TRADITIONAL CLASSICAL PIANO: learn using the Aaron, Hall or Bastien tutors with extra music as well which may include jazz pieces (no improvising). Take the ABRSM exams if this is right for you. You will focus on technical ability and musical expression. You will learn about sight reading and aural tests. You will need to learn theory as you become more advanced. This is a good grounding for other modules.

JAZZ PIANO: this focuses on playing jazz, including improvising, using the Associated Board of the Royal Colleges of Music (ABRSM) Jazz course. This module is usually taken after starting on Classical Piano. You will learn to play Blues, Standards, Latin, Rock and Swing.

KEYBOARDS: learn using the Complete Keyboard Player or SFX tutors. You will mainly be playing well-known popular songs. Learn to play with auto-accompaniments, and find out how to use all the different instrumental voices. Learn how different styles are made up. This is a good grounding for general musicianship, and you may choose to move on to the "Improvising" or "Playing in bands" modules.

PLAYING IN BANDS (FROM CHORD SHEETS). Playing from chord sheets is the usual way of playing music for many Pop/Rock/Jazz/Stage/TV musicians. It is a creative approach, where you make up your own accompaniments and lines to fit in with the style and tempo of the piece you are playing. It will cover many different ways of playing from "boom-cha" (alternating chords and bass) to Arpeggios, proper Basslines, descants, inner lines, interweaving, figures, and using vamps and improvising melodies. For Christians there is an emphasis on playing for Worship.

THEORY: This is principally learning about how music is notated, and how melody, harmony, rhythm and structure work. It will also involve knowledge of instruments and terminology. It will be necessary for those taking more advanced exams.

COMPOSING. You will learn how to compose a tune, how to develop an idea, how to use chords and different structures. At a more advanced level you will learn how to compose for different instruments. I can introduce you to the sequencing program "Cubase" and the notation program "Sibelius".

PLAYING BY EAR. This is usually a part of another module, but some pupils do more of this if they want to. It will involve working out tunes and then chords by ear, and will fit well with "Playing in Bands".

IMPROVISING. Learn how to make up a melody as you go along: perhaps the most sublime and satisfying way of making music, using all the most musical of skills and qualities. This will normally form a part of the Jazz, Keyboard and Band modules.