Hi. I'm Peta.

I'm a Sydney-based accompanist, singer-songwriter and recording artist/producer.

I make piano accompaniment recordings to help music students prepare for their upcoming performances with greater confidence and awareness.

The piano is basically my home. Since I was a wee lass I've been living and breathing the piano's soundtrack, as it accompanied me through the ups and downs of life. I went for lessons, did exams, got up in front of audiences to perform... but it was never just about those things. It was more than that. It was a way of expressing and connecting, with myself, with others, and with the world far beyond any practice room or concert hall.

I love accompanying other musicians because it allows us to experience that connection. When we play together, we play as one, in a performance that could not exist without the both of us creating, listening, and feeling the music at the same time.

Strangely though, students often rehearse on their own for many months, before finally meeting with their accompanist to practice together, just before their performance. Most of their practice time has been spent alone, without an accompaniment to guide them. And by the time they meet the accompanist, they only get a few attempts to familiarise themselves with how the piece should sound and feel with the both of them playing together. It can be difficult, stressful, and result in a lot of last-minute (and unnecessary) guesswork – too little, too late.

But it doesn't have to be that way. Students should be able to feel more confident, aware, and prepared for that connection, without all the last minute stress and fumbling. Which is why I make recorded accompaniments. Because through them students can learn, well in advance, how their part fits with the piano, and really wrestle with the nitty gritty of notes and rhythms. Then, when they finally meet up for those live rehearsals, students are freed up to focus on connecting with the music and their accompanist to develop a truly captivating performance.

So come join me at the piano, and watch yourself develop in your ability to connect through music, not only with your accompanist and awaiting audience, but most importantly, with yourself.

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