Glastonbury Piano Teacher – Steve Rowlands

About Me

Hi, my name is Steve Rowlands and I moved to Glastonbury at the end of 2025 from Islington (North London) where I had taught piano for 25 years.

My first lessons as a child were solely classical music, but it wasn’t long before I was playing rock and pop tunes. I then went on to study jazz piano at Kingston University and recording studio engineering.

I’ve been a professional musician/composer/teacher ever since. I’ve played in a wide variety of bands, giving me plenty of experience of the many styles of music. The range of music I teach includes classical, jazz, blues, pop, soul, reggae, rock, latin and even gaming music.

My Approach

I recognise that the best way to teach piano is to find out what music the student likes. I then look for tunes that would suit them. If there is a specific tune they would like to play, I will create an arrangement of the piece that fits their ability. I’ve done thousands of tunes over the years, and as many as 6 different versions of the popular ones, especially Taylor Swift!

While some students are eager to learn, others (especially younger pupils) need additional encouragement and this personalised approach to piano lessons has proved invaluable. It’s far easier to learn when you’re having fun!

While I like to keep lessons informal, I also make sure a certain amount of sight reading is done every lesson. Music is like a language, the more you read and play, the better you get at it.

I’m happy to take on complete beginners to advanced players, although I think the earliest a child should start lessons is at the age of 6. I’ve found that younger children find it difficult to concentrate throughout a lesson.

I will bring my 40 years experience of being a professional musician and 25 years of teaching piano to the lessons. I’m calm, patient and always encouraging and have a DBS certificate that’s up to date.

“Steve is a fantastic teacher, always gently encouraging and nudging us to improve our skills. He provides a varied and interesting mix of music to learn and has endless patience. It is a pleasure to be taught by him.”

Clare

“Steve knows how to teach! I was with him for some time and benefitted hugely. Now I attend a college but still need him and when I am puzzled by anything regarding music theory I have no hesitation in contacting him with my problem, by text, and he replies and helps me out straight away. He fits me in whenever I need extra help….. And his rates are very, very reasonable.”

Helena Grandi

“Steve is a wonderful piano teacher. Both my sons loved his lessons, as did I.
He is patient, calm and highly skilled. We really recommend him.”

Julia Snoddy

I want you to enjoy it” was one of the first things Steve said to me when I started learning from scratch as an adult. And that’s exactly what happened. With his vast musical knowledge and repertoire he structured his tutoring to my pace of learning, challenging me along the way, and opened my ears to an array of music new to me. I highly recommend him. Islington’s loss is Glastonbury’s gain!

Mia Hansen

Steve was an absolutely brilliant teacher for many years for our daughters, and later, for me (beginner at the age of 45!) Not only is he a terrific teacher at all aspects of the piano/music theory, but he also went out of his way to find music that my children would enjoy playing. Most importantly, he is also the most patient person I have ever met. We were so sad when he left London and can’t imagine that anyone could ever replace him.

Deirdre Mask

Steve has been a wonderful piano teacher for my son and daughter for several years. He is incredibly patient and always tailors each lesson to their individual level and pace. The children have genuinely enjoyed learning with him and it has been fantastic to see their confidence and piano skills grow so much over time.

Vincent Chong

I really recommend Steve. He is patient and encouraging and is highly knowledgeable in different musical genres, piano technique and theory. I have enjoyed every lesson learning the piano with his relaxed style, and his teaching has given me good grounding and confidence.

Frances Casey

Steve taught me and our children over a 20 year period from beginner to (one son) up to Grade 8 . He is patient, enthusiastic and reliable and makes an effort to find music that appeals as well as teaching Grades .

L Taylor

My family and I really rate Steve as a piano teacher, musician and as a really lovely person. We first invited Steve into our home to teach our two boys (now 12 and 9) and before long I started taking lessons myself to learn how to play using jazz chords – definitely a step up from having done all the grades as a child, but also hugely satisfying and fun!
Steve is always friendly and kind and he’s incredibly patient with children. We were very upset that Steve decided to leave London, and I’m sure many other families felt the same way. I recommend Steve without hesitation.

