After 32 years spent playing in a lot more than 32 bars in and around London, Joe is happy to be able to share what he has learnt out there on the front line and pass it on to would-be pianists. That’s you.
“So what can I teach that others can’t?” asks Joe. “All these years, night after night, I’ve been playing songs on the piano for the general public. Not ‘piano pieces’, songs. Not singing them, playing them. So I can teach you how to play a song on the piano.
“I know a thing or two about audiences too. It hasn’t been about me up there on a stage, and them down there in the audience: I’ve been playing among people. My approach to teaching is the same, it’s about bringing you the student closer to your music and giving you new routes into the tunes you love to play.”
Learn to interpret a song
Playing piano, whatever the style and whatever your level of skill, is about contrast and relationships. As well as the highs and lows, the ups and downs, and finding your rhythm, it is first and foremost about interpreting and communicating. Not just how you play it, but how you feel about it. It’s about hearing what you want to play, then playing what you want to hear. It’s about, having fun, and sharing your music with others, and not being afraid of making mistakes
“So let me help you play what you want to play, how you want to play it, and hopefully I can give you a taste of what the piano has given me.”
Note: all teaching is now online until further notice
No prior piano experience required.
Lapsed players especially welcome.
Practice essential.
Testimonial:
“Joe Thompson, who is a former pupil of this school, has worked with us in a variety of ways in recent times. On two occasions he has run workshops with some of our musicians during the day and then put on a concert in the evening. These occasions have been spectacular successes. He has shown the players things about their playing that they did not know and, in a very short space of time, taken them somewhere new. The concerts have been a joy not least because of the energy and enthusiasm that Joe shows and his deep rapport with the boys. Joe has brought delight and knowledge in equal measure to this school and he works brilliantly with children of a range of ages. He is a star and a gem.”
John Claughton, Chief Master, King Edward’s School, Birmingham