Piano Circus

Piano Circus has a strong commitment to music education and has developed a range of new approaches to the teaching of composition and performance techniques using MIDI and computing technology. The programme has recently included regular sessions for local school and community groups in Hackney, events for the Stoke Newington and Vale of Glamorgan Festivals, workshops for university students in Indonesia, workshops with special needs students in Buenos Aires, composition and technology sessions with adult amateur musicians and workshops for London music colleges.

For a recent project with London primary school students, children were selected who were under-confident or struggling to learn. During ten sessions in the Piano Circus studio the children learned to improvise together, to record sequenced tracks and to use a microphone. A CD was produced of their work and presented in school assembly; the teachers commented that several children showed a marked increase in self-confidence and that in some cases their numeracy and literacy skills had improved.

An exciting feature of the studio is that it is fully portable, as Piano Circus has long been concerned with taking new music out to people who might not normally experience it. Its equipment is suitable for use by anyone, including those with very limited physical movement.

Piano Circus' studio was purchased with funds from the National Lottery.