Piano Pedagogy

Jenny is the director of the Yorkshire Wolds Suzuki Piano School, based at the Mount Steinway School in York. Working alongside the lovely Suzuki Violin Teacher Molly Reiker, the school puts on 3 or 4 concerts a year with its students.

In addition, jenny has recently started teaching Suzuki piano in conjunction with Eclectic Music Ltd, based in a beautiful Georgian merchant’s house in the old town of Hull.

In the words of Shinichi Suzuki (1898-1998):

Conditions for developing great ability:

Begin as early as possible

Create the best possible environment

Use the finest teaching method

Provide a great deal of training

Use the finest teachers

‘With this method wonderful ability can be developed’
‘Talent is not inborn’

Teaching Background

Jenny is an accomplished piano teacher – she started taking piano lessons at the age of 5 and currently holds the following qualifications: Suzuki Piano Teacher Level 1 SEIi, Suzuki Piano Teacher Level 2 Suzuki Cymru, Dip Piano Pedagogy ABRSM, Dip Perf. Arts York St. John University, Piano credits The Juilliard School. She is a member of the BSMA and EPTA.

Her first experience teaching piano was really in primary school when her 6-year-old neighbour first benefited from her growing talent.

Her musical background and early inspiration includes uncles, aunt and grandparents’ skills with piano, guitar and ukulele, which she’d listen to from my bed and reproduce the morning after. Her mother, a singer, heavily contributed to Jenny’s love for songs and singing familiar tunes first, and her own music later in life.

Her father played too and the family had a piano at home. Her father’s father also ran a pub in South Wales, an experience that offered yet another opportunity to practice constantly; Jenny has an incredible ear for working out a tune and did so at every opportunity, from a very young age.

Jenny continued teaching piano and guitar throughout high school, to neighbours and friends as a way of making pocket money and, after leaving University, she started a music school comprising 60 students in Hull – teaching piano, guitar and music theory, while also teaching music for East Riding Adult Education and working as a music therapist for Hull City council.

Throughout her career Jenny learnt that the key to teaching was to address every single student’s personal skills and adapt her style – with lessons backed by constant research – discussing progress with parents, other teachers and medical practitioners too if required. Jenny also has extensive experience teaching children and adults who experience mental health conditions, physical disabilities, deafness, and neurodivergence. Her passion and expertise led her to embrace ‘full-time piano pedagogy’ and her patience and attention to detail are outstanding, and two of the many reasons for which – up to now – none of her students have ever failed an exam.

In fact, many of them have progressed to fully blown music and performing arts careers, both in the US and the UK, including but not limited to, Janine Slanina (artist), Jasmine Brealy (LIPA), Arnaud Spanos (actor), Alfie Woods (Alfie and the Avalon), Amber Warren (Cruush), Lauren Trindle (artist), Karen Trindle (music teacher), Eliza Baldi Costabile (actress).

After working in the UK as a Freelance Musician – post-University – Jenny really felt the need to travel and enrich my personal experience. She felt a strong pull to the US, mostly because of her love for Country and Jazz music and performers, so she packed her bags and moved.

She supported herself as she could, waitressing, as a stable hand and groom, care worker, cleaning, importing antique furniture and qualifying as a real estate agent until she began to make enough money as a musician, before returning to the UK to be close to her family.

Her vast experience includes teaching piano and children’s musical theatre in the USA, primary school supply teaching, a placement to teach Performing Arts at Solebury School, Associated Board Royal Schools of Music, teaching curriculum up to Diploma level and her current experience with teaching and directing Yorkshire Wolds Suzuki Piano and The Wolf Gang children’s storytelling group alongside her long standing career as a singer and songwriter where she performs original material.

Her career has been diverse and has covered all aspects of the performing arts; her music career ranges from touring with the Princeton Ballet Company to performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and she is well-versed in classical, contemporary, jazz and popular music, as well as regularly performing in the United States, where her credits also include being a featured artist on Philadelphia National Public Radio among other achievements.

Her key focus is on exploring through education the puzzle that is music, and why this forms an intrinsic part of our universe and, therefore, a part of us. She believes – and teaches – that music gives us licence for performance, expression, creativity and the opportunity to act as conduits for other musicians.

Throughout her career, her technique has evolved through my experience and is based on the methods of Fanny Waterman, Leschetizky, Josef Lhevinne, Ruth Slenczynska, Prof Shininchi Suzuki and Dr Kataoka.

She has been inspired by past mentors – particularly Noel Flint (at primary school), Alan Edgar (at senior school), David Ancker (at Juilliard School) & Sue Bird (at Irish Institute Suzuki Education) and Rob Gepner-Mueller (Alexander Technique) among others – and an array of literary and musical figures – the likes of Paul Verlaine, Rainer Maria Rilke, Chopin, Ravel, Debussy, Joni Mitchell and Nina Simone, as well as Jazz musicians Charlie Parker and Oscar Peterson.

For more information on current opportunities to learn with Jenny, please contact her or check out her social media links: