Westcliff Music Academy, Westcliff-on-Sea | Fees, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

5 years ago, in my 70s, I started piano lessons at Westcliff Music Academy. It was one of the best decisions of my life. I had always wanted to learn to play the piano, but as a child it was denied and in adulthood “drowned” by life’s duties. My keyboard lessons with kind, funny and patient Mark are wonderful. Though my progress is SLOW, I really enjoy it and never feel under pressure. Thank you, teacher!!

I am still having piano lessons with Mark, but I felt the need to leave a review now to thank Mark for progress made so far. One year in and I am so thoroughly enjoying my regular hour slot. I have learned so much already – Mark provides a perfect combination of expert tuition, delivered in an inspirational and entertaining way, we do have a lot of laughs thrown in for free ;-), which makes the whole experience interesting and fun and when you relax, I find I learn so much more.

One of the things I love about the course as well is the that you learn all the favourite songs, no boring music here! I’m already at the point now where family can have a good old singalong at home :). Mark is also technically awesome & if you like the Yamaha Clavinova series and most probably any other electric piano, Mark is your man to show you effortlessly how to make the most of it – no point having a Ferrari and no keys! lol.

Life has not been easy over the last year and I just want to say thank you to you Mark for keeping me sane in this time. I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending Mark and the Westcliff Music Academy to anyone who really wants to ENJOY learning the piano – they also teach other instruments as well, guitar etc. Thanks so much Mark – amazing journey so far mate!

I started piano lessons with Luke here a few weeks ago and it’s been brilliant. He’s an enthusiastic and patient teacher who can communicate complex musical concepts in ways that are easy to understand. Would highly recommend!

My son (15 years old) has lessons with both Mark Cadey (keyboard) and Luke Swift (piano) at WMA. There are music teaches closer to where we live but, for us, it’s well worth the journey to Westcliff for lessons with Mark and Luke on Saturday mornings.
My son always looks forward to his lessons and as a parent I’m always made to feel welcome and watch him play (or I can drop him off safe in the knowledge that all the correct safeguarding processes are in place).
The (Yamaha) musical instruments and the spacious practice rooms are first class every time.
The keyboard syllabus is well structured and has allowed my son to develop his skills, knowledge and confidence week by week. Mark has a learner-centred approach to teaching and encourages my son to learn through discovery, guided by questions and discussions on each piece he’s working on. My son gets introduced to new pieces to work on at home which are demonstrated first by Mark and again, supported with discussion and the opportunity to ask questions before the end of the session.
Piano lessons with Luke Swift have only started recently but my son has already picked up lots of little pointers and suggestions that are adding up to create lots of marginal gains on his Grade 6 pieces. We love the fact Luke has let us set the agenda for my son’s exam preparation; his insight, and experience have been incredibly valuable in helping my son get ready to perform his exam pieces. My son is looking forward to continuing lessons with both Luke and Mark in the future and as parent I couldn’t be happier with the progress he’s making and the enjoyment he gets from the lessons at WMA.

Thoroughly recommended. Two of my children have weekly lessons with Mark and they are both making excellent progress. In particular, my son’s confidence and enjoyment have transformed since he stopped after-school lessons and switched to the Westcliff Music Academy — and this has translated into much improved technical skills and music-reading ability too.