Jenny Williams

Steve is an inspiring teacher. He taught my son for over 4 years and was always kind, patient and encouraging, always going the extra mile to seek out music he’d connect with. I recommend him highly.

Deborah Lee

“Steve came to the rescue when we were looking for our son, Jude’s, first piano teacher. His calm, unflappable approach and huge, diverse musical knowledge and range of playing styles, has been the key to getting us first to overcome that initial fear of playing, to realising we can both now read music and love playing it on the piano. From scratch. That is an invaluable gift. The huge bonus was I also fell in love with Steve’s approach to us both as beginners. Jude had been reluctant to start lessons, so I called his bluff and said I would take the first lesson, not Jude. As soon as Steve came in and we started on our small keyboard, Jude was hooked. He hadn’t heard that keyboard sound so good. He was inspired by Steve. As was I. From then on we did back to back lessons! Steve tailor made our lessons. We could have started doing grades, but decided instead to follow the music. By selecting new pieces each week, Steve has gradually moved us along at a pace that both stretched us, while keeping our confidence high. Now we’ve invested in a beautiful acoustic upright piano which Steve helped us to find, the joy in playing the piano is only increasing. We’re both now able to play music we love, and have come a very long way, one lesson a week over the last 3-4 years. Thank you Steve!”

Ben Gurney

Steve is a fantastic piano teacher: really intuitive, encouraging and he tailors his classes very well to your needs and interests. He suggested lots of great pieces for me to try. After many years not playing the piano, he helped me really get back into it, as an adult learner, and I am loving playing piano again.

Steve Yaxley

I had always wanted to play the piano, but feared that I couldn’t learn. I was so pleased to meet Steve, he is very relaxed, friendly, and understanding, even though he is classically trained. He has a deep but broad knowledge of piano music, whether classical, rock, or jazz. He’s a great teacher, because he only wants to help you progress, whatever ability you begin with, whatever aptitude you have. For Steve your playing is a glass half full, never half empty – there are always elements in your playing that you can build on, and with that, he can help you to learn to play better. Above all, he wants you to enjoy it, and that makes learning fun, I hope you have the opportunity to learn the piano from Steve.

Brian Berrigan

Steve is one of the best teachers I’ve ever had. He challenged me and held me accountable, but balanced this perfectly with positive feedback and encouragement. I always enjoyed when he would share his masterful music theory knowledge during my lessons. It really added depth to our lessons. I also appreciated the context he would give around certain pieces. He is also so flexible and responsive, I could always count on him to reschedule if I needed. I really felt that my growth to level 2 was thanks to him.

Kimmie Williams

Lessons

I’m flexible about how long and how often lessons are. It’s usual to have one 30 or 45 minute lesson a week. However some of the adults I teach are too busy, and so opt for every two weeks. Sometimes, especially when exams are looming, students choose to have two lessons a week, or increase the length of their lessons.

If you can’t make a lesson for whatever reason, I will always try to accommodate you with any free time I may have. I don’t charge for a term in advance, you just pay me for whatever lessons you do.

Prices

30 minute lesson £15

45 minute lesson £22.50

60 minute lesson £30

If you live in Glastonbury or Street, you have the option of being taught at your home, as I am prepared to cycle to you for an extra £6 per lesson.

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Who do I teach?

Although I don’t have any recognised qualifications, my 40 years of being a professional musician and 25 years of teaching piano are more useful and relevant. I’m calm, patient and always encouraging and have a DBS certificate that’s up to date.

Piano Exams

If you want to do exams, I teach the ABRSM piano grades, the jazz piano grades and theory up to grade 5. I won’t force you to do exams though! I just want you to enjoy playing piano.

Some of my students have gone on to do GCSE and A-Level music at school. I’ve been happy to help them with the various aspects of the course, especially composition.

Try before you buy

If you would like to meet me first before committing to lessons, you’re very welcome to come and say hello. That way you can get to know me a bit better and ask any questions you may have. I’ll even give you a short introductory lesson for free.