Category: Your Stories

Everything We Play

YOUR STORIES • Readers tell us about their own piano journey
READ MORE STORIES • SHARE YOUR STORY

“Your Story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own.”
Michelle Obama

I am delighted to share this reflective and uplifting vignette by Canadian pianist and educator Amy Boyes.

“Everything We Play” is a personal essay written from the perspective of an exhausted mother and music teacher. Wishing for some uninterrupted practice time to play something emotionally satisfying, the author is reminded by her young daughter that all music-making is beautiful…

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Your Story: Ian Ruhfass

YOUR STORIES • Readers tell us about their own piano journey
READ MORE STORIES • SHARE YOUR STORY

“Your Story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own.”
Michelle Obama

Ian Ruhfass a pianist living in Los Angeles, CA. He is also a piano tutor, and the owner/editor of a popular website for pianists all around the world.

Here’s Ian’s story…

Continue reading Your Story: Ian Ruhfass

Your Story: Simon Reich

YOUR STORIES • Readers tell us about their own piano journey
READ MORE STORIES • SHARE YOUR STORY

“Your Story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own.”
Michelle Obama

Simon Reich is a pianist and award-winning composer from Victoria, Australia. He has written several articles published here on the Pianodao site.

Simon’ latest post tells of how he has, in later life, turned to music as a full-time professional, and his experiences training as a media composer. As well as giving a special insight into his own personal journey, the post will be an encouragement to all considering a career in music.

Continue reading Your Story: Simon Reich

Your Story: Heather Hammond

YOUR STORIES • Readers tell us about their own piano journey
READ MORE STORIES • SHARE YOUR STORY

“Your Story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own.”
Michelle Obama

Heather Hammond is a piano teacher and the composer of the Cool Piano, Funky Flute, Cool Clarinet & Super Sax books (all published by Kevin Mayhew Ltd), and will be known to many readers for the Get Set! Piano series (Harper Collins) and award-winning Intermediate Pianist series (Faber Music), both co-authored with Karen Marshall. She also has a number of books published by Elena Cobb (EVC Music Publications Ltd).

Heather’s pieces frequently appear in exam syllabuses, and she wrote the three current pre-Grade 1 London College of Music handbooks. She is currently working on pieces for the new LCM electronic keyboard and flute syllabuses.

Here’s her story…

Continue reading Your Story: Heather Hammond

Your Story: William Minter

Your Stories

William Minter is a teacher and composer living in Connecticut. He is the author of Journeys, a piano series for intermediate learners.

Here, William reflects on his piano journey, and sets out the many motivations which have kept him engaged in playing …

Continue reading Your Story: William Minter

Your Stories: Debjani Sengupta

Your Stories

I am the music teacher at The Cambridge School, Calcutta, India.
I am a pianist. Here’s my story…

Continue reading Your Stories: Debjani Sengupta

Your Story: Neil Nguyen

Your Stories

I’m a piano tutor, living in an overcrowded city with over 8 million people: Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam, a developing country in Southeast Asia.

Piano learning is a kind of luxury thing in Vietnam. You will discover why as you read my story …

Continue reading Your Story: Neil Nguyen

Your Story: Yukie Smith

Yukie Smith is from Yokohama, Japan. She now lives in the UK, where she performs, accompanies and teaches piano using her own multi-sensory learning technique.

She’s the author of a piano duet arrangement of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue (abridged version); and a full version of a violin & piano arrangement of Piazzolla’s Le Grand Tango.

Here’s her story …

Continue reading Your Story: Yukie Smith

Your Story: Christopher Norton

Your Stories

New Zealand-born, now Canadian-based composer and pianist Christopher Norton is known the world over for his best-selling educational music, including the Microjazz, Connections and Preludes series.

Here he reveals how he discovered music in his youth …

Continue reading Your Story: Christopher Norton

Your Story: Andy Quin

Your Stories

“I have had the great joy and fortune to spend a lifetime writing, recording and performing music…”

So writes the hugely successful composer and pianist Andy Quin, who tells his Story here…

Continue reading Your Story: Andy Quin