear hit, and it was lovely to see how much confidence everyone gained from playing together.

Looking ahead, I’m hoping to hold the next concert in July and will be booking 2 hours to include an interval with refreshments. If you have any venue suggestions or ideas, feel free to get in touch.

Thank you all once again for making this a memorable evening. Looking forward to the next one!

🎶🎶🎶

http://www.bristolfestival.co.uk/piano-classes/

PIANO – Bristol Festival of Music, Speech & Drama

Festival and Competition time closing dates very soon!
AYFM closing date Friday 20th December.

Bristol Festival closing date 31st January.

Don’t miss the closing dates!

https://epta-uk.org/national-competition/national-competition/

EPTA UK National Competitions - EPTA UK Website **Please note that entries for the 2024 season are closed** Aims To inspire, encourage, motivate and honour high levels of ... EPTA UK National Competitions

https://afym.org.uk/festival/

Welcome to AFYM 2025 - AFYM Hello, and welcome to AFYM 2025! We are thrilled that the Abertawe Festival for Young Musicians is returning to Swansea next year. We do hope that you will enter as many classes as possible to take the opportunity to benefit from all we have to offer. There are solo classes, duets, ensembles, compet...

Sohrab playing at the EPTA Concert in Kenfig Hill.

🎹 A big thank you to everyone who joined us on Saturday at St. Theodore’s Church in Kenfig Hill for the EPTA Concert!

We had a lovely group of seven attend, with Jason, Johnnie, and Sohrab representing us beautifully on the piano. All three played wonderfully—well done!

As we prepare for the next concert, remember my golden rule: play your pieces to three different audiences before the big day. It’s the best way to build confidence, refine your performance, and feel ready to shine!

Well done again, and I’m looking forward to hearing everyone’s progress in the coming weeks.

Jason’s PREP TEST, his first exam! He took it Thursday and did really well.
Although there is no PASSMARK, you can read the comments to see that he played amazingly well.👏🏻👏🏻