Derby Piano Lessons
My name is Justin and I teach piano to all ages and abilities in Oakwood, Derby. Lessons are kept fun and relaxed, covering all styles of music. I guide and support students from complete beginners, right through to advanced level, helping you to learn to play music that you enjoy and are passionate about.
ABRSM grades 1-8 are taught with an in-depth insight, knowledge and expertise so that the more serious student can achieve the best results as a musician, furthering their study and musical journey.
More about Justin ...
Justin is a passionate, professional and very patient music teacher with over thirty years playing experience and over twenty years teaching experience. He teaches piano to children as young as four and adults of any age and ability.
As a student, Justin studied music professionally at Birmingham Conservatoire (1996-2000) and gained a BMus (Hons) degree from this established Music College.
Lesson fees: £23 per 30 minutes
Piano Videos
Justin’s teaching experience and skills
Justin has been teaching piano for over twenty years and has gained invaluable and vast experience by teaching students of all ages. He has taught at three very established schools since 2000, including Repton Preparatary School, Bromsgrove School and Nottingham High School. Justin was offered the role of ‘early years specialist’ at each institution due to his knowledge, gentle manner and extreme ease of being able to interact with beginner students from the age of four years old. He has a rare talent/ability of being able to maintain the interest of infant age children, where the focus is on keeping lessons as fun as possible, rather than introducing too much theory straight away, progressing quickly by tailoring learning to suit each individual student. The style of pieces and beginner books chosen are kept as interesting as possible and Justin constantly monitors to see how each student is adapting to each new piece and book.
Classical and Contemporary Styles
Justin’s lessons are completely tailored to each individual student’s preferred style of music so whatever you are passionate about, whether it be current, jazz, classical etc, Justin provides a bespoke service to fit your requirements and he constantly monitors and researches new music books and material to align with each student’s musical tastes. The latest titles will be on Justin’s teaching list.
Beginner to advanced, any age and ability
Justin loves the variety of teaching children from as young as four, right through to the more mature student looking to take up piano in retirement or to continue learning after a twenty year gap. Most adult students who studied music as a child and then pick up lessons again in their later years, find that they remember many of the skills that they were originally taught and lessons are always kept as fun, relaxed and enjoyable as possible. Justin is a very kind and patient teacher and so every student realises from the first lesson, that they will be fully supported and guided through their musical journey with ease and lessons become very pleasurable for them.
Exam study and learning for fun
Justin teaches many exam students who enjoy studying for examinations, competitions and recitals. He uses the most established, professional and recognised examination body in the world – ABRSM. For the more serious and musical student who may be interested in studying GCSE and A Level Music in the future, this is THE syllabus to study in order to boost examination results and to gain an A* via the performance route.
However, learning for fun and enjoyment is of paramount of importance and there is equally an argument to ‘not study exams at all’ and to learn in the most enjoyable, relaxed manner as possible, so exams are certainly not the way forward for every student.
Advantages of starting piano early and in adulthood
There are significant benefits to starting to learn to play an instrument early, including changes in the brain that can lead to cognitive advantages. The biggest benefits are found in those who began music lessons in childhood. Justin believes that the perfect age to start piano is at the age of four, beginning with a twenty minute lesson initially. Learning from this age can boost IQ, making it easier to pick up new languages, interpret the emotions of others and to help focus attention in the classroom and academically.
Further life skills/benefits to learning piano
- Sharpens your concentration - When playing piano, the focus is on rhythm, pitch, tempo, note duration and several other things. Even though you’re doing something you actually enjoy, this is really a multi-level concentration exercise. In fact, studies have shown that every time a musician plays their instrument, there are ‘fireworks going off’ in their brains. Playing a musical instrument is perhaps the only activity during which almost all brain areas are simultaneously activated.
- Teaches you perseverance - Learning new tunes on the piano takes time and effort. Until you can actually play a piece fluently by heart, you’ll probably spend several weeks practising it. As you look forward to being able to play the piece, you stay motivated, learn patience and increase your perseverance. These skills will always help you when you are confronted with difficult tasks at school, university, or at work.
- Teaches you discipline - Playing the piano can be quite challenging. However, practising frequently and working hard will not only teach you perseverance, but also discipline. Consider the parts of the piece you will have to practise over and over again. There is one “magic key” to successfully playing the piano (and yes, I will share it with you, just like that): practise, practise, practise. Practising regularly requires discipline. Maybe at the beginning it will be harder for you. Maybe you have to come up with some little treats to get yourself there. However, slowly but surely, you’ll get used to it and being disciplined about your practise time won’t be hard at all.
- Improves your emotional intelligence - Playing the piano enhances your listening skills. These are also very important when you interact with other people. Emotions are not only expressed by facial expressions and body language, but also by the tone of voice, the speed of speech, and the melody of speech. People who play an instrument are better listeners and it is not surprising that studies have actually revealed that musicians are more perceptive in interpreting the emotions of others.
- Increases your memory capacity - Playing the piano stimulates your brain. While you learn and play new pieces, the stimulated areas of your brain become larger and therefore more active. The areas that are responsible for the storage of audio information particularly, are more developed in musicians then in non-musicians. So when you play the piano, your ability to memorise audio information increases. The chance of saying something like: “I’m sorry! Maybe you told me, but I really don’t remember…” most likely will occur less often. Isn’t it amazing what playing the piano can do for you? If you’ve always been looking for an excuse to pick up that tricky piano, well, here -- now you've got more than one. :-)
Justin’s teaching methods ...
Here is an example of Justin’s teaching material, to give an idea of the many different styles of music that can be studied from beginner level ...
All books are available from ...
- www.musicroom.com
- www.amazon.co.uk
- www.fouldsmusic.co.uk (local music shop in Derby city centre)
ABRSM Piano Examination Study
For further information about studying for music examinations/grades, please click on this link - www.abrsm.org
If you are looking to purchase a keyboard, always ensure that you find one that has ‘weighted keys’. This is the closest match and feel to piano keys. A basic keyboard is not sufficient but an electronic piano/keyboard/clavinova is perfect for learning and they are much more cost effective than buying a piano, which can cost thousands! Here are my recommendations of where to purchase ...
- www.fouldsmusic.co.uk (local music shop in Derby city centre)
- www.normans.co.uk
- www.musicroom.com
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Justin
