Andrew Eales has a well-established reputation as one of the leading piano educators in the United Kingdom.
He runs a successful private teaching practice based in Milton Keynes where he works with adults and children, ranging from complete beginners to diploma level.
He also offers support to players worldwide via his popular online Video Feedback Service.
Andrew is well known as a published composer and author. His compositions have appeared in the ABRSM piano grade syllabus and several other publications.
His book How to Practise Music is published by Hal Leonard, the world’s leading and largest music publisher, and has received considerable critical acclaim.
His series of three music books The Graded Gillock appeared in 2022, and following their success he has more recently compiled Naoko Ikeda: The Graded Collection. He is currently working on further projects with Hal Leonard.
Andrew’s piano recordings have been streamed online more than a million times.
“Andrew is one of the most versatile, energised, and talented figures in music education today.”
Murray McLachlan
Head of Keyboard, Chetham’s School of Music
Professor of Piano, Royal Northern College of Music
International Concert Pianist and Recording Artist
Andrew is an advocate for holistic, mindful approaches to music-making and an inquisitive, playful approach to teaching, learning and musical discovery. His mission is to help others find joy and fulfilment through playing the piano.
Through his work, Andrew has made significant contributions to the piano community, inspiring and guiding pianists and teachers around the world, encouraging others to embrace their creativity and pursue their musical aspirations.
Professional Training
Born in Surrey, UK in 1966, Andrew started piano lessons aged 9. Within a few months he was awarded a music scholarship to Oakham School. He later completed his schooling at Bedford Modern School, simultaneously taking up a place as a Junior Exhibitioner at the Guildhall School of Music in London.
Andrew went on to read Music at the University of Birmingham where he gained his honours B.Mus degree and won the University’s esteemed Roland Gregory Music Prize. While in Birmingham, Andrew studied harpsichord with David Ponsford, developing an interest in authentic historical performance practice.
Andrew went on to complete his postgraduate professional training at the Royal College of Music in London, where he took lessons with the internationally acclaimed harpsichord and fortepianist Robert Woolley, gaining his ARCM Diploma as well as a Certificate in Advanced Study in Early Music. He was also the winner of the Raymond Russell Harpsichord Prize.
Andrew also studied piano for two years with the Hungarian concert pianist Joseph Weingarten, a former student of Dohnányi in Budapest. Joseph’s profound and inspiring teaching had a huge impact on Andrew as a musician.
Professional Career
Andrew worked for EMI Classics in London for four years before launching his teaching career in the early 1990s.
He was soon appointed Head of Piano and Keyboard for the Milton Keynes Music Service, a post he held for several years. Alongside a busy teaching schedule and curriculum development work, Andrew provided training and leadership to a team of more than a dozen piano and keyboard teachers.
to the Mansek Music School in Takoradi, Ghana, 2003
During this time, Andrew’s work began to gain national attention. His series of four Keyquest tuition books for electronic keyboard were originally written to support his group teaching programme in schools, but were soon adopted by teachers more widely, and went on to sell more than 10,000 copies.
Andrew played a key role in the creation of A Common Approach 2002, the instrumental curriculum adopted by Music Services and schools across the UK, and the ABRSM Music Medals programme, for which he also composed several original pieces and arrangements published in their Keyboards Together books.
Since leaving the Music Service, Andrew has returned to his first love: piano education. Developing his private teaching practice, he has continued to build on three decades of experience and his wealth of professional expertise to emerge as a leading voice among piano teachers.
Andrew’s continuing work as a consultant has included filming piano tutorials in Poland for PWM Edition. He has been a syllabus consultant for the LCM and RSL Classical Piano grade exams, and contributed to ABRSM’s Teaching Notes on Piano Exam Pieces 2019-20 publication.
His original compositions have appeared in the ABRSM and LCM syllabus, and have been published in ABRSM’s Piano Star and Editions Musica Ferrum’s Mosaic Series.
Andrew has spoken at national conferences and local events throughout the UK, including for ABRSM, Trinity College London, EPTA, The Piano Teachers’ Course UK, as well as in Africa and the USA.
in Lusławice, Poland, 2020
Launched in Summer 2015, Andrew’s website Pianodao is widely appreciated and has a significant global following. The site includes more than 600 free articles and music reviews to freely support piano players, educators and enthusiasts.
Andrew’s book How to Practise Music was published by leading publisher Hal Leonard in 2022, and was followed later in the same year by three Graded Gillock music collections, and by Naoko Ikeda: The Graded Collection in 2023. Further publications with Hal Leonard are currently in development.
In 2023, Andrew also accepted the role of Publishing Consultant with EVC Music, an independent boutique music publisher distributed by Hal Leonard, a role in which he will offer independent advice on upcoming publications and projects.
At the heart of all his work, Andrew’s thriving private teaching practice and care for his students’ musical development remains ever his primary focus as he continues his exciting journey as writer, composer, pianist and educator.
Andrew has been happily married to Louise for 30 years. She is a clinical nurse specialist in child and adolescent mental health, now also training as an acupuncturist. They have a son and daughter who are both adults.
PIANODAO • 8 THE CRAVEN • HEELANDS
MILTON KEYNES • MK13 7NJ