Michael Andrews

New to Lessonface
Piano, ABRSM Piano Exam Prep, Choral Arranging, Composition, Film & TV Scoring, Orchestral Arranging, Orchestration, Songwriting, Arranging, Music Theory, Conducting, Audio Recording and Music Production
Lesson Fees
$39.00 / 30 Minutes

About

I’m Michael Thomas Andrews, a London-based conductor, composer, pianist, and educator. I’ve led large orchestras and massed choirs (up to 400 voices) in major venues including the Royal Albert Hall, collaborating with guest artists such as YolanDa Brown, The Kingdom Choir, and Keith & Kristyn Getty. At the Royal Albert Hall I conducted the Coronation Prom on the day of the King’s Coronation. I’ve also conducted at 10 Downing Street for an event with the Prime Minister and accompanied the Royal Household Choir on piano and organ at Buckingham Palace.

As a composer and arranger, my credits span concert hall, broadcast, and media. I studied with Errollyn Wallen (Master of the King’s Music) and Paul Bartholomew (Jools Holland's arranger). I scored Amazing Grace: The Untold Story(starring John Rhys-Davies — Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones), and I’ve written orchestrations for commercials (Aldi, HSBC) and for singer-songwriters Graham Kendrick, Andrew Peterson, and Noel Robinson. My arrangements have been performed by the St Paul’s Cathedral Choir and featured on BBC Songs of Praise. I’m equally at home building polished mock-ups in Logic Pro X and preparing clean, practical parts for live players.

On Lessonface I focus on Piano (Grades 1–8), Music Theory (including Grade 5 fast-track), Composition (concert & media), and Conducting (technique, score prep, rehearsal craft). My goal is to help you make music that’s confident, communicative, and ready for the real world!  

Teaching Style

Warm, structured, and results-oriented — and we’ll keep it human: warmth and a sense of humour throughout every session. We set clear goals (exam date, recital, audition tape, or a piece you want to finish) and translate them into weekly “wins.” I demonstrate at the keyboard or in DAW/notation, then coach you through guided practice with specific, actionable feedback. Expect:

  • Clarity first: concise explanations with immediate musical application.

  • Doable drills: short, focused exercises that compound.

  • Accountability: light practice plans, checklists, and optional between-lesson submissions.

  • Musicianship always: tone, phrasing, and storytelling alongside accuracy.

  • For pianists who want range: lead-sheet reading, comping and voicings (jazz/pop/gospel), swing feel, pop ballad accompaniment, reharmonisation, and entry-level improvisation — alongside classical technique.

Curriculum

Piano (Grades 1–8)

  • Pathways: exam-track (ABRSM/Trinity) or repertoire-first with optional exams later.

  • Optional pop/jazz grades (ABRSM/Rockschool/Trinity Rock&Pop) — see below for more information.  

  • Core work: tone & touch, efficient technique, sight-reading habits, musical phrasing.

  • Typical materials: ABRSM Piano Pieces (current syllabus), Scales & Arpeggios, Specimen Sight-Reading Tests; graded anthologies (Burgmüller Op.100; Bach/Schumann miniatures); selective technique from Hanon/Czerny (used judiciously).

  • Tools: slow-practice methods, rhythmic groupings, metronome ladders, periodic self-recording for reflection.

Piano — Jazz/Pop/Gospel track (optional or blended)
Lead-sheet literacy, comping patterns (ballad, bossa, funk, swing), shell and drop-2 voicings, left-hand patterns, intros/endings, improvisation frameworks, reharmonisation and transposition. Suggested resources: Tim Richards – Exploring Jazz Piano (Vols 1–2), Mark Levine – The Jazz Piano Book, ABRSM Jazz Piano, The Real Book, and iReal Pro for practice tracks.

Music Theory (esp. Grade 5 fast-track)

  • Method: concept → targeted drill → apply to a real piece you’re playing/writing → quick quiz.

  • Materials: ABRSM Discovering Music Theory (Grades 1–5), Eric Taylor’s The AB Guide to Music Theory, ABRSM past papers & model answers.

  • Extras: aural mini-drills and exam-day strategies; optional mock-paper marking.

Composition (concert & media)

  • Focus: melody shaping, harmonic direction, form; writing for performers (playability) or for picture (function, timing, hit points).

  • Workflow: thumbnails & constraints → 16-bar studies → full cue/piece; feedback on MIDI/audio, notation, and mix.

  • Tools: Logic Pro X for mockups; notation in Sibelius (although I am happy to coach you if you use Musescore, Dorico or another piece of engraving software).

  • References (as appropriate): Tonal Harmony (Kostka/Payne) or The Complete Musician (Laitz); for songcraft, selected Pat Pattison resources.

Conducting (instrumental & choral)

  • Focus: baton patterns & rebound, left-hand communication, cueing, fermatas, cut-offs; score study, rehearsal planning, concise verbal cues.

  • Format: submit a short conducting video → annotated notes & targeted drills → live coaching.

  • Texts (choose 1–2): Elizabeth Green The Modern Conductor; Brock McElheran Conducting Technique; Gustav Meier The Score, the Orchestra, and the Conductor.

  • Add-ons: rehearsal-plan templates and marked study scores for selected repertoire.

Credentials & Affiliations

  • Artistic Director & CEO, Langham Arts Trust/All Souls Music

  • Senior Music Minister, All Souls, Langham Place (London)

  • Studied at King’s College London (First-Class music degree); piano modules taken at Royal Academy of Music; masters degree in Composition from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance

  • Achieved Grade 8 piano distinction (ABRSM) and 99/100 (distinction) on my Grade 5 theory (ABRSM) exams as a teenager

  • Second study organist, with a Colleague of the Royal College of Organists (CRCO) diploma, winning the Sowerbutts and Durant Prize

  • Conductor, Prom Praise at the Royal Albert Hall; Coronation Prom at the Royal Albert Hall; 10 Downing Street Advent reception

  • Pianist (accompanist), Royal Household Choir engagement at Buckingham Palace

  • Guest artist collaborations: YolanDa Brown; The Kingdom Choir; Keith & Kristyn Getty, Graham Kendrick, Martin Smith

  • Composer: Amazing Grace: The Untold Story (starring John Rhys-Davies)

  • Orchestrations: commercials for Aldi and HSBC; for artists Graham Kendrick, Andrew Peterson, Noel Robinson

  • Arrangements performed by: St Paul’s Cathedral Choir; featured on BBC Songs of Praise

  • Technical: Logic Pro X (mockups, stems, mix polish); professional score/parts preparation (Sibelius); MIDI programmer; strong suite of VSTs including Spitfire and Native Instruments

  • Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, member of the Performing Rights Society (PRS) and The Ivors Academy (fomrerly the British Academy of Songwriters Composers and Authors).