Musicians’ are small muscle athletes, they need to warm up and cool down in the same way as Olympic athletes would. After doing a poll over on my instagram (go give me a follow to see what I get up to @amypianist) a shocking 90% of people said that they have either experienced pain or… Continue reading Musician’s Injuries
I have a confession to make, I have a bad habit that I've been trying to break for years. Practising in mistakes. I think this has to be the most common error musicians make when practising, I know this because there are so many chapters in books and articles dedicated to just this one topic.… Continue reading Fixing mistakes – problem solving in practise
Last week I received an email from the head of keyboard studies, Simon Phillippo, about a new weekly programme with an hour long discussion group called the 'keyboard forum' that he has devised for us throughout May. My friends and I highly anticipated the first email on Monday and when it arrived we were not… Continue reading Keyboard Forum – Week 1 Summary
Cancelled concerts are something so many musicians across the world are having to deal with right now, so I wanted to spread some positivity and share my experience. It's beginning to hit home. The reality that I won't be playing my end of year recital. Earlier this week I got an email saying that all… Continue reading Covid-19: cancelled recitals
This January I had my last ever technical assessment, its crazy to think that two years ago I had my first one! I failed my first technical assessment, not because I didn't try, but because I really struggled to play scales and arpeggios fluently. I passed on my second attempt two weeks later. I really… Continue reading Technical assessments – why only once a year?
RWCMD made the decision to shut this week due to Covid-19. It's hard not knowing when college will reopen, whether summer recitals will still be taking place etc. This is a very tough time for those who have contracted the virus. It is also a difficult time for my fellow musicians and artists that are… Continue reading Covid-19 – Practise Experimentation
Most people who know me know how much I love yoga. I only started exploring yoga after attending a day course on Piano Yoga led by Evegnia Chudinovich at Jaques Samuel Pianos in London back in 2017. I got her book (linked below) after the session and started to work my way through the exercises,… Continue reading Stretch of the week – hand wrist and forearm twist
I want to start opening up the conversation of mental health in music. It seems to be 'normal' to generalise that musicians, or any form of artist, are overly emotional. I have come to realise that those working or studying in the arts tend to be more emotional because of the pressure we put on… Continue reading Musicians are emotional
Yes, you read that right. Let me explain, I had a minor revelation last week. Every now and again I forget that I can do more than move my wrist up and down, I can use my elbow to aid the rotation allowing me to play a certain passage in one movement. I was practising… Continue reading Chicken Wings.
Whether you have 30 minutes to an hour, you can make the most of each minute in your lesson. Keeping a practise journal really helps. The journey to my piano lessons is around 1.2 hours, so I write up a summary in my journal on the train home. Not only do I write about… Continue reading Making the most out of your lessons.
