Christmas Statement

from Piano Teacher Christopher Johnston

Dear students, parents and visitors,

In the fight against Covid-19, live music has been hit hard by the restrictions necessary to keep loss of life to a minimum and our NHS a fighting chance. This has reverberated not just among professional musicians, but also those studying instruments at every level.

Students and teachers have had to adapt to a new reality of virtual learning, and to those of mine who have made the transition, I cannot overstate how proud I am of the perseverance you have shown with your studies. In the absence of exams, competitions and public performances, you have nevertheless achieved something unique in tackling demanding pieces with nothing but a pixelated, shouty piano teacher on a small screen for guidance.

With this new reality has come new obstacles. An overabundance of time created by the absence of school and work does not necessarily mean we should fill it with piano practise. Initially, when spirits were high, this may have been the case, but, as time has marched on, I have come to realise it is not always healthy to expect more of ourselves simply because our usual commitments are lessened. Any student who has managed to maintain pre-pandemic levels of practise has shown discipline and persistence, which I commend.

I have always believed that a teacher’s most important role is to instil passion in their students. Never has this been more apparent to me now; I learned recently that music services have retained just 40% of their students during the pandemic, comparatively, Chichester & Arun School of Piano has retained 85%. This is indicative to me of how much our students enjoy playing and learning; to these students, playing the piano is not a chore, but an enjoyable activity to be looked forward to. It fills me with delight, as I know that for these students, whenever life becomes challenging, they will always be able to turn to the piano for solace.

If there is one thing that I have taken away from the whole pandemic experience, it is this: there has never been a better time to play the piano.

Christopher Johnston, Piano Teacher, Chichester & Arun School of Piano

Christopher Johnston is an award-winning pianist, arranger and educator. He holds an MA in Music Performance from the University of Chichester, which he obtained in 2015. Since completing his degree, Christopher has performed across the country as a soloist, as well as working with other musicians as an accompanist and session musician.