Playing the piano is a wonderful skill. It helps you appreciate music and musicians you hear on the radio or tv, it helps you to build coordination, it enables you to play for other people's benefit (in concerts or for them to sing along), but mostly it gives you a hobby that is exciting, challenging and relaxing all at the same time. You can get absorbed in your music and forget all the hassles of the day. Keep a clock handy as you will lose all sense of time! You will have a fantastic sense of achievement with every new piece and eventually can just enjoy the experience of playing Chopin or Bach or Beethoven as people have for centuries before you!
I am happy to prepare people for exams with either the Associated Board, or the London College of Music, as these can be a good way to ensure progress and people recognise the 'grades' as showing a certain level of skill. However, if you are one of those people who hate the thought of exams and don't want the pressure of having to take them, then come and learn purely for the enjoyment of playing. There is a lot of wonderful music out there, and you will be amazed at how quickly you can build up to playing some of the world's favourite tunes.
Yes, pianos can be expensive, but if you keep an eye on the papers it is possible to snap up a bargain from time to time! You can often see one for about £200 to £300, and if you are extremely fortunate and have a bigger budget, there are local stores who would be happy to talk to you! However, if you are not sure how long your enthusiasm will last before making such an investment, a keyboard will suffice in the short term, and they can cost less than £100. They are really quite different instruments and to be able to learn to play with the correct expression etc., you do need a 'real' piano. Playing on a keyboard will help you learn the notes and the general sense of how to play but it does not react to your fingers in the same way as a piano. Keyboards do have the added advantage of having drums and rhythms and different sounds to mess about with, and they are really good fun. If you start with one of those you won't be sorry and you can save up for a piano once you know you really want to play well. They are also very convenient if you are a bit tight for space – a piano is a hefty instrument to have around and does not pop neatly into a cupboard at the end of the day!
If you are interested and would like to book a place, please give me a call on Neath (01639) 630945 and we can find a convenient slot in the schedule. If you don't have a phone or find it easier, please e.mail me via this site. I check the e.mail quite regularly and I will get back to you with some suggested times. Please give me your name, age and ability (i.e. Complete beginner, a little bit of knowledge, learnt years ago but forgot most of it, etc!) and of course include a return contact number or address.