top of page

Gary Hawkins BMus DipABRSM MISM
07912 251 186
garypiano@virginmedia.com

Piano Tuition
Who can learn?
In short - anybody. ( as long as you can devote some regular time in each week to practice )
I believe in two main aspects for success. The first is a happy, humorous and fun / relaxed environment full of motivational material, and the second is mastering the absolute fundamentals and skillsets for being a great pianist.
A nice positive atmosphere helps to relax you and this allows you to get the most out of the lesson. Your brain learns and works so much better when it isn't in a stressed state, and is relaxed.
* Please Note - I usually take students from the age of 7 years and older. *
My philosophy / Teaching Strategy
Fun, Humour, Laughter, Relaxed, Methodical, Thorough and Highly Dedicated.
Despite me trying everything I could as a child to cheat it to get quick results, believe me there are no shortcuts that pay off in any way in the long term!!! I've learnt this the hard way so you don't have to.
The tuition you receive will be fully tailored and personal to you. As a student, you are making a substantial financial and time investment, and putting your trust in my teaching. I do not take that lightly. Unlike a lot of video tutorials or apps, I am proud to be able to use my 35 years worth of experience to give you all the tools and skills you need to progress. This is done in a sequential and progressive method so that there are no gaps in knowledge or technique, or bad habits that have to be reworked in the future ( which can be extremely challenging and frustrating and no one wants to be faced with this ) Reassuringly, I have numerous practice and learning techniques that will help to prevent this. This of course is a two way thing though. I can show people all the very best methods and techniques out there but they have to be practiced correctly and regularly at home and in between lessons to make the progress.
You will learn the pieces you want to learn too, as part of your musical journey in addition to the 'skill builder' pieces that I set. I can extract technically difficult sections of any style of music, and use them creatively as exercises to improve in that area.
I will provide you with a firm grasp of the musical language whilst having lots of humour and laugher and fun along the way. You will have the option to take graded exams and also learn extensive music theory if you wish.
Below are a few highlights of what I can offer you.....
Classical Style Tuition (the very best form of musical education for any instrument)
Graded Examinations
Music Theory
Tonal Colour
Phrasing / Shaping
Musical Interpretation
Performance Skills / Performance Anxiety
Sight Reading skills
Technical competence
Improvisation/Composition
Orchestrating, layering and texturizing / enhancing modern music and songs, ( making the piano sound like a full orchestra rather than just a few basic chords )
Accompaniment
Following a conductor/Working in ensembles
Conducting or Musical Direction
Practise techniques and the philosophy of piano, music, how to practice etc
In addition to classical piano I also teach other styles of music, such as Musical Theatre, Pop, Ragtime, Rhythm & Blues / Rock 'n Roll solo's and more.
Qualifications / Experience
I have been playing since the age of 4, and a professional theatre and choir accompanist when I was around the age of 13. I have been teaching for over 15 years and have a healthy variety of experience in different areas of the music industry. It equates to roughly over 20,000 hours of playing.
I am a member of the Incorporated Society for Musicians and I am one of their registered private piano teachers on their database. It is a powerful union that is set up to look after musicians, teachers but also students and parents so you can have total peace of mind. If you want more information about it, please visit their website www.ism.org
In addition to this I have all ABRSM practical exam grades including Grade 8 Distinction, and also Triple Distinction in BTEC National Diploma in Music. I have gained the specialist piano teaching qualification; the Associated Board Diploma in Instrumental Teaching (DipABRSM). I also graduated in 2014 with a BMus (Hons) Degree from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff.
Lessons can be arranged to suit your financial and time needs, weekly, fortnightly or even monthly if you want.
There are videos of my students and myself on my YouTube channel.
Photos of my teaching venue are below




bottom of page