<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Lewis Kesterton<\/a> has one of the best panoramic views of the capital we\u2019ve seen in a while. Twelve floors up, on a clear day you can see forever – from Wembley Stadium to all the high rise landmarks you can shake a Shard at. It\u2019s the perfect location for getting lost in music. A classical pianist and music teacher himself, Lewis has created a tranquil corner for his Yamaha C2X grand piano to reside, alongside his adorable black cat, Figaro. We recently paid a visit to Lewis\u2019s North Acton home on a bright crispy February afternoon; when we turned the corner and saw the name of the building, we laughed out loud. The Rehearsal Rooms building is named in tribute to its previous incarnation as the BBC Television Rehearsal Studios<\/a>, having once been the practice space for many BBC classic shows, from Absolutely Fabulous to Fawlty Towers. Could this place be more perfect?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n LEWIS Complete coincidence. And it\u2019s also a coincidence that we happen to be in flat 88 and the piano has 88 keys\u2026 (laughter)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n LEWIS It\u2019s a very dry acoustic which is especially good for personal practice, because you can really hear yourself and everything that you\u2019re doing. And it\u2019s not boomy at all so it\u2019s good for recording. A little while ago I had someone come here and record for BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n LEWIS They\u2019re really well-soundproofed flats so you don\u2019t really hear anybody. You can hear the piano in the corridor but not in other flats.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n LEWIS Not long. I\u2019m very fortunate to have it. When I first moved to London, just over 18 months ago, I started studying at the London College of Music in Ealing – and I made really good friends with one of the masters’ students. She\u2019s from the US and had been studying in the UK for a couple of years. She\u2019s a Young Steinway Artist, with a Steinway back home, but when she moved here she needed a piano to work on, so she bought this one. After a while, she decided it was time to have her Steinway shipped over, but wanted this one to go to a good home so\u2026<\/p>\n LEWIS I used to be a brass player. I played the cornet in a brass band. I started that about the same time I started the piano but eventually the piano won out.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n LEWIS I always loved music. Especially in school assemblies, I\u2019d be fascinated by them playing the piano. And my sister\u2019s a musician as well – she played the oboe – and that inspired me too. I always wanted to play the piano but my parents said, \u201cstart with something else first.\u201d So I had about three weeks worth of violin lessons, which was a complete disaster. Eventually, they conceded to let me have piano lessons when I was seven.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n LEWIS I\u2019m still studying – I\u2019m currently at Trinity Laban in my third year as an undergraduate so that\u2019s taking over at the moment. I haven\u2019t been performing much recently but I performed quite a bit in the summer last year and I\u2019m hoping to again this year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n LEWIS I did enjoy it. I was in the Hall\u00e9 Choir when I was living in the north – that was really fun. I really enjoyed that.<\/p>\n LEWIS I do a lot of teaching; that\u2019s the biggest part of my career at the moment. Being able to pass on the different skills and knowledge that I\u2019ve absorbed over the years, especially from my own teachers. I think that\u2019s the best thing about it. All of the teachers I\u2019ve had have been very good in different ways. Until relatively recently though, I lacked a solid technical grounding, which I’m still working on with my current teacher, Penelope Roskell<\/a>. It\u2019s nice now to make sure that people have those foundations to begin with, so they don\u2019t develop any bad habits or any injuries.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n LEWIS It\u2019s nothing specific really, it\u2019s just the way that I teach. I like to think that I\u2019m quite adaptive as a teacher. Obviously I have this set of skills that I use with everybody but I feel like for each individual student I\u2019m a slightly different teacher, if that makes sense. \u2018Pedagogical techniques\u2019 refers to what I was talking about before – making sure that they have good foundations. For instance, lots of teachers don\u2019t teach you about arm weight when you\u2019re playing the piano, so that\u2019s one of the things I like to introduce straight away – even with small children. So instead of pushing into the keys, you use the natural weight of your arm to support your fingers, which helps you create a bigger sound without being harsh.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n LEWIS I\u2019m quite open-minded. I haven\u2019t explored as much repertoire over the years as a lot of people so I\u2019m still trying to discover what I like. I haven\u2019t really not enjoyed playing anybody – apart from Shostakovich – I didn\u2019t really enjoy playing that.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n LEWIS Figaro actually loves the piano! When I start practising in the morning he usually comes running and launches himself into the beanbag under the piano – he stays there for at least an hour sleeping whilst I work!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n LEWIS I really want to be a part of it because I want to get to know other musicians that are around me. It was really nice when the first lady to come here came to play the piano in her spare time. It was lovely to meet someone who has music as a hobby. They love it so much and it means so much to them – it was really nice to see. I don\u2019t know what my ideal guest would be like – anybody as long as they\u2019re friendly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n LEWIS Lewis: Probably, yes. I\u2019m really fortunate to have this space but if I was perhaps rehearsing with a bigger group, say <\/strong>, for instance, it was a piano trio. It would be nice to rehearse even just a couple of times in a bigger space – that would be useful.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n LEWIS Unfortunately not. I keep trying to get her to. She\u2019s much more academic than me; she\u2019s just finished her PhD so she\u2019s not really been playing very much. She also does children\u2019s art in her spare time so we\u2019re thinking about possibly collaborating on something to do with that – maybe a music teaching book for children or something.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n LEWIS Hopefully in the summer – usually it\u2019s solo things although occasionally it\u2019s a piano duo. I\u2019ve been trying to get a friend to do a joint recital this year – so both solo, but together.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/find-mushroom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/img_6151b11190c8e-300x200.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
Lewis, we\u2019ve noticed that you live in a building that\u2019s called Rehearsal Rooms. Did that factor in to your decision to move here?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\nIt must be fate. Can you tell us a bit about your room and piano? It sounds really \u2018crisp\u2019 in here\u2026<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/find-mushroom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/img_6151b1138d882-300x200.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
It also seems like a really quiet building… <\/strong><\/h4>\n
\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\nHow long have you had this piano?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/find-mushroom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/LewisKesterton-300x200.jpeg\")
<\/strong><\/h3>\nYou got a deal! Do you play any other instruments besides the piano?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\nYou\u2019ve been a musician from an early age. When did you realise (or decide) that music would be a big part of your life?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\nDo you perform in public often?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\nWe know that you used to sing in the choir, do you still like to sing?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/find-mushroom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/mushRoom_Lewis_05-02-2020-28-300x200.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/h3>\n <\/h4>\n
What do you enjoy most about teaching?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\nCan you tell us a bit about the \u201cpedagogical techniques\u201d you developed that are mentioned in your online bio?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\nDo you have a favourite period of music that you like to play and\/or listen to?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\nWhat about Figaro, your cat. Does he like to listen to you play?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/find-mushroom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/pianoblackcat-300x300.png\")
<\/p>\nWhat are you hoping for from being part of the mushRoom community? Who would be your ideal guest?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\nCan you imagine yourself sourcing a mushRoom host\/rehearsal space?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\nDo you and your sister ever play together; did you ever do that?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\nFinally – do you have any shows\/releases coming up that we can tell everyone about?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/find-mushroom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/mushRoom_Lewis_05-02-2020-18-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/find-mushroom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/mushRoom_Lewis_05-02-2020-4-1024x683.jpg\")
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