The Way of Piano – Pianodao

Garreth Brooke • A Piano Journey

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Interviews • Opinions • Guest Posts

GARRETH BROOKE is a British/German musician whose original music has been released on several labels and has received millions of streams. He has performed live all over Europe, and his compositions have been published by Breitkopf & Härtel, Faber Music, and Editions Musica Ferrum.

Garreth’s exclusive UK live date for 2026 will be his upcoming appearance at the Milton Keynes Piano Celebration (Book Tickets here).

In this moving and inspiring interview, we discuss how Garreth’s musical journey has been shaped by love, loss, healing, and the pathway that has ultimately led to his music touching listeners around the world…

The Natural Musician

Fermata • The Pianodao Blog
Short Reflections by Andrew Eales

I really believe that it’s imperative for us all to reawaken to the natural world around us, and to rediscover our place within it. Recognising and following the changing seasons, and making adjustments which bring our inner journey into harmony with the natural world is fundamental to our true wellbeing.

Throughout history, the Daoist philosophers and teachers emphasised this point. Alongside that, they were keen musicians and artists who demonstrated in their works that far from adding to our sense of separation from the natural world, our artistic expression can provide an avenue by which we can come much closer to it.

Let’s explore this idea of becoming a more natural musician, in tune with the seasons and the living world around us…

The Piano Stool: a safe harbour

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Interviews • Opinions • Guest Posts

In this new guest post for Pianodao, best-selling author KAREN MARSHALL points to the importance of helping students feel welcome, seen, and ready to learn…

Years ago, my late teacher Eric Leveridge told me,

“Karen, remember that a piano teacher can actually be providing a service to the community. Supporting parents and young people as they make their way in life.”

I have never forgotten those words. Instrumental educators enjoy the rare privilege of spending years of consistent, one-to-one time with a child. Sometimes for up to twelve years, or more. We are not just teaching an instrument; we form part of that child’s long-term developmental support team.

Attachment theory offers a helpful lens through which we can understand this connection. Borrowing John Bowlby’s concept of a “secure base”, we can see how music teachers can create a predictable, encouraging environment where children feel safe enough to take creative risks.

This is not to suggest we replace parents or act as therapists, but rather to recognise the meaningful difference a trusted, consistent adult can make.

Many of us notice students arriving at lessons with limited attention, heightened anxiety, or low resilience. Modern stressors, disrupted routines, and educational pressures profoundly impact confidence. The piano stool can become a reassuring space, a place to rebuild resilience and rediscover potential.

Did I play it right?

Fermata • The Pianodao Blog
Short Reflections by Andrew Eales

It’s shocking, really, this thought that the way we play a piece of music can be regarded as either ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. And I’m talking about attitude of course, not outcome, because basic accuracy, precision and technical control have always mattered, and always will. But they are far from the whole story. And nor is there only one ‘correct’, valid interpretation of a piece.

We all want to play the best we can, and help students hone their ability and understanding. But where did we get the idea that talking about piano playing in such a binary way, ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, is appropriate? Certainly, the overstated opinions of teachers have played their part; the more esteemed the expert, the more authoritatively correct their views are supposed to be.

Exams, competitions, and ‘masterclasses’ further instil a sense that music has to be played in a certain way, points and prizes typically awarded according to how successfully a performance meets a set of prescribed criteria, how well it conforms to received wisdom, or how closely it resembles the judge’s or examiner’s own interpretation.

Curiosity, the playful spark of original thinking and creative exploration, is easy enough for anyone to appreciate and enjoy, but perhaps harder to codify and quantify in an agreed mark scheme.

Autumn Repertoire Project

Active Repertoire Project
Written by Andrew Eales

Pianodao’s popular Active Repertoire Project nudges and reminds us to develop a set of three or four pieces which we can play with confidence, fluency, and expression, for our own and others’ enjoyment, and preferably from memory.

By making this a top priority, we can:

start our practice sessions positively, with music we enjoy
more quickly memorise our favourite pieces
overcome our anxiety and feel more at ease playing to others

The Autumn Repertoire Sheet is FREE to download, and includes the regular spaces to list pieces to continue enjoying, as well as space to keep track of new projects and core technical work. Click here for the download:

Autumn Repertoire Project Sheet

ADHD and piano competitions

ADHD • Insights for Pianists
Andrew Eales with Louise Eales RMN, NMP

Continuing our series exploring the challenges and opportunities faced by pianists with ADHD, this article unpacks the issues hat we can face when taking part in competitive piano events, ranging from local festivals and school competitions to major international competitions.

The article arose from our many conversations about the topic of how ADHD has impacted my own piano journey. Louise and I hope to foster understanding, encourage players who feel confused by their reactions to competition, and promote discussion about how the broader music community might create a healthier, more inclusive performance culture.

For an in-depth introduction to ADHD, outlining what it is, how it is diagnosed and treated, and how it impacts piano players more generally please refer to our article ADHD • A Pianist’s Guide.

Adaptive Teaching and Metacognition

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Interviews • Opinions • Guest Posts

I’m happy to welcome back KAREN MARSHALL with a new piece for Pianodao’s ADHD Insights series. Karen’s writing again reflects our shared focus on inclusive, practical, and thoughtful piano teaching…

Supporting neurodivergent pianists

Adaptive teaching has become an established principle across education in recent years and is widely recognised as an effective way of supporting neurodivergent learners. Rather than creating entirely separate lesson plans for pupils with additional needs, the aim of adaptive teaching is to adjust in the moment, or plan ahead so that every child can access a rich, rewarding curriculum.

But let’s be honest: as instrumental teachers, we’ve been doing this since the year dot! One of the great strengths of one-to-one music teaching is that we already provide every student with a bespoke learning experience.

Having spent years bridging the gap between classroom experiences and my private piano teaching, I often ask myself: how do we take these academic ideas and make them truly work in an instrumental lesson?

ADHD and ‘micro-breaks’

ADHD • Insights for Pianists
Andrew Eales with Louise Eales RMN, NMP

Everybody seems to be talking about Molly Gebrian’s book Learn Faster, Perform Better (OUP 2024, available here) and rightly so: it is a superb read, well argued, engagingly written, and filled with brilliant tips and advice on how musicians can practise more effectively.

Author Molly Gebrian holding a viola, with the book 'Learn Faster, Perform Better' displayed next to her. — Molly Gebrian with her book ‘Learn Faster, Perform Better’

We all want to improve, and Gebrian offers insights from neuroscience that back up many of our well-established strategies for effective practice, along with some interesting newer nuggets of advice, including what has become one of her signature suggestions: incorporating “micro-breaks” between repetitions when perfecting technical passages.