On Saturday 25th November we held our annual musicMrO Christmas Concert, an evening with an abundance of spellbinding performances as well as irreplaceable memories.

We have been immensely fortunate to have been allowed to hold our last two Christmas showcases here, giving every one of my pupils an opportunity which very few are ever blessed with.

Stepping up in front of others to play or sing demands an enormous amount of courage, but not only did they all display tremendous heart and bravery, they all performed so beautifully.

It was a truly wonderful evening celebrating all my pupils’ innumerable musical talents, and I could not be more prouder of each and every one of them.

I was immensely fortunate to have been given the opportunity to read music at Oxford University and sing as a choral scholar at New College - as such, I am well-versed in the enormous amount of pressure one feels when attending Oxbridge choral auditions.

Not only is the level of musicianship / singing required to be extremely high, but the inevitable adrenaline and nerves one invariably feels on top of everything else can sometimes make the occasion seem overwhelmingly formidable, a mountain summit which at times feels agonisingly close, yet so maddeningly far.

Whenever I perform music professionally, I still get nervous, every single time. I always have done, and I always will. But whenever one of my pupils performs, you would have to times the amount of nervous energy I feel by a factor of ten.

So when one of my absolute musical superstars has some sharpening up sessions on the few days leading up to their choral audition at Oxford, you can imagine how I might be feeling. Very very excited for the opportunity she has in front of her, but very very nervous. I’m proud of her before she goes for it, and no matter what happens on the day she knows that I’m proud of her just the same after she’s given it her best.

Cut to three days later, I receive a call from aforementioned pupil to tell me they’ve got it - they’ve been awarded a choral scholarship to their top college choice at Oxford University.

I first taught Camilla Hale back in 2017 - even now, I still remember being dumbstruck, upon listening to her play for the first time, at how phenomenally talented she was.

At the age of thirteen she followed up her terrific 96% distinction in her ABRSM Grade 5 Theory with three further astonishing distinctions in all of her repertoire choices - masterpieces by Bach, Beethoven and Debussy, no less - in her sensational ABRSM Grade 8 Piano triumph. Then she was awarded a major music scholarship to Downe House. Then she achieved a phenomenal Grade 9 A** in her Music GCSE. Then she aced her ABRSM Grade 8 Singing. And now we can add a choral scholarship to the most distinguished and undeniably greatest university in the world.

There are superstars. And then there are superstars.

Take a bow, Millie, because you are off the scale amazing and utterly stupendously exceptional.

As the lessons flow into weeks, then months, then terms, soon we find ourselves at the dawn of a brand new academic year. Tempus Fugit!

Over the last summer term, the performances at all the respective school concerts have been tremendous, the examinations have all resulted in some truly wonderful, not to mention astonishing, grades | percentages, and yet the most exciting part of it all is unfailingly what lies ahead - there’s always something new to learn, a skill to hone, a passion to explore, an inspiration to be found. The best is always yet to come.

It forever fills me with so much joy (in fact, this is one of my most favourite parts of being a teacher) when the marks are finally released and I am able to give my pupils ‘the news’. The look on their faces as all these wonderful results come flooding in, prior to their ubiquitous merit | distinction certificates being posted through my letterbox before making their inevitable journey to another frame on the wall - every single time, they display this look of not just wonder and happiness and pure undistilled joy, but, perhaps best of all, an expression of achievement and total fulfilment; an expression of, ‘I’ve done it!’

After all the hard work they unfailingly put in to every one of their musical studies, it is no surprise to see their many triumphs and to watch their music go supersonic. It is both an absolute privilege to be their music teacher, and forever a source of enormous pride to help them transform into the very best musicians they can be. I will never ever ever tire of it.

So, if the best is indeed yet to come, what can we see on the horizon? A new academic year is now upon us, bringing with it numerous performances, studies, musical projects, examinations, diplomas, not to mention our annual Christmas Concert just around the corner, once again to be held at the stunningly beautiful Royal Chapel in Windsor Great Park!

But perhaps most excitingly…there are plans in the works for not just my very own innovative music college coming soon, but much has been happening behind the scenes towards a revolutionary annual summer residential music festival, held at a very exclusive venue, debuting in a week of the August of 2025…

The future is very very bright...

On Saturday 3rd December we held our musicMrO Christmas Concert in the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, where over one hundred and twenty-five guests packed the Chapel to capacity to witness one of the most incredible evenings, filled to the brim with music.

Ludwig van Beethoven once said, ‘to play a wrong note is insignificant - to play without passion is inexcusable’, and what makes me so proud is how every one of my pupils performed with so much feeling and passion. They were all magnificent.

The icing on the Christmas cake has to be the fact that through their brilliance we have been able to raise almost £2000 for dearest Martha McCarthy - I was determined to help MM as much as possible, yet I could never have foreseen such munificence in such a short space of time.

To my pupils, I am so proud of you all. To my guests, I am so grateful for your unwavering support and encouragement.

Thank you, one and all.

