About Piano Beach
Piano beach is a beginner-friendly piano method designed by experienced piano teacher, jazz pianist and songwriter Emma Stephenson (PhD, Bmus). This educational resource combines photographs of Madeleine Hayes’ enchanting ceramic art, a delightful rhyming narrative, and a collection of well-loved nursery rhymes to create a fun, play-based learning environment for children (and their supervising grown ups!)
If supervised by an adult (no experience required), regular and mindful use of this book will allow a child (aged 4 - 8 yrs) to effortlessly develop a functional hand shape, aural skills and finger dexterity required for piano playing.
The built-in soundboard enables families who do not own a piano to enjoy this foundational piano education. Those who do own a piano or keyboard can use the enclosed sticker sheet to transform the keys into a scene that matches the story.
The Piano Beach series captures the tried and true methods of piano teacher, jazz pianist and songwriter Emma Stephenson. Emma has over 15 years of experience teaching piano to students ages 3.5 to 80. In 2020 Emma was awarded a PhD from the University of Sydney for her research on piano technique and jazz improvisation. She was the 2017 recipient of the prestigious Freedman Fellowship award for Australian jazz musicians under the age of 35. She also holds a Bachelor of Music in jazz performance (First Class Honours) and an Associate Diploma in the subject of classical piano (AMEB). Since returning from a 3 year stint living and working in NYC, she has taught classes at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, become a mother of two girls, and opened her own teaching business ‘All Hands Piano Academy’ based in Hornsby NSW.
About Madeleine (Ceramic Artist)
Madeleine studied at the National Art School - Sydney, majoring in ceramics and graduating with Honours. Her work has been included in exhibitions and sculpture prizes both locally and internationally. With chef Pete Evans, Madeleine co-authored and created the ceramic artwork featured for the children’s book ‘The Heart of Nature’. Madeleine is a Creative Therapist and conducts creative workshops for children and adults. She is passionate about supporting individuals to explore and nurture their inner creativity.