Balewadi, Pune · Established 2016
Where a child’s first notebecomes a musician’s life.
A full-time conservatory for young musicians, and a one-to-one music school for everyone else. We take students from their first lesson through to diploma level — and we have been doing it in Pune since 2016.
- Years of teaching experience
- 25+Years of teaching experience
- Disciplines taught
- 7Disciplines taught
- International examination boards
- 4International examination boards
Hero: a young student at the grand piano in the Balewadi studio, natural light, shot from the side
Photography to come
Three ways in
Whichever one you are, there is a door here for you.
A seven-year-old beginning a serious musical education, an adult finally learning the instrument they always meant to, and an instrument owner who needs advice or a technician are three completely different problems. We treat them that way.
For children
The Conservatory
Full-time musical education from primary-school age, structured over eight semesters and beyond, to advanced performance and certification.
Explore the programmeFor all ages
Music School
Weekly one-to-one lessons in seven disciplines — piano, keyboard, guitar, voice, theory and music history. From age five, with no upper limit.
See the disciplinesFor instrument owners
Instruments
Independent advice on what to buy, procurement and sale of new and second-hand instruments, and full servicing — from people who teach on them.
View instrumentsConservatory: a group class in progress — ear training or body percussion, children engaged
Photography to come
The Conservatory
Most children learn an instrument. Ours learn music.
A weekly lesson teaches a child to play pieces. A conservatory education teaches them theory, ear training, sight-reading, improvisation, analysis and history alongside their instrument — so that by the time they are advanced, they are musicians rather than people who can play.
Students choose one of three tracks and progress through a structured programme of eight semesters and beyond, performing every quarter throughout.
- Pedagogical — For the student who will one day teach.
- Pedagogical / Artistic — For the student who will do both.
- Artistic — For the student aiming at the platform.
The music school
Seven disciplines, taught one to one.
Weekly lessons in person, online, or a mixture of the two. Every lesson plan is built around the individual student — their age, their goals, and the music they actually want to play.
Piano
The instrument the whole conservatory is built around.
From age 5, no upper limit
Electronic Keyboard
Covers every aspect of ensemble playing from one instrument.
From age 5, no upper limit
Classical Guitar
Also called the Spanish guitar — a portable piano, because melody, bass and harmony all sit under one hand.
From age 7, no upper limit
Plectrum Guitar
Plays both the lead line and the accompaniment — the guitar most people picture when they say guitar.
From age 7, no upper limit
Voice
Everybody has a singer in them. It is a question of finding the right place to grow one.
From age 8, no upper limit
Theory of Music
Understanding why music does what it does to you.
From age 7, no upper limit
Music History & Appreciation
The one course where you need no instrument at all.
From age 10, no upper limit
Certification
Four international boards, one honest rule.
We enter a student when the work is genuinely ready — not when the calendar says so.
How examinations work here- TrinityUnited Kingdom
- ABRSMUnited Kingdom
- LCMUnited Kingdom
- MTBUnited Kingdom
“I am so grateful to have found Shirley Manuel as a piano teacher for my child. Shirley is knowledgeable, patient, and encouraging. She has a deep understanding of music theory and piano technique, and she is able to communicate these concepts to the student in a clear and concise way. Over the past 1.5 years, my daughter has made significant progress in her piano playing.”
Journal
Writing from the studio.
Practical pieces on learning, practising and living with an instrument.
Journal: Piano maintenance and care for beginners
Photography to come
Piano care
Piano maintenance and care for beginners
Placement, humidity, tuning intervals and cleaning — the habits that keep an instrument healthy for generations.
27 October 2023 · 3 min read
Journal: Ten easy Disney songs to learn on the piano
Photography to come
Repertoire
Ten easy Disney songs to learn on the piano
The songs that made your childhood, arranged simply enough to play in your first year at the instrument.
25 October 2023 · 4 min read
Journal: How to sit properly at the piano
Photography to come
Technique
How to sit properly at the piano
Posture is not about aesthetics. It decides how freely you can play, and whether you will still be playing in twenty years.
20 October 2023 · 4 min read
Come and hear the place before you decide.
Trial lessons are by appointment, and there is no obligation attached to one. Tell us who is learning and what they want from it, and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right school.