Like English, French or German, music is a language, and all languages can be distilled into three fundamental skills:

Speaking

Listening

Reading | Writing

When we play the piano, we are speaking the language. When we hear someone play the piano, we are listening to someone speak the language. But when we study music theory, we are learning how to read as well as write the language.

Many believe that music theory is too tedious or too difficult to understand. Some even go so far as to declare it to be ‘unnecessary’, with a perceived too much emphasis given to a skill which, as history tells us, many tremendous musicians never needed. None of The Beatles could read music. Same goes for Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton. Technically, some of greatest musicians in history, such as Art Tatum or Ray Charles, had no choice in the matter due to blindness, not to mention the incomparable genius that is Stevie Wonder.

Whereas there is some truth in the above, my argument would be that if they had learned how to read or write the language, would it have diminished their creativity? No way.

There is a music theory revolution happening, and it fills me with so much pride to see so many of my pupils not only learning how to read as well as write music notation perfectly, but achieving astonishing results in their exams while doing it.

In our last term since May, twenty-seven pupils have taken ABRSM Music Theory examinations from Grades 1-8, with twenty-five of those achieving fantastic Distinctions above 90%, as well as two awarded terrific Merits above 84%. Seven of those results were a full house of 100%. Absolutely exceptional work.

Don’t get me wrong - aural skills, or developing one’s musical ear, is crucial to music in so many ways. Moreover, learning a musical phrase or song by ear is a great way to absorb a musician’s phrasing or a composer’s melody. Listening genuinely is a monumental part of the language.

But if we think back to the link between music and the English language, i.e. our primary means of communication which we all use every single day, would life really be easier if we didn’t know how to read or write it?

I think not…

Well done to all my music theory pupils! I am mega proud of each and every one of you.

Over one hundred guests, including some flying in from all over Ireland, Canada and the East or West coasts of the United States, congregated at a flawlessly beautiful Virginia Water Cottage last night to celebrate the birthday of Alannah, the dearest mum of two of my superstar pupils, Maia and Lola.

Beaucoup d’enfants would be understandably shy to play music in front of so many people, not to mention so many of their closest friends and family. Many would be well within reason to be hesitant to perform two songs which we’ve only had just over a week to prepare.

But here’s the thing about children - they have an endlessly immeasurable capacity to not only be so very brilliant, but, also, so very brave.

In Lola singing the immortal Joni Mitchell folk rock classic Big Yellow Taxi like an angel while simultaneously acing the acoustic guitar, or Maia learning and playing the complex chord patterns to Lady Gaga’s folk pop blockbuster Shallow like a superstar on the piano after first seeing the changes just seven days ago, the girls figuratively brought the entire house down. They were incredible!

On speaking to the guests afterwards, it was fantastic to see not just how much everyone loved hearing the girls sing and play so beautifully, but most importantly how much their performances meant to their wonderful parents, Alex and Alannah, personally. You could see they were absolutely brimming with pride, always encouraging and inspiring Maia and Lola to love their music, to be so courageous, to never worry about making mistakes and, above all else, to have fun!

Alex and Alannah, you are the loveliest people and you have brought up two of the most delightful girls. They are both an absolute credit to you, and I could not be prouder or feel more privileged to be their music teacher.

And Maia and Lola - you were both absolutely amazing! I am so proud of you.

What an incredible evening spent playing music and singing songs with the most kind, infinitely generous and utterly delightful family.

I would like you all to meet Amelia Habershon - one of my most outstanding pupils, she is a truly delightful girl of exceptionally high intelligence and an absolute joy to teach.

Another thing you should know about Amelia is the incredible challenges she surmounts every single day with her vision. Like a great many of us, myself included, Amelia requires glasses to help correct her sight. However, unlike many, she was born with a form of ocular albinism, of which the associated retinal melanin deficiency, astigmatism, nystagmus and heightened light-sensitivity result in her needing to be no further than 6 metres away to focus on a target which for many would be sharply defined at 19 metres. A considerable challenge for her, yet one, as I say, which she conquers flawlessly every single day.

When any of us begin to learn how to play a musical instrument, or embark upon our odyssey in music theory, we are faced with tasks which are very difficult to master - they each take a great deal of patience, practice, as well as perseverance.

However, if you take into account the significant aforementioned hurdles Amelia has to overcome with her vision in order to read music in and of itself, or sight-read a piece of previously unseen notation before playing it perfectly on the piano, I’m sure the following reading will be nothing short of remarkable.

In both of her first two ABRSM Music Theory examinations, Amelia achieved 74 marks out of 75. That would be two utterly exceptional distinctions of 99%.

Reading music. Distinctions. Ninety-nine percent.

In her ABRSM Grade 1 Piano examination, Amelia achieved 123 marks out of 150, a tremendous merit of 82%, with an astonishing 90% distinction of 19 marks out of 21 awarded in her sight-reading test.

Sight-reading music. Distinction. Ninety percent.

The awful truth is that so often, children with learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, dyscalculia or dyspraxia, or mental or physical disabilities, such as those Amelia faces with her vision, are told by schools that they are ‘not clever enough’, ‘not good enough’, ‘not able to’ or they simply ‘cannot do it’.

