About Paul
I am available as a piano teacher in and around Macclesfield.
I have taught the piano now for 25 years, all piano lessons are conducted in your own home, so no travelling time for you!
I teach piano for all levels from beginners to advanced, many people are learning for graded qualifications (I use several boards including A.B.R.S.M, Trinity and LCM) or you can learn just for your own enjoyment. As I also work as a pianist playing at functions (https://www.thecocktailpianist.co.uk/wedding-pianist) I am familiar with a wide range of music styles, including; classical, show, popular, light jazz etc so whatever your tastes, the lessons will be tailored to suit you.
Tutoring Approach: For all piano lessons I travel out to your home in and around Macclesfield. As your piano teacher I always teach and tailor lessons to suit each student so as to keep them fun and interesting regardless of age. I have a great deal of experience at teaching adults as well as teaching children. Lessons are usually a half hour lesson once a week, but 45 and 60 minutes can also be arranged. I will chat with you about what your musical goals are and if you aren't a complete beginner I will listen to you play and assess your level at that moment and then help you to move forwards and keep progressing each week. Each piano lesson we will work through a piece of music and by the end of the lesson you will feel confident that you have the knowledge to be able to practice the music through the rest of the week.
As a piano teacher I enjoy passing on the knowledge that I have acquired over many years and between our lessons I am always happy for you to contact me if you have any difficulties or questions regarding the music you are practising.
The Best Age To Start Piano Lessons
Typically a good age for children to start learning the piano is around age six. This is an age when children can have fun playing the piano and look forward to having a piano lesson with their teacher. Also many piano teachers agree that age six as the optimal age to learn as the children now have finger independance and the size of hand needed for the correct placing on the piano keys and also at this age their brain can easily and incredibly quickly make new connections which is invaluable in their motor skills and note reading fluency. It is important that the lessons are fun otherwise they will soon become bored and refuse to continue. At the end of each piano lesson your child will know exactly what and how to practice the piece we have been working on, and I will write in a dated notebook what we have been learning and I will always talk with the parent at the end of each lesson.
I am equally as experienced at teaching adult learners. Maybe you are a complete beginner or perhaps you had lessons as a child and now as an adult you would like to return to the piano. Adult learners can make good progress and learn for their own pleasure and if wanted to also sit exams. Many adults like to learn classical piano but if you have a favourite genre of music then I am happy to incoporate your musical tastes into our lessons. Adult learners (returners) who had lessons as a child are often amazed at how much muscle memory they have retained and in our first lesson I can always see if an adult has had lessons as a child by how they place their hands on the keys - even if they were last sat at a piano a few decades ago.
I have taught the piano from children aged four right through to adults in their nineties.
Our First Piano Lesson
In our first lesson I will listen carefully to what your goals are either for you or your child. As well as teaching you the piano I will also take you through the process of learning to read music. If you don't yet have a piano I can help you to choose an instrument that would be perfect for you. This could be an acoustic or digital piano - I will talk you through the pros and cons for each.
In a typical piano lesson we will go through the music together and I will get you to a point where we are both confident that you will be able to practise the piece during the week.
If you aren't a complete beginner then it is usual in our first piano lesson for me to ask you to play a piece of music that you feel you can play well, and then I would give you a new piece of music to play as this would show me your piano/sight reading level. Once I have a good idea what level you are at I can then arrange our piano lessons accordingly.
Why Have Piano lessons with Paul?
- A time that suits you, I teach piano in the evenings, weekends or during the day - this would then be your own weekly time
- I am a friendly and approachable teacher and I can always take mid-week calls from you if you have any questions
- I make music and the piano both fun and educational
- A personal programme to you so you can achieve your goals - this includes playing the piano / music reading / aural / sight-reading
- I can help you prepare for your GCSE or A Level piano performance music
- I have a lifetime of experience playing all different styles inc. Classical / Jazz / Movies / Show Songs
- I travel to you so no travelling time for you. I usually work in Macclesfield, Wilmslow, Knutsford and Congleton but I can also cover surrounding areas
- As your piano teacher I genuinely want to help you achieve your goals
- My lessons are for all ages and abilities so whether you are playing for pleasure or for the music grades from grade 1 through to diploma level I can help you
- I can also talk to you about the history of music and introduce you to the great composers of our past
The Benefits of Learning the Piano
- For the fun and joy of being able to play a piece of music for you and your family and friends
- To sharpen your motor skills
- To help reduce anxiety as playing the piano can also be your meditation and mindfulness
- To improve your memory as many people enjoy memorising a piece of music to always have ready in your fingers
- For boosting your confidence as you will feel the huge sense of achievement at being able to play your favourite piece of music
- Increase your hand,wrist and finger dexterity
- Improve your hand-eye coordination
- Learning classical piano is the foundation to all musical styles
- Be introduced to the great composers and be able to play their compositions
- Better cognitive development as so many studies have now shown the benefits to learning the piano
- To increase concentration, focus, and patience as you will see when you are engrossed in a piece of music just how quicky time can pass
How Often Do I Need To Practice The Piano?
Time at the piano should always be enjoyable and something that you look forward to doing rather than it being a chore. You will know when you are practising enough as you will make progress. Typically for children around the age of six 15/20 minutes six days a week is sufficient to make progress. It is important that this is most days because as well as learning to play the piano the learner also needs this time to become fluent at reading music.
For older students this time should be extended to 30 minutes each day as the pieces of music become longer and more involved. As you become more proficient at the piano your aim should be around 45 minutes most days (or even an hour) as your progress will be proportional to the amount of time you are at the piano.
As your piano teacher I can show you how best to use this practice time as each day you should have a specific target to achieve. This could be attempting a new piece of music, scales, sight-reading or working on a trickier section of music that you have already been learning. By having me as your piano teacher I would offer you encouragement to practice each/most days to have your music ready to play for the following lesson, I will point out any mistakes you may have acquired.
To learn the piano correctly even with a good amount of practice it is essential to have a piano teacher. Without a teacher it is possible to learn some scales and chords from an app or Youtube videos but to learn and play classical piano ( and classical music is the foundation of all music) then this has to be done with a teacher. Playing the piano and music reading is fun but it is also intricate and so when you are practicing each week you want to be sure you are reading both the clefs correctly, you are using correct fingers and you have good posture.
Piano Quotes By Artists and Composers
- I'm able to sometimes express things even more articulately on the piano than I am with singing - Harry Connick Jr
- When I had nothing else, I had my mother and the piano And you know what? They were all I needed - Alicia Keys
- I often thing in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music - Albert Einstein
- Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything - Plato
- The piano ain't got no wrong notes - Thelonious Monk
- Theres nothing remarkable about it. All one has to do is hit the right keys at the right time - JS Bach
- The piano keys are black and white but they sound like a million colours in your mind - Maria Cristina Mena
- When you play, never mind who listens to you - Robert Schumann
