I’m delighted that you’re considering learning to play the piano with me!  I look forward to working together with you to help you achieve your musical goals.

 I’ve been playing the piano for around 45 years now.  I achieved my Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music Grade 8 in Piano Performance with Distinction.  I am a member of the Independent Society of Musicians (ISM), the Musicians Union (MU), and the European Piano Teachers Association (EPTA). I am Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checked. I’m currently working towards earning my Licentiate Diploma in Piano Performance. As well as teaching my own children, I’ve also taught friends in the art of playing the piano.

As well as teaching, I’ve also worked as a performing musician.  I served as a pianist at St Stephens Church of England in South Africa, in Cape Town.  I also perform for events, including weddings, and have played many a bride down the aisle, as well as playing the happy couple out of the church too!  I have experience in accompanying, having accompanied a number of singers and other instrumentalists at events in London.

I have experience in teaching outside of the field of music, something which I think really differentiates me as a piano teacher.  For example, I’ve tutored A-level mathematics, undergraduate-level Financial Economics and Statistics, as well as master’s-degree-level finance.  In many ways, the principles of teaching are the same across all of these different disciplines, including music and playing the piano.  It often just boils down to breaking the problem down into smaller, simpler problems, solving those problems, and then building up from there.

I am intrigued about the process of how humans learn things, and have spent many hours learning about how we actually do this.  I incorporate this into the way that I teach, and also provide advice on how you should go about your own learning (i.e. practicing!).

I’m also a big fan of using technology to make the process of learning to play the piano more effective, and frankly, more fun.  There are great resources available online to supplement my teaching, which I incorporate into my teaching.  I make resources available to you online, including specific teaching videos, short fun musical exercises, as well as my teaching notes made during your lessons.

Tom B. Mann BBusSc(Hons) MSc CFA MISM