This isn't about me, it's about three of the people I've been privileged to have as tutors and I hope you may find them interesting in their own right.

My parents took me regularly, once a week, to Miss Griggs house, 'Beverly' in Chalks Road, Witham for piano lessons. There was a marble plaque set in the wall outside the door and in the entrance hall a black and white photograph of her in graduation robes as a young music student; she qualified as a piano teacher at the Guildhall School of Music, London in her early 20s but had been helping and teaching since a very young age. I took all my grades with her passing all with distinction apart from the last two as I was studying at university. I was entered successfully for many years in the Chelmsford Music Festival where I won several classes and played at the prize-winners concert. One year there was a shortage of a trophy and Miss Griggs, in a typically generous gesture, donated one; as far as I know the Griggs Trophy still exists at Chelmsford Music Festival. I often went back to visit her and to tell her how I was getting along; a Christmas chat by an open fire with tea and cake and the best china.

Elfreda moved to Witham from Hatfield Peverel when she was three years old and died in August 2001 at the age of 92, having taught piano from the age of eight until eighty eight.

Whilst working at the Colchester Institute, where the courses were degree level and there were lots of pianos to practise on, I decided to take my ABRSM in Performance. I found a piano teacher based in the department, a Mr. Francis Reneau. Francis came from Belize and was already an extraordinary talent, a graduate of the Guildhall School and Moscow Conservatoire. He was a lovely pianist and after my audition he helped me to prepare for this exam and also encouraged me to prepare for and perform in my own college concert. He loved his music and would hum along while you were playing. He was always pleased to see you and offered a lot of suggestions for possible new pieces to learn. He was at that time proud to have been asked to write a new national anthem for his home country of Belize. I have very fond memories of him not only as a teacher but as someone I respected and admired and was fortunate to know.
I played Liszt, Beethoven and Shostakovich in the ABRSM exam which was held in Cambridge, passing with many thanks to Francis for his expert tuition.
He has since acquired an MBE for his services to music.

In 2000 I went to Norwich to help with their library music collection. I had still kept the piano going and through a local advert found a new music teacher, Mr Kenneth Ryder. He was extremely well qualified; in fact he had so many letters after his name I was slightly unsure about asking but I found him to be a lovely, unaffected person. I had an audition with him to make sure I was a suitable standard and to see if we would get along together, after which I cycled down to Cathedral Close every week for lessons on his grand piano, while his two cats strolled around the large carpeted room in which there were also two electric organs.
Sometimes we would sit and listen to eminent pianists playing Chopin and others (he advised me to listen to Radio 3) and demonstrated playing pieces to me repeated in the style of different pianists, which showed his skill and knowledge. He took me through Chopin preludes and Burgmuller studies and kept my enthusiasm for the piano going.
He regarded the nurturing of young talent as the most important aspect of his work and whilst I can't claim to have achieved his level of success I can follow in his footsteps and pass on the knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm that he has passed to me.
Whilst in Norwich I practised the piano in the evenings in County Hall Council Chamber (when it was available) until the police choir took it with them to Wyndham. Mr Ryder came up with the solution and contacted the principal at the local Norwich City College and though not a student I subsequently cycled there in the evenings after work to practise on the lovely grand in their music classroom.

Kenneth Ryder was born and educated in London. He held two organist posts in the capital and after being awarded the gold medal at the Royal College of Music, he arrived in Norfolk in 1963 to take up the post at St Peter Mancroft where he was organist and master of music until 2005, as well as choir master and organ scholar for both the church and the diocese as a whole. He adopted Norwich as his home, living in Cathedral Close for many years and his New Year's Day 'Bach recitals' were a fixture in the musical life of the city.

He played a key role in the 1970s fundraising appeal that raised more than £200,000 to replace the ageing organ at the church with one designed by Peter Collins, which was installed in 1984. His experience with historically important continental organs resulted in a very close collaboration with Mr Collins in the design and specification.
He travelled throughout Europe, giving recitals in many cities on the continent and in Canada. He was a gifted pianist and harpsichord player. He was also a keen artist (he had a lovely garden hut to work in) and his work was regularly displayed at the Tudor Galleries.

Kenneth retired in 2005 and died suddenly on May 28, 2006 aged 66. He was a lovely person and I liked him very much