AJS Piano Teaching
Andrew J Shirtliff
Piano Teaching
About Andrew
Andrew gained entry to Chetham’s School of Music in 1997 and studied the piano with Nigel Pitceathly and Murray McLachlan. In 2002, at the age of 16, he was a BBC Young Musician semi-finalist, featured in BBC television and radio interviews, and in the same year performed Rachmaninov’s 2nd piano concerto. As a composer, he enjoyed masterclasses with Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and James Macmillan, and completed his first symphony aged 19. Between 2017 and 2022, he was a lecturer in musicology at Salford University. He currently lives in Prestwich, Manchester, and has been teaching piano, music theory, and composition for 15 years.
Bookings
I teach Sunday-Thursday and offer tuition all day. The first lesson is always free of charge, with no obligation to pay until you decide to continue.
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Please direct all enquiries to andrewshirtliff@gmail.com or 07846 019378. Please note that I am unlikely to be able to answer a call if I am teaching, so sending a text or WhatsApp message first is advised.
Fees
I offer lessons of 30/45/60 minutes duration. I generally advise that young beginners start with 30 minutes and have longer lessons later as needs dictate. As I also teach music theory, harmony, and composition, having longer lessons - or more than one session per week - can accommodate a great deal more.
I ask for payment for a minimum of 4 lessons in advance, and that all term-time lessons are a weekly commitment: this means that any cancellations which cannot be rearranged are non-refundable.
Fees are as follows (correct as of September 2024):
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30 minutes - £20
45 minutes - £29
60 minutes - £38
Teaching Philosophy
Of all instruments, learning the piano can provide the most complete, rewarding and enriching musical experience. From the easiest Mozart minuet to the most difficult Prokofiev sonata, there is something in the vast repertoire to suit all tastes. It is my role to facilitate the discovery and performance of this music.
I aim to promote as much independent learning as possible, so consider myself quite a 'hands off' teacher. I prefer to give students space to think for themselves and use common sense, rather than too prescriptive or overbearing.
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Learning the piano, therefore, is not merely a box-ticking exercise about taking exams - though they are useful. It is about enjoying the widest variety of different music, and being able to learn to play it with pleasure.
Personal Projects
I started composing, improvising, and playing by ear as a young child, and am fortunate to have perfect pitch. My time at Chetham's as a composition student was enormously fruitful, as I completed, among many other things, a string quintet at the age of 15, and a symphony at 19, the latter of which was performed by Chetham's Symphony Orchestra.
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My brief time at Salford University encouraged me to write several pieces for brass, culminating in a piece for a sextet in 2020. In early 2024, I completed a set of short poly-modal piano pieces.
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I also spend time discovering and learning new piano repertoire: see the 'now playing' section below.