1^st lesson free

Dr Robert

5 (12 reviews)

Rate R987
Response 7h
Students
Number of students Dr Robert has accompanied since joining Superprof
37
Number of students Dr Robert has accompanied since joining Superprof

5 (12 reviews)

R987/h

1^st lesson free

Piano
Musical keyboard
Synthesizer

Award-winning composer and pianist with a PhD in Music and 20+ years' teaching experience – piano and music theory from beginner to diploma

Piano
Musical keyboard
Synthesizer

Lesson location

- online

Super Tutor

Dr Robert is one of our best Piano tutors. High-quality profile, qualifications verified, organised and responsive to lesson requests, and appreciated by their students.

About Dr Robert

Hi, I'm Dr Robert Ratcliffe, an award-winning composer, producer, pianist, writer and music educator with more than twenty years' teaching experience. I hold a First Class BA (Hons) specialising in solo piano performance and composition, an M.Res in Composition with Distinction and a PhD in Composition/Musicology. My postgraduate piano studies included private study with Professor David Fanning and Roy Howat, and I have previous experience teaching performance, composition, electronic music, music production and critical studies at university level.

Alongside teaching, I have pursued an international career as a composer. My music has been performed and broadcast in approximately 30 countries worldwide, including BBC broadcasts, and my research has been published in international peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. More recently, I created the science-fiction multimedia project Chronicles of the Residuum. Its album The Age of Destruction received two Silver Medals for Outstanding Achievement at the Global Music Awards, in Electronic and Production/Producer, while both the audio work and artwork received recognition in the British Science Fiction Association Awards. The project has been covered by Prog, Record Collector, Electronic Sound, Darkus and the journal of the British Fantasy Society, with Sonic Abuse awarding the album 9.5/10.

Through the project I have worked with internationally recognised figures including Grammy Award-winning engineer David Donaldson, language creator David J. Peterson, producer René LaVice, Magic: The Gathering artist Igor Kieryluk and electronic music industry pioneer Nick Halkes. I am currently serving as a juror for the British Fantasy Awards in the Audio Fiction category, following previous international reviewing and adjudication work for ICMC and the 60×60 project. Piano and music theory remain at the heart of my private teaching, and I work with students ranging from complete beginners to diploma candidates and university-level musicians.

About the lesson

My students range from children and complete adult beginners through to advanced pianists, diploma candidates, university music students, professional musicians and teachers. I have a 100% ABRSM examination pass rate, with students frequently achieving distinctions. Previous results include 99/100 for ABRSM Grade 5 Music Theory and 146/150 for an ABRSM Piano Practical examination. One student was invited to perform in a special ABRSM concert after achieving one of the highest marks of the examination period. I have also prepared students for auditions and study at institutions including Chetham's School of Music, Leeds Conservatoire and the Royal Northern College of Music.

Examinations are only one aspect of my teaching. I analyse both how a student learns and how they physically approach the piano, identifying particular technical or musical problems and developing strategies to overcome them. This can include work on relaxation, coordination, sound production, quality of tone and performance anxiety.

As a composer, I'm particularly interested in helping students understand how music is constructed. Exploring the structure, harmony and musical ideas behind a piece can lead to a much deeper understanding of interpretation rather than simply learning to reproduce the notes on the page. I have a particular affinity with Romantic and Impressionistic repertoire, especially Chopin, Debussy and Scriabin, although my students play music from a very wide range of periods and styles. Lessons can include repertoire, technique, interpretation, sight-reading, aural skills, improvisation and theory according to the student's needs. For advanced students, my background in composition, electronic music, academic research and professional production also allows us to explore areas well beyond conventional piano tuition.

Although much of my experience is at an advanced and professional level, I believe that high-quality musical education should be accessible to anyone who wants to learn. I therefore welcome beginners and those returning to the piano after a long break, as well as students with more ambitious performance goals. There is rarely a single solution to a technical or interpretative problem, and an important part of my teaching is finding the approach that enables each individual student to progress. Online lessons are available throughout the UK and internationally. (c) Robert Ratcliffe 2026

Reviews

All the reviews collected from students are verified by our team. They are therefore reliable and correspond to a real experience with Dr Robert.

5 (12 reviews)

D

Dixon
- 5
Perfect! Rob has been a great tutor since I started my piano journey. Rob has always been understanding of my goals and plans the lessons to align with that goal. Rob provides constructive feedback but also provides examples to easily understand the feedback to better my playing. I look forward to continuing my journey under Robs tutorship.
Read more Read more

D

Dixon

Perfect! Rob has been a great tutor since I started my piano journey. Rob has always been understanding of my goals and plans the lessons to align with that goal. Rob provides constructive feedback but also provides examples to easily understand the feedback to better my playing. I look forward to continuing my journey under Robs tutorship.
S

Shakeela
- 5
Perfect! Rob replied in a matter of hours . The boys enjoy his style of teaching. He adapts his style and pace to each individual pupil . Online lesson was never something that i considered but its working well with my boys in their own environment
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S

Shakeela

Perfect! Rob replied in a matter of hours . The boys enjoy his style of teaching. He adapts his style and pace to each individual pupil . Online lesson was never something that i considered but its working well with my boys in their own environment
S

Shardia
- 5
Perfect! Rob was patient and an excellent teacher , my child feels happy to have started lessons with him and she looks forward to learning how to play the piano
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S

Shardia

Perfect! Rob was patient and an excellent teacher , my child feels happy to have started lessons with him and she looks forward to learning how to play the piano
M

Margaret
- 5
Perfect! I can say hand on heart I have never learned as much from any other piano teacher in many years of playing. Rob is very calm and encouraging and his teaching style encourages me to critique myself in my practice time, which translates into great learning. Rob's love of music is infectious which makes every lesson engaging and interesting.
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M

Margaret

Perfect! I can say hand on heart I have never learned as much from any other piano teacher in many years of playing. Rob is very calm and encouraging and his teaching style encourages me to critique myself in my practice time, which translates into great learning. Rob's love of music is infectious which makes every lesson engaging and interesting.
A

Andrew
- 5
Perfect! Clearly explained and insightful ideas for understanding and playing music. Thanks.
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A

Andrew

Perfect! Clearly explained and insightful ideas for understanding and playing music. Thanks.
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Recommendations

Recommendations are written by the tutor's friends, family, and acquaintances.