Well, I beg to differ.

In the fifteen years I have been teaching music, and thirty years I have been a professional musician, I have taught well over a thousand children, and you would be astonished at the extraordinary things every child can achieve, no matter the often incredible mental of physical challenges they face.

Like Amelia, they are all entirely unique, totally fearless, brilliantly original, remarkably creative, astonishingly resilient and completely amazing.

To quote Walt Disney, ‘if you can dream it…you can do it.’

All those who know me well will know one absolute truth about my greatest inspiration in music.

Freddie Mercury | Queen.

Whereas I will forever be devastated at never to have been able to see my hero perform live - he died of AIDS-related pneumonia in 1991 when I was just six years old - his supreme vocals, as well as every square inch of every track Queen ever recorded, are forever indelibly marked on my deoxyribonucleic acid.

Fast-forward over two decades to my days as a preparatory school Director of Music, all those who were part of my lessons will know one absolute truth about my teaching.

I never ever followed the syllabus.

Much to the frustration of every single Ofsted Inspector who had the misfortune of attending my lessons, I spent every second in the classroom doing my absolute best to teach my boys about two fundamentals.

Freddie Mercury | Queen, and how music was of far greater importance to them than oxygen.

Fast-forward to last night? Over seven years after those aforementioned lessons, one of my superstar pupils invites me to go to the O2 Arena (there’s that oxygen link again…) to watch my heroes - Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen.

After hearing those songs what must be a million times each over the last thirty-seven years, it was indescribable to see them live. Absolutely incredible.

To Brian and Roger - you totally inspired me to love music when I heard my first Queen record, Bohemian Rhapsody, in 1989. I shall forever be in your debt.

To Adam Lambert - you were phenomenal. No-one can replace Freddie…but your vocals are the closest to absolute Queen perfection as there can be. An astonishing voice.

To Benson, Suzanne, Finlay and Phoebe - I am so grateful for the most unbelievably amazing experience of seeing my heroes play those unforgettable songs. Thank you.

Gosh, aren’t we all so lucky to have music in our lives.

Spectacular.

In what will be the first of a number of concerts to showcase a snapshot of all my pupils’ music, I am absolutely delighted to announce we have been given exclusive permission to hold our Christmas concert at the Royal Chapel in Windsor Great Park on…

Saturday December 3rd @ 7pm

For those who may remember, we held a wonderful concert there three years ago. For those who may not remember, the Royal Chapel is HM The Queen’s private chapel, situated in the restricted grounds of the Crown Estate in Windsor Great Park, adjacent to Royal Lodge, the former home of HRH Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.

Needless to say, the opportunity to perform there is a massive privilege for all my pupils, especially poignant for me as my father used to be the Canon in the Great Park between 1998-2012.

If I can somehow conjure up the meteorological influence to induce snowfall, this December is going to be very special.

Zooming up to the top of the leaderboard, it is almost impossible to split the amazing Mia and Lily Benneyworth, aged 17 and 14 respectively.

In six ABRSM Music Theory papers, they have achieved six Distinctions out of six, with a cumulative 493 marks out of a possible 500 available. That is an outrageous 98.6%, with three of those results a full 100%. Incredible.

Spurring each other on with a healthy, yet undoubtedly keen sibling rivalry, I was concerned an extra mark for one of the two of them may cause panic…!

No need to worry - in their latest examination they both returned 96% Distinctions, on two entirely contrasting papers, in two completely separate rooms, at ABRSM Grade 3 level, with an astonishing exactly matching 72 marks out of 75.

Not only do Mia and Lily find themselves achieving amazing Merits and Distinctions in their instrumental exams, with them now studying towards their ABRSM Grade 6 Piano, but they are both seriously talented music theorists!

On Sunday 20th March, Maya Sexton, one of my absolute superstar pupils, took her London College of Music Diploma examination in Singing for Music Theatre.

Back in March 2019, she achieved a fantastic 95% Distinction in her LCM Grade 6. In June 2019, just three months later, she accomplished an astonishing 96% Distinction in her LCM Grade 8.

Next stop - Diploma, the examination equivalent of the NFL Draft, testing music at an exceptionally high level, with very few ever finding themselves in a position to even attempt it, not to mention doing so at an age younger than the LCM tells us is their ‘minimum’.

So how did Maya do? She aced it! Aged just 16, she achieved Distinction-level marks in all five of her pieces, one above 91%, with the LCM immensely proud to bestow upon her her very first diploma award, the DipLCM.

I first taught Maya six years ago when she was only ten years old - so after multiple Distinctions raining down in all of her ABRSM | LCM Singing | Music Theory examinations, you cannot imagine how proud I am of her.

What. A. Champion.

With the launch of musicmro.com, we are bringing our revolutionary new music college a step closer to reality.

Here you will find reports of concerts, performances, results, scholarships, as well as news of everything happening in our world of music.

Whether pupils past, pupils present, or pupils new, everyone is always welcome.