About
I’ve never forgotten the first note I ever played on a piano.
It must have been at a friend’s house when I was about 3 or 4 years old and it proved to be an indelible experience: the magic of pressing a key and producing this wonderful vibrant sound has stayed with me all my life.
I insisted on having piano lessons, but it was some years before I could begin because my family didn’t own a piano and I had to wait until I was 8 when my mother gave in to my requests and bought one from the milkman for £10! Music became a vital part of my life, but it wasn’t until I was about to leave school that I realised I wanted it to be my career.
Having taught in a school for many years, adults are now the main focus of my teaching. It’s so common for adults to express regret at not having had the opportunity to learn as children, or that they gave up, that I feel it’s really important to create opportunities for them to make music. I have taught in a workplace setting for the last eight years and this has proved highly popular. Learning and playing at any level – beginner to advanced, formal or informal – supports wellbeing and new, creative ways of thinking.
This is why I continue to be passionate about music-making: playing, teaching and researching into music-making and wellbeing. I tirelessly encourage others to take it up, to re-start, and keep playing, in whatever way works for their lifestyle and needs.
I continue to play for my own wellbeing – I know I can’t manage without it. It was good enough for Einstein – according to his wife he used to “rest his mind” when he got tired while working by playing his violin.
“Taking the jump back into piano lessons, after a lapse of at least 25 years, it soon became apparent that Charlotte was both an extremely good teacher and musical coach. There was something much more holistic about her approach to our lessons than I remember from my school days - it wasn't simply an exercise in correcting and improving technique. She encouraged better understanding of the music itself, as well as reflection on what I wanted to get out of the process.”
Matthew Sargaison, CEO, Man AHL
My experience
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My initial studies were with Ruth Gerald at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. During this time I won two scholarships, specialised in collaborative pianism and gained diplomas in piano and singing teaching. I then moved to London and enrolled for a BMus at Goldsmith’s College, University of London.
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Some years later I completed a Postgraduate Diploma at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama where I learned improvisation techniques for use in community music projects, recognising the value of music as a tool for teambuilding and encouraging creativity. For five years I led weekly music workshops at the Ace of Clubs, a drop-in centre for homeless and vulnerable people in Clapham, making music in a relaxed context which recognised its potential as a resource for sharing and healing.
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I have a passion for teaching and enabling others to share the joy of music-making. I was a Visiting Music Teacher at Alleyn’s School, Dulwich for 25 years and since 2015 have taught at Man Group plc, a firm of investment managers in London, where provision of a well-appointed music room gives employees the chance to recharge during the working day by having a lesson or practising the piano or guitar. This entails a very different “non-school” approach to teaching.
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I have given regular recitals in London churches as both soloist and accompanist, and have enjoyed playing piano trios informally with friends for many years.
I am the pianist for the London CoMA (Contemporary Music for all) ensemble.(coma.org)
- “Thank you so much for your excellent playing in 'Red Planet'.”
Gregory Rose, composer. -
I recently completed an MSc in Performance Science at the Centre for Performance Science (a partnership between the Royal College of Music and Imperial College, London). My dissertation investigated the impact of having access to music-making and learning in a workplace context on subjective well-being, stress and creativity.
In September 2023 I will be returning to the RCM to begin a PhD which will explore this subject in greater breadth and depth.
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I have been a regular contributor to Music Teacher Magazine since (in March 2021) they published my article on giving 1:1 piano lessons in a workplace setting, based on my MSc research. There is a link to this on the research page of this website. https://www.musicteachermagazine.co.uk/content/features/workplaceteaching-keys-to-success
Since then the magazine has carried further articles of mine, including “Believe your ears”, in which I advocate for practising the piano without looking at one’s hands. https://www.musicteachermagazine.co.uk/content/features/believe-yourears-a-whole-brain-approach-to-piano-playing
They have also commissioned me to write a number of reviews. These include the piano pieces of Ethel Smythe https://www.musicteachermagazine.co.uk/content/review/sheet-musicreviews-smyth-complete-piano-works
and piano teaching materials for youngsters: First steps of a little artist https://www.musicteachermagazine.co.uk/search? query=first+steps+of+a+little+artist
and Piano safari https://www.musicteachermagazine.co.uk/content/review/sheet-musicreview-piano-safari-for-the-older-student
And there’s more in the pipeline. Thanks Music Teacher for welcoming me on to your team of reviewers.
In January this year I gave an art and piano recital at St Stephen’s Church, Dulwich. This featured lithographs of London in the late 1800s and early 1900s by my great-grandfather, TR Way, and James McNeill Whistler (with whom he worked closely) which were projected while I performed specially chosen piano music and told the story of their working relationship. It was well-received by an audience of around 70 people who found the story interesting and also enjoyed the combination of music and the art.
“Thoughtfully put together and beautifully played.”
Lawrence Wallington
“I enjoyed your piano recital and your great grandfather’s pictures too. An interesting story. You blended the two mediums together very cleverly”
Ivan Walton
“Thank you for such an interesting collaboration between the musical and visual arts this evening.”
Malcolm Torry