Welcome to the website for baxters studio – the overarching company that acts as administrator for project, teaching and collaborative piano work.

I’m Helen Ridout, a collaborative pianist/teacher/project manager based in East Sussex.

I teach Classical Piano leading to ABRSM exams (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) which includes playing set pieces, learning to read musical notation, sight-reading, scales and aural tests. Exams aren’t essential to learning an instrument but are a good indication of progress and count towards UCAS applications. I also teach some basic improvisation skills Jazz and Pop styles, including how to read chord symbols.

I started my journey as a musician at Chethams School of Music (Manchester) and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London) where, amongst other things, I gained two diplomas, won the Leonard Smith Prize for Chamber Music and won a Cripplegate Scholarship to further my studies in collaborative piano and chamber music.

As a performer I’ve been involved in many exciting projects including:
pianist with ‘The Olyver Ensemble’
pianist with Beverley Davisons ‘Classical Cabaret’
tenor saxophonist with the ‘Fairer Sax’
pianist for the Royal Academy of Dance, London Festival Ballet and the East London School of Dance
pianist for exams, festivals and competitions throughout London and the South East

A sample of some of the concerts I’ve organised in East Sussex and London

More recently I’ve been repetiteur for ‘Push’, a community opera commissioned by Battle Festival, Musical Director for a newly-written musical, ‘Paris Snow’ and I’ve been instrumental in setting up and performing in a series of successful classical Coffee Concerts at the Kino-Teatr in St. Leonards. I regularly work with opera companies, singers, choirs and instrumentalists.

Here’s a clip of James Newby and I from our English Song Coffee Concert

I started giving piano lessons in the 1990’s and have experience teaching beginners through to Conservatoire entry level. I’ve held positions at Guildford County School, Inner London Education Authority, East Sussex Academy of Music and have taught at the Royal Academy of Music Junior Department. For 12 years I was a visiting piano teacher at Vinehall School, Robertsbridge and enjoyed being part of a highly successful music department preparing students for music scholarships and ABRSM exams as well as being Musical Director for school shows and playing for exams.

I’ve been teaching the piano and Grade 5 music theory at St. Richards Catholic College in Bexhill for the past six years and love the vibrant atmosphere of the music department. I’ve also taught advanced pianists at East Sussex Academy of Music where I took the Grade 5 theory class and played/assessed A and AS level recitals.

Keeping up with current trends in piano pedagogy is important and I belong to the Incorporated Society of Musicians and the Oxford Piano Group where I regularly attend seminars.

We currently have two projects in development – Opera Buffa and a schools production of The Telephone.