The Maestro Online Podcast

Richard Michael BEM on a Jazz Life - from Stonehaven to the BBC

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0100

Richard Michael BEM, Honorary Professor of Jazz Piano at the University of St Andrews, has spent a lifetime bringing jazz to everyone - from the classrooms of Stonehaven to broadcasts with the BBC. In this conversation with Dr Robin Harrison FRSA, he shares how improvisation can be taught, why every musician can swing, and the stories behind a remarkable career in jazz education.

Explore Richard's Get Ya Groove On jazz masterclasses on The Maestro Online: https://www.the-maestro-online.com/get-ya-groove-on-1-jazz-improv-1-take-5-with-5-contents/

The Maestro Online is the world's only Ofqual-regulated historically informed Piano Improvisation Exam Board. Explore the complete masterclass library: https://www.the-maestro-online.com

Ralph Allwood MBE on a Life in Choirs - from a Musical Home to Eton and Beyond

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0100

Dr Ralph Allwood MBE is one of Britain's best-known choral directors - for 26 years Precentor and Director of Music at Eton College, and founder of the Eton Choral Courses through which generations of young singers found their voice. In this interview we discuss his musical upbringing, a career spent building choirs and confidence, and what he has learned about teaching singers of every level.

Explore Ralph's courses on The Maestro Online, including Conducting with Love and 10 Pro Strategies to Start Your Sight-Singing Journey: https://www.the-maestro-online.com/conducting-with-love-with-ralph-allwood/

The Maestro Online is the world's only Ofqual-regulated historically informed Piano Improvisation Exam Board. Explore the complete masterclass library: https://www.the-maestro-online.com

Douglas Finch on a Life in Improvisation - Fluency Without Fear

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0100

Douglas Finch is a pianist, composer and one of the most respected improvisation teachers in Britain. In this extended conversation with Dr Robin Harrison FRSA, we trace his whole improvising life: how he began, why improvisation became central to his teaching, and how any classically trained pianist can move from scary first attempts to real fluency - no chord progressions needed.

Explore Douglas's improvisation masterclasses on The Maestro Online, including From Scary to Fluent, Flow in Music, Variation Form, Sonata Form and Mozart Minuets: https://www.the-maestro-online.com/piano-improvisation-masterclass-from-scary-to-fluent-no-chord-progressions-needed/

The Maestro Online is the world's only Ofqual-regulated historically informed Piano Improvisation Exam Board. Explore the complete masterclass library: https://www.the-maestro-online.com

Jason Roberts on Improvisation as Composition - from Perth Chorister to New York Organist

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0100

Jason Roberts is an award-winning organist and improviser based in New York City. We discuss his beginnings as a cathedral chorister in Perth, discovering improvisation through recordings of Gerre Hancock, William Porter's "improvisation as composition" method (from a week per fugue to a fugue on the spot), studying twentieth-century harmony and twelve-tone improvisation with McNeil Robinson, the St Albans and Haarlem competitions, and his three-layer practice method for the Cochereau style.

Explore Jason's Symphonic Improvisation masterclasses on The Maestro Online: https://www.the-maestro-online.com/jason-roberts-symphonic-improvisation-qa-contents/

The Maestro Online is the world's only Ofqual-regulated historically informed Piano Improvisation Exam Board. Explore the complete masterclass library: https://www.the-maestro-online.com