Talented young pianists from across the Loughborough Schools Foundation enjoyed an engaging workshop with extraordinary musician, Harry the Piano, at the end of this half-term.
The workshop, provided in conjunction with Coach House Pianos as part of our education partnership with the piano retailer, began with an insight into Harry’s career in the arts before pupils learnt how to approach improvisation, harmony and composition. The session focused on the blues scale and improvising on the 12-bar blues sequence and highlighted the 2-5-1 chord progression that features in most compositions.
Following the workshop, Harry explained that his approach is always to demystify the things that pupils find daunting about their playing: “The real joy of speaking to these young musicians is not so much that you’re teaching them, much more just simply unlocking doors and showing them the knowledge that they instinctively have but have never quite been able to quantify.”
After a full installation of a new fleet of pianos into the Music School earlier this year, including brands such as Bösendorfer and Kawai, the partnership between Loughborough Schools Foundation and Coach House Pianos was formally launched at the event’s concert, which took place in the Recital Hall.
An audience of pupils, parents and Foundation staff members witnessed an incredible display of creativity in composition as Harry the Piano performed a medley of different songs and styles. A highlight of the concert for two Loughborough Grammar School pupils was performing alongside Harry, putting the improvisation skills they had learnt in the afternoon’s workshop to the test.
I learnt about the blues scale and improvising on the 12-bar blues sequence with it, along with a 5, 2, 1 chord progression that is used in most songs. I also learnt how to put different pieces into different styles. I loved improvising with Harry in the concert, and it was great to perform an improvisation for the first time.
Oliver, Year 11
Reflecting on the event, David Halford, Education Business Manager at Coach House Pianos, said: “It was wonderful to see the excitement, engagement and concentration of all the students that took part in the afternoon workshops with Harry the Piano, and to see some of them join him in the evening to perform with him was a very special bonus.
“Events like this, combined with the wonderful new piano facilities in the music department, will certainly inspire current and future pianists at Loughborough Schools Foundation. It was a huge pleasure for me and Coach House Pianos to help make this happen, and we look forward to organising similar events with the music team at Loughborough Schools Foundation in the future.”
Alongside developing their confidence in performance, this fantastic opportunity taught our pupils that their instinctive intuition is key to conveying a sense of authenticity and enjoyment through their playing.
