No tutorial, no lesson — just a piece I've been enjoying. This is The Singing Swan by Alexis Ffrench, an ABRSM Grade 2 piece. I recorded it for one of my students who's preparing for her exam, and as I played it I thought: this is too lovely to keep between the two of us. Here's what surprised me: she improved more from watching that recording than I expected. Not just from sight-reading, not just from our face-to-face classes — from simply watching and listening to how the piece is meant to sound. The shape of the phrases. Where the music breathes. Things that are hard to explain in words, but easy to hear. It reminded me of something I keep relearning after all these years of teaching: we absorb so much music through our ears and eyes before our fingers ever catch up. Watching someone play isn't cheating. It's how musicians have always learned. So I thought I'd share the recording with all of you too. No lyrics, nothing flashy — just a short piece that know exactly what they want to say. Have a listen. And tell me — have you ever learned something faster by watching someone else do it first? (Music or otherwise. 🎵)

A little while ago I asked if you'd want to learn Coldplay's "O" through patterns — no notation, no prerequisites. @Małgorzata Podgórska said yes. So Malgorzata, this one's for you — and everyone gets to benefit. 🙌💛 Here it is → Practice Sheet It's not a PDF. It's interactive: 🎵 Tap any letter to HEAR it ▶️ Press play on any line to hear the whole pattern while the letters light up 🔴 Red letters show you where the pattern changes — that's the moment to watch for 🎹 There's a mini keyboard showing exactly which keys you need (only one black key in the whole song!) Start with the "Slow" speed. Up the hill, down the hill — that's the whole song. And here's the secret: while you're playing Coldplay, this pattern is quietly training your fingers like a technical exercise. You just won't feel it. 😊 Go try it — even five minutes today. Then come back and tell me which part you got flowing first. I read every comment! 🎶

Just got back from the forbidden forest experience and I can't stop thinking about how the music shaped the entire walk. It's a perfect reminder to me that music isn't about performance. It's a feeling. And I hope all of you experience a sense of magic when learning the piano. ✨ So what did you go over the weekend? And what made it feel alive? 🎵

Lovely members, when it comes to actually learning piano, what's the biggest thing in your way right now?

Hey everyone 👋 I just published something I've wanted to make for a long time. (video below) It's called **Why Some Adult Piano Students Succeed (And Others Quit)** — and it's really a video about you. About us. About what's actually happening underneath the surface when an adult sits down at a piano and decides to keep going. I've been teaching adults long enough to notice that the ones who stay aren't always the most talented. They're the ones who go through a few specific shifts — in confidence, in identity, in how they relate to mistakes. I cover five of those shifts in the video. You'll probably recognise yourself in at least one of them. The one that surprised most people I've shared this with? Identity. The moment a student stops saying *"I'm trying to learn piano"* and starts saying *"I play piano"* — something changes. The way they practise. The way they respond to a hard week. The way they talk about themselves. You might already be further along that journey than you realise. 🎹 Watch when you have 10 minutes and come back here to tell me — which of the five principles hit closest to home for you? I'd genuinely love to know. ❤️