A lot of us have, or have had, piano teachers. Many are unsung heroes, finding and nurturing musical talent, and encouraging a lifelong appreciation of music. One of these heroes is Sally Fletcher. She is based in Barnes but works in several parts of South West London and beyond, and recently I interviewed her on her life and what it’s like to be a piano teacher.
When asked how she got into piano teaching, she said this: “ I went to the Royal Academy of Music on a performers course, but in my 4th year, I had an accident and ran through a plate glass door, severing three tendons in my hand, which resulted in me giving up my aspirations to perform.” After this, she did various musical administration jobs, before becoming a piano teacher in schools and privately. This shows she had real determination to still work in music, given how annoying and serious an accident that must have been for her.
What she finds most rewarding about piano teaching is meeting the varied characters of her pupils and inspiring pupils of all ages to reach their potential. She said that the best part of teaching is “when pupils are motivated, practise and enjoy it”, and she definitely believes that practice makes perfect and is very important. She wants her pupils to understand that “Nothing ventured is nothing gained!”, and gets very annoyed by pupils who don’t practise.
She also told me that she finds great joy teaching to all kinds of pupils, and that some of her most memorable moments come from both sides of the ability spectrum; Either when a pupil with difficulties passes an exam, or when a very talented performer plays well in concerts or exams. This also demonstrates she has real patience and an understanding of all kinds of pupils, and a passion to help everyone succeed, whoever they are.
I asked her what her most embarrassing moment has been as a piano teacher, and she couldn’t think of much beyond admin mistakes and “playing a new piece to pupils badly!”.
Her favourite piece of piano music is Schumann’s Arabesque in C major, which Schumann dedicated to his wife Clara, which is a truly lovely piece of music.
For those who were interested in becoming a piano teacher, she said that it is an interesting and varied life, that you need patience, tolerance, empathy and a sense of humour; but most importantly, you need to be a “people person”!
