Keyboard and piano
One-to-one keyboard and piano tuition with professional, certified keyboard artists, taught to the Trinity College London, ABRSM or RCM syllabus, with full certification preparation. Open to all ages, from five upwards.
The exam board decides how a student is taught, not just how they are assessed
The three boards most families choose between are genuinely different instruments of assessment, and the choice shapes weekly practice from the first term. ABRSM Practical Grades examine three prepared pieces plus scales and arpeggios, sight-reading and aural tests. Trinity gives the candidate markedly more choice in the supporting tests, allows a duet up to Grade 3 and accepts a student's own composition. RCM runs Preparatory then Levels 1 to 10 and ARCT, and from Level 5 the practical certificate is only issued once the matching theory examination is passed.
So the first question is not which pieces to learn, it is which board and which pathway. A student who freezes in aural tests may be far better served by an ABRSM Performance Grade, which is a recorded four-piece programme with no scales, sight-reading or aural at all. A student who wants the discipline of technique gets more from Practical Grades. We settle that in the first lessons rather than a term before the entry deadline.
By the end of the course
Play fluently with correct hand position, posture and pedalling
Read standard notation and play at sight
Sit a graded examination with the board that suits the student
Understand the theory behind what is being played
How the levels run
Foundation
- Hand position, posture and finger independence
- Reading treble and bass clef fluently
- Simple scales, five-finger patterns and arpeggios
- First pieces and a duet option at Trinity
- ABRSM Initial Grade or RCM Preparatory
Intermediate
- Scales and arpeggios across wider ranges
- Pedalling, phrasing and dynamic control
- Sight-reading and aural, or a recorded performance pathway
- RCM theory co-requisite begins at Level 5
- Repertoire across Baroque, Classical, Romantic and contemporary
Advanced
- Advanced technique, voicing and interpretation
- Full examination programmes under time
- Harmony, counterpoint and history at RCM Levels 9 and 10
- Performance preparation and recording technique
- Diplomas: ABRSM ARSM, Trinity ATCL, RCM ARCT
How a piano course runs
Board and pathway first, then technique, then repertoire built around the student.
Assessment lesson
The teacher hears the student play, checks hand position and reading, and establishes whether an examination pathway is wanted at all. Plenty of students learn well without ever sitting one.
Board and pathway chosen
Trinity for flexibility and choice in supporting tests, ABRSM Practical Grades for technical rigour, ABRSM Performance Grades for a recorded programme with no scales or aural, or RCM where the theory co-requisite is part of the plan from the start.
Technique and repertoire together
Scales, arpeggios and sight-reading in every lesson alongside pieces, because leaving technique until the term before an exam is the single most common reason a grade is failed.
Examination preparation
Full programmes played under timed conditions, and for recorded pathways, practice with the camera and microphone placement the board requires.
Every programme is taught one to one by a specialist, on the principles set out in our coaching methodology, under an ISO 9001:2015 certified quality system. Parents' own accounts are on our reviews page.
What parents of keyboard and piano students say
“- total professionalism with needed human touch - great empathetic teachers - clear communication - well organised timely sessions - one on one connection between parents and the augment team”
Netherlands via Trustpilot
“The experience with Augment Edutech has been really good for my child. They teach very professionally and in a fun way yet. The handwriting of my child is much better sicne when we started.”
Norway
“The whole concept of abacus is to learn maths in a quite fun, encouraging & by fostering an interest in numbers and basic mathematics. We are so happy that our child enjoy learning maths.”
Rosey KDenmark
See the difference in one class
A free trial lesson with the specialist tutor we would assign, and a discussion of what they found afterwards.
- Free, with no obligation
- A discussion with you afterwards
- No card details
Before you enrol
Which exam board should we choose?
Can my child take an exam without scales and aural tests?
How are ABRSM grades marked?
Does RCM require theory exams?
Who teaches the classes?
Is my child too old, or am I too old, to start?
Can piano really be taught online?
Do you teach keyboard as well as piano?
What happens after Grade 8?
Book a free keyboard and piano trial class.
Tell us your child's year group and what they are finding difficult. The last field matters most: a specific worry produces a better tutor match than a subject name.
- A live lesson, not a sales call
- A discussion of the curriculum and your expectations afterwards
- No card details, and nothing starts automatically
Request received
An advisor will email you to confirm a time in your time zone, usually within one working day.