T

Tom

I have been having lessons with Rob for a few years now and would recommend him as a piano teacher. His patience and understanding has been impeccable and his tutoring has taken me from a complete novice to a competent and confident piano player and certified to grade 2 in musical theory. Rob is definitely the teacher you want for piano lessons
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T
Tom
I have been having lessons with Rob for a few years now and would recommend him as a piano teacher. His patience and understanding has been impeccable and his tutoring has taken me from a complete novice to a competent and confident piano player and certified to grade 2 in musical theory. Rob is definitely the teacher you want for piano lessons
K

Katherine

Dr Robert is an excellent teacher. He is patient & encouraging, giving me confidence to keep on going. He has identified interesting new pieces for me to practice and perfect and always has an anecdote on hand to help illuminate any points about the music or composer to help illustrate my learning.

I decided to return to the piano after a 50 year break & was greatly relieved to find that learning the piano is now an enjoyable experience.
Read more

K
Katherine
Dr Robert is an excellent teacher. He is patient & encouraging, giving me confidence to keep on going. He has identified interesting new pieces for me to practice and perfect and always has an anecdote on hand to help illuminate any points about the music or composer to help illustrate my learning.

I decided to return to the piano after a 50 year break & was greatly relieved to find that learning the piano is now an enjoyable experience.
M

Mark

Rob has taught our 3 children the piano. His calm encouragement and measured approach has resulted in many certificates and kids who genuinely enjoy music - the eldest is now a professional musician!
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M
Mark
Rob has taught our 3 children the piano. His calm encouragement and measured approach has resulted in many certificates and kids who genuinely enjoy music - the eldest is now a professional musician!
L

Laurena

My fourteen years old son has had the privilege of learning piano under the tutelage of an exceptional instructor for more than six years. Throughout this transformative journey, Robert's dedication and remarkable professionalism as a piano teacher helped my son a great deal in learning, playing and enjoying a range of different styles: classic, modern, and film music. It is with great pleasure that I share my experience and offer an enthusiastic recommendation for Robert. Five stars totally deserved!

Read more

L
Laurena
My fourteen years old son has had the privilege of learning piano under the tutelage of an exceptional instructor for more than six years. Throughout this transformative journey, Robert's dedication and remarkable professionalism as a piano teacher helped my son a great deal in learning, playing and enjoying a range of different styles: classic, modern, and film music. It is with great pleasure that I share my experience and offer an enthusiastic recommendation for Robert. Five stars totally deserved!
N

Nathan

He's been teaching me for about 10 years and has been very informative, helpful and understanding throughout all that time. Had both in-person and virtual lessons and both have provided an enjoyable learning environment. He is very accommodating to all levels of piano experience.
Read more

N
Nathan
He's been teaching me for about 10 years and has been very informative, helpful and understanding throughout all that time. Had both in-person and virtual lessons and both have provided an enjoyable learning environment. He is very accommodating to all levels of piano experience.
D

David

Rob has been a great teacher. At the start he asked what level I was (I’m a beginner) and what I wanted to get out of lessons (I don’t want to do grades currently). He then suggested books and pieces to achieve this. During lessons he provides really good constructive feedback on how to improve the pieces I’m playing and my technique. He also takes the time to explain musical theory and new concepts in a way that’s easy to understand. I feel I have improved week on week with his help.
Read more

D
David
Rob has been a great teacher. At the start he asked what level I was (I’m a beginner) and what I wanted to get out of lessons (I don’t want to do grades currently). He then suggested books and pieces to achieve this. During lessons he provides really good constructive feedback on how to improve the pieces I’m playing and my technique. He also takes the time to explain musical theory and new concepts in a way that’s easy to understand. I feel I have improved week on week with his help.
N

Nicki

Rob has been an outstanding teacher for my daughter for the last 4 years and she had gone from strength to strength. She finds the online lessons really easy and there has been no issues from moving from face to face to virtual, if anything it has allowed us more flexibility. She has really progressed under his tutorship and feels confident going into her exams. I would highly recommend Rob to anyone wanting piano lessons.
Read more

N
Nicki
Rob has been an outstanding teacher for my daughter for the last 4 years and she had gone from strength to strength. She finds the online lessons really easy and there has been no issues from moving from face to face to virtual, if anything it has allowed us more flexibility. She has really progressed under his tutorship and feels confident going into her exams. I would highly recommend Rob to anyone wanting piano lessons.
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Rates

Rate

R987

Package rates

5h: R4935
10h: R9869

travel

+ R5

free lesson

The free first lesson with Dr Robert allows you to get to know the tutor and discuss your needs and expectations.

30min

online

R987/h

Details

Online lesson fees: £45 for an hour, £35 for 45 mins, £25 for 30 mins.
In-person lessons conducted at student's home (within a 2 mile radius) add + £5 for travel

Award-winning composer and pianist with a PhD in Music and 20+ years' teaching experience – piano and music theory from beginner to diploma

Lesson location

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About Dr Robert

About the lesson

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free lesson

online

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