Will, lessons music in Corstorphine EH12

From listening to the renaissance singers rehearse Victoria as an infant, to performing Stravinsky's Rite of Spring as a piano duet in Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, I feel utterly humbled and enthralled by the power of music, this being the reason for my desire to inspire younger people to experience this joy I have found.

I commenced piano lessons with local piano teacher Joy , and for a number of years I played simply for my own pleasure, also taking up the organ, cello and laterally the trumpet, taking an interest in jazz. My enjoyment of the organ was boosted by becoming a chorister in the cathedral choir. It was there that I heard the organ and became familiar with a vast repertoire of organ and choral music, and opportunities to play the organ for services. I was also able to increase my aural and sight-reading skills.
The fact that I studied at a state school gave me countless opportunities to play the piano and organ, both collaborative and solo. It was not until my final year there that a school such as St. Mary's Music School was brought to my attention. After gaining a place at the school in 2015, my life became jam packed with the most incredible opportunities and music.

On entry to the school my musicianship was focused, making me realise that music was much more than just fun, and had so much more meaning. After more focused work on the piano, I was able to work with countless instrumentalists and singers at a higher level, exploring works such as Debussy songs, Franck's violin sonata, and Brahms' trios, and also to begin teaching and coaching beginner and more advanced people.

This also led me to opportunities like gaining a place as orchestral pianist in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain performing in the Barbican, and as a cellist in the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland Symphony Orchestra as well as being in demand as an accompanist at school and around Edinburgh, performing in ECF as an official accompanist and for frequent paid jobs, playing for auditions and similar engagements. One of the most exciting projects was a collaboration with Dance School of Scotland with whom a friend and I played Stravinsky's Rite of Spring for piano duet.

For the majority of my first year, it was collaborative work that really drew my attention however, as I moved into my second year my incredible piano teacher Helena Buckmayer brought my interest to the world of solo piano. As I explored more challenging works, I became more confident performing in front of large audiences, and being able to use my improved understanding of music in general I took (and take it should be added!) a lot of interest in interpreting and discovering what I, as a performer can do with music.