Matthew Hawkes would love to perform at a large concert, or even as a soloist, and he got a taste of the future when he gave a recital recently.

The 18-year-old is studying for his A Levels but also finds the time to practise the piano which he started playing at the age of four, and says playing an instrument is a great way to relieve stress.

“You can find so much joy in playing an instrument and it is a great stress reliever. It also improves skills such as hand eye coordination and memory,” he said.

“I will be biased and say that the piano is the best one to learn out of all of them. I think the first stages of learning the piano make it one of the easiest instruments to learn because you can visually see the notes compared to most other instruments. The piano can play the melody and the accompaniment at the same time. This means that the piano can act like a one-instrument orchestra.”

Matthew achieved the level 4 ARSM (Associate of the Royal Schools of Music) Diploma and received his certificate via our school which, he says, has been incredibly supportive of his musical aspirations.

“They allow me to have lessons in school, during school hours. In recent times they have become even more supportive by allowing me and other pianists to have our own recitals, compete in competitions and get involved in ensembles, allowing us to gain recognition,” he said.

He loves playing pieces from the romantic right through to modern pieces, and his favourite composer is Sergei Rachmaninoff.

“He wrote some of the most dark, luscious, powerful and virtuosic music to express his emotions,” said Matthew.
“The expansive expressiveness in his music make it the most interesting to listen to and the most fun to play. He was a pianist with very large hands, which also suits my style because my hands are quite large.”

Overcoming nerves by pretending he is not playing in front of anyone, Matthew says public performance is never easy.

“Capturing the audience’s attention, entertaining and maintaining their full interest is always difficult,” he added.

With plans for a career in medicine, Matthew is concentrating on his A Levels for the moment, but says the piano will always be a big part of his life.