Frequently Asked Questions

Full information on tuition fees can be found on the Tuition Fees page.

Your tuition fee covers:

Your tuition fee does not cover:

The procedures for cancelling a lesson can be found on the Studio Policy page.

The policy and procedures for suspending lessons can be found on the Studio Policy page.

The Term Dates for the current teaching year can be found on the Tuition Fees page.

Don’t let age stand in your way. I’ve taught lots of adult students – some starting in their 20s and others in their 60s and 70s. If learning to play the piano has been on your bucket list, then it’s time to tick it off!

The process of teaching online relies primarily on the use of demonstration, observation and verbal communication and instruction. As a consequence, there’s a greater reliance on the student’s cognitive abilities to concentrate, listen, absorb information and follow directions.

In my experience, older students are better suited to this increased dependency on verbal communication (sometimes quite detailed and very specific instruction) than their younger counterparts. So as a general rule, I only teach new, beginner students over the age of eight online.

If your child is under this age and you are keen to begin piano lessons online, we would undertake an initial introductory lesson assessment to see if lessons would be suitable. Previous musical experience in some form, for example, prior tuition on the piano or another instrument, would definitely be an advantage in this younger age group.

Even though your child may not be quite old enough to start online tuition, I have a lengthy waiting list, so it's never too early to complete the New Student Enquiry form and get your child registered with me.

As a general rule, I don’t teach beginner students under 5 years of age. That said, I have a lengthy waiting list, so it's never too early to complete the New Student Enquiry form and get your child registered with me.

If you have a child aged 5 and you would like them to begin piano lessons, we would have an initial introductory lesson to assess their suitability. At this age, so much depends on the individual student’s musical aptitude, concentration and general maturity. If they’re not quite ready for lessons at this point, they can be placed on my waiting list for tuition in the future.

Students from all over the world are most welcome.

Naturally, our respective time zones will need to be considered and accommodated. I have a page dedicated to International Students with more information.

A student’s lesson time will always be calculated in the New Zealand time zone and does not change due to daylight saving. More information is available on the International Students page.

Believe it or not, I do get asked this question more regularly than you would think! Yes – you will need to have an instrument available so you can practise in between your weekly lessons.

You can use an acoustic piano (a normal piano), or a digital piano. Bear in mind, that an acoustic piano will need to be regularly tuned to stay in optimal condition.

A digital piano can often be more convenient for students, particularly if you are short on space in your home. It is also more portable and doesn’t require tuning. Additionally, digital pianos will come with a headphone jack so you can practise ‘silently’ – something to consider in a busy household or if the piano is in a shared living space.

If you are wanting to purchase a digital piano, there are a couple of features you want to make sure it has:

My first love will always be an acoustic piano, and for more advanced students, I would strongly recommend you have the real thing. However, for beginners to intermediate level pianists, a good digital piano should fit the bill.

Piano's are usually an expensive purchase and you want to make sure you don't buy a dud. Here are some of the things I advise people to investigate when they ask me what they should look for when buying a piano.

Ideally, you should use an adjustable piano stool which will allow you to adjust the height of the stool to your particular requirements.

I realise this may not be possible for everyone, so instead, find a chair or stool which is a good height so that when you put your arms up on the keyboard to play, your forearms are level and parallel with the floor - not angled up or down. If you need to use a small cushion to tweak the height, do so.

If you’re using a chair with a back, try to sit on the front half of the chair and not have your weight leaning backwards, resting your back on the back of the chair.

Avoid using an office chair which rotates - you want something which is stable.

Learning to play the piano takes time and regular reinforcement – after all, you’ve probably never required your fingers and wrists to undertake such finely nuanced movements before. As with any activity which needs sophisticated motor control, awareness and repetition are important factors. Imagine a tennis player practising to hit the ball into a specific location – the position of the body needs to be just right, the angle of the racket needs to be just right, the amount of power in the stroke needs to be just right, and probably most importantly, the shot can’t just be a lucky fluke achieved every now and again – it must be reproducible, called upon whenever required – especially if it’s needed to win the match!

The same applies for musicians. We’re finely tuned athletes!

I can’t remember who said it, but they were very wise - “We don’t practise until we get it right, we practise so we don’t get it wrong”.

Establishing a regular practice routine and sticking to it is the key to making progress.

While you don’t have to practise every single day (sometimes you just can’t fit it in) at least four or five sessions a week would be good to aim for. If it’s much less than that, your progress will be impeded.

Avoid trying to cram all of your practice into one session. The time in between your practice sessions is valuable as your brain will be consolidating all of those new neural pathways you’ve been laying down!

As you progress over time, the length of practice you will need to do will naturally increase.

Here’s a rough guide of the practise lengths I recommend to my students:

No – not if you don’t want to.

But if you’re keen to undertake an exam, I’m more than happy to work with you towards that goal. 

I have written five books which range from music for pre-Grade 1 students to more advanced learners at Grade 6.

‘Garden Party’ – Pre-Grade 1
Imagine a miniature world where spiders, butterflies, ants and ladybirds come together for a ‘Garden Party’

‘Garden Playtime’ – Grade 2 – 3
Revisit a world where garden creatures come to life in a fun and imaginative way

‘Fantasy & Fairy Tale’ – Grade 4 – 5
Explore a mystical realm where characters from ‘fantasy and fairy tale’ come to life

‘Freestyle’ – Grade 3 – 5
10 lively piano solos embracing a sense of freedom and spontaneity

‘More Freestyle’ – Grade 4 – 6
A collection of pieces ranging in style from gentle and contemplative to extroverted and energetic