My Piano Lessons in Island Bay, Wellington

It seems like playing the piano has always been a part of my life. I grew up in a family where everyone played an instrument of some sort and we conveniently had a neighbour who was a piano teacher (more about her below). I started playing at about 7 years old and though I had a break of about 5 years without a teacher I kept on playing for my own enjoyment.

When I came back to my original teacher, Elsie Federoff, in my last year of secondary school I had to make a jump from grade 1 to grade 8 very quickly but managed to pass with merit fortunately. A few years later I went on to take the ATCL in piano performance with Doris Sheppard when Elsie had returned to her native country the Netherlands.

Since university study I have combined teaching piano and performing with my other passion - painting and art. I have also taught in a number of secondary schools both here and in the UK where I lived between 1998 and 2012. I have performed as a soloist and accompanist in venues such as the Vortex Jazz Club in London, “Larry's Room” at Pizza on the Park, London as well as Le Croquenote and En Train de Vie in Paris, both sadly no longer running.

My Teachers

Elsie Fedoroff:

Originally from Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Elsie came to New Zealand after WW2 and had some hair–raising tales of the German invasion and bombing of Rotterdam, including being picked up by the Gestapo for being out after the curfew. She was saved only by the copious weeping of her much more timid sister which drove the secret police to distraction! In New Zealand she was married to Ivan Fedoroff, a renowned violinist and one of the founding members of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Learning from her was a truly artistic experience with her master drawings on the wall and emphasis on the emotion and feeling in every piece—in fact in every note. Through her I could feel connected to the great tradition of Russian and European piano. It was a sad day for all her students when she returned to the Netherlands in later life. Fortunately Elsie had already recommended another teacher for harmony and composition study who ended up teaching me piano as well. As far as I know there are no recordings of Elsie playing unfortunately. So I have included one of her favourite Schubert Waltzes here.

Doris Sheppard:

Doris Sheppard was a pioneering woman composer and performer — one who could survey a complete orchestral score and imagine it in her mind, spotting any errors straightaway in harmony and composition tasks. One of the Royal Academy of Music's star students way back in the 1920's, she taught me the flexibility and relaxation techniques of the great teacher, Tobias Matthay, who taught Myra Hess and Moura Lympany. If you would like to read more about Doris, follow the link here. And finally there was:

Tony Noorts:

Who could find a better teacher to learn about jazz improvisation and theory than sax maestro, composer and arranger for big bands and many other ensembles, Tony Noorts? There are not enough recordings of his work but here is a sample from his solo at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1970 with the Roger Fox Big Band. Tony's generosity was as great as his encyclopaedic knowledge of all music. I am still absorbing the lessons from these three marvellous musicians and I love being able to pass them on to a new generation as well!