I offer English piano lessons on a private basis in Berlin. My students range from the ages of 5 to 65; and from absolute novice to professional.

Hello! My name is Chris Lloyd, and I am an Australian Concert Pianist and teacher. From 2012-2016, I was based in U.K., where I obtained a Master of Music from the Royal Academy of Music, London, and have been living and working in Berlin since 2017.

I have been teaching piano and theory for nineteen years - in schools, stores, masterclasses, and privately - and utilise a method combining various classical techniques. My teaching emphasises enjoyment, self-empowerment, and solid technical/musical foundation.

I teach from a classical music starting point. My method includes fundamental skills such as scales, harmonic knowledge, and reading ability, which allows students to both understand what they are doing, and why it is important. I have devised this method from a combination of the English, American, and Russian schools, whilst including a fair bit of personal experience into the mix. For more information on this method, please click the blog link above.

I teach exclusively at your home, or am happy to also to work from my studio in Kreuzberg. Please scroll further down for references and fee information.

My fees are based on industry standard, and are representive of the quality of teaching I aim to represent.

Fees can be paid upfront weekly, or at the end of each calendar month upon invoice. Payment methods accepted include cash, bank transfer, and PayPal.

Private Lessons (incl. travel in Zone AB*):

1hr: 78€
45 mins: 56€
30 mins: 44€

All fees are inclusive of tax, travel, and any additional expenses incurred for lessons - there are no hidden fees or costs (outside of piano books every year or two).

Qualifications:

Master of Music (Concert Project)

Royal academy of music, london (U.K.)

Bachelor of Music, First Class Honours

Elder conservatorium of music, Adelaide (Australia)

Why my lessons work:

A good music teacher is part-football coach, part-psychologist, part-mentor, and part-police officer. 

My style includes a strong element of Socratic dialogue, which pushes students to fully comprehend (rather than parroting) the material; combined with an analogical approach that utilises storytelling and imagery to help students understand difficult and abstract concepts.

Importantly: I don’t claim to have developed any brand-new philosophy or pedagogical method to teaching: I simply use the methods taught to me from various schools of learning across pre-university, undergraduate, and postgraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music, London, and combine this with two decades of teaching experience. Why reinvent the wheel, when you can simply improve it?

I keep my teaching studio relatively small, with a maximum of 24 individual students at any one time. Rather than taking a quantity approach, this ensures I have enough energy to deliver the best quality to my students.

“But am I too old?”

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the ratio of children to adult students was around 80% children, 20% adult. The ratio since 2020 has been around 35% children, and 65% adults. Learning the piano is akin to training for a marathon, but with the added benefit of sounding nice! 

Whilst I originally focused on young-learners, I’ve come to realise that teaching adults gives a remarkably strong sense of satisfaction for the teacher, as you feel that you’re positively contributing to someone making their life better. It requires dedication, patience, and time - currency not readily available always to us adults - but the potential for positive influence in your week is real and truly valuable. Will you become a concert pianist? Probably not. Will you give yourself the gift of learning and the valuable experience of being bad at something, but getting better? Absolutely.

Sofia m. - mother of Maria (7 year old)

"We are so sorry that you will not be coming back as Maria, even though she never said much, loved you teaching her. I wish you the best of luck in Berlin and would love any recommendations of teachers for Maria - though I am sure they will not be even half as good as you were... to be honest you were her favourite teacher by far."

Jessica E. - Mother of Jacob (age 10) and Lucy (age 7)

"Jacob and Lucy are gutted and will miss you. They've already said they refuse to have another teacher because no one will be as fun as you."
(one month later)
"New teacher is fine but they don't like her as much as you."

Nupul w. - mother of bella (age 8)

"Oh no Chris that is terrible news... Bella will be so disappointed. You have been an amazing teacher to her and she will really miss you... please do send us details of other teachers you recommend. Though no one else will of course match up!"

Ambika k. - mother of aryan (age 7)

"Aryan will truly miss having you as his teacher... I would very much appreciate some teacher recommendations. Although you will certainly be hard to replace!"

Rupert c. - student, and uncle of george (5 year old student)

"Both George and I will miss you. Certainly any suggestions of teachers as fun to work with as you would be gratefully appreciated."

stephanie vogel - mother of julius (age 10) and marleni (age 8)

"Hi Chris, oh no what a shame! The children were really looking forward to seeing you back!"

Rajni J. - Mother of Yevindra (Age 6)

"Oh Chris... am devastated. No no, can the parents write in? Can you appeal? I can write a strong letter for you. We can't lose you... this is incredibly sad, we looked on you as almost family. Thank you [for replacement options]. Won't make up for you though... we will all miss you."

Nicky c. - mother of marnie (aged 6)

"Oh Chris!!! How sad, it's such a blow to hear of this result.... yes please if you could recommend tutors, although I am sure they won't be a patch on you! Thank you for getting her started and firing her interest in the instrument... I told Marnie what's going on and she's suggested maybe we come to Berlin [from London] for a couple of lessons!!!"