Draft:Melanie Spanswick (British Pianist and Author)

Spanswick was born in Berkshire, United Kingdom. She graduated from the Royal College of Music in London in 1993 with a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance Studies. During her studies, she was awarded several scholarships and prizes, including recognition as the most "outstanding postgraduate pianist." Her piano teachers included Patricia Carroll{{Cite web |date=2017-07-09 |title=Patricia Carroll |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/obituary-patricia-carroll-7fnjhnthz |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=www.thetimes.com |language=en}}, [https://www.ram.ac.uk/people/tatiana-sarkissova Tatiana Sarkissova], and John Lill.

Spanswick performed regularly as a solo pianist, chamber musician, and accompanist, appearing at music festivals and concert halls in over ten countries. She has broadcast on Classic FM, BBC Radio, CBC Radio, and Swedish and Spanish television{{Cite web |title=Women Composers: an interview with pianist, author, pedagogue, and composer Melanie Spanswick — No Dead Guys {{!}} New piano music, living composers, and thoughts on the intersection of music and life. Rhonda Rizzo, writer |url=https://www.nodeadguys.com/a-piano-blog/women-composers-an-interview-with-pianist-author-pedagogue-and-composer-melanie-spanswick |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=No Dead Guys |language=en-US}}. She also recorded at Wigmore Hall in London for the [https://www.operaomnia.co.uk/ Opera Omnia label]{{Cite web |date=2025-04-08 |title=Wigmore Hall |url=https://www.wigmore-hall.org.uk/ |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=www.wigmore-hall.org.uk |language=en}}.

She taught piano at Reading University and the Royal College of Music Junior Department, and served as an examiner for the ABRSM. Her current teaching positions include the Guildhall School of Music and Drama{{Cite web |title=Melanie Spanswick {{!}} Guildhall School of Music & Drama |url=https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/staff/melanie-spanswick |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=www.gsmd.ac.uk |language=en}}, Eton College, and the Tom Lee Academy in Hong Kong{{Cite web |title=Our Teachers – Tom Lee Music Academy {{!}} 通利音樂中心 |url=https://tomleeacademy.com/our-turors/ |access-date=2025-04-08 |language=en-US}}. She is also a frequent tutor on various piano courses.

At age 40, Spanswick was diagnosed with cancer. Following her recovery, she transitioned into teaching, writing, and composing. She launched a blog and a video interview series titled "Classical Conversations,"{{Cite web |date=2012-11-24 |title=Interview Series |url=https://melaniespanswick.com/conversations-with-melanie-spanswick/ |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=melaniespanswick.com |language=en-US}} featuring interviews with 40 renowned pianists and teachers. Spanswick curated, filmed, and edited the series, which was published on her YouTube channel{{Cite web |title=Melanie Spanswick |url=https://www.youtube.com/@ClassicalMel |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=YouTube |language=en}}. It was the first series of its kind and featured notable pianists such as Stephen Kovacevich, Angela Hewitt, Paul Lewis, Valentina Lisitsa, Boris Giltburg, Federico Colli, Artur Pizarro, Andrei Gavrilov, and Cyprien Katsaris.

Spanswick has written for leading music publishers around the world. In 2014, Faber Music invited her to compile the "Faber Music Piano Anthology."{{Cite web |title=The Faber Music Piano Anthology {{!}} Faber Music |url=https://www.fabermusic.com/shop/the-faber-music-piano-anthology-p411060 |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=www.fabermusic.com |language=en}} In 2015, she rewrote a previously self-published book, So You Want To Play The Piano?, for Alfred Music{{Cite web |title=So You Want To Play The Piano? |url=https://www.alfred.com/so-you-want-to-play-the-piano/p/00-20162UK/ |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=www.alfred.com |language=en}}.

That same year, Schott Music invited her to write a series of piano books for adult learners{{Cite web |title=Melanie Spanswick |url=https://www.schott-music.com/en/person/melanie-spanswick#search-result |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=www.schott-music.com |language=en}}. The result was Play it again: PIANO, published in 2017, 2019, and 2025. This four-book series has become one of Schott's best-selling titles, available in over 100 countries and popular with students of all ages. In 2024, the series was included in RSL Awards’ Classical Piano exam syllabus{{Cite web |title=Homepage |url=https://www.rslawards.com/ |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=RSL Awards |language=en-GB}}.

In 2022, Spanswick published Women Composers – A Graded Anthology For Piano, a three-book educational collection highlighting music by female composers. It was the first graded piano series of its kind and won a Presto Music Award for "New Series of the Year." She followed it with a collection of study scores in the Schott Student Edition, also dedicated to female composers.

Other publications include compiling, editing, and writing the London College of Music Examinations' 2021–2025 Pre-Grade One syllabus. She also authored First Repertoire For Little Pianists for Willis Music and composed Snapchats, a four-book duet and trio collection published by 80 Days Publishing, founded by composer Christopher Norton{{Cite web |title=Snapchats - Melanie Spanswick |url=https://80dayspublishing.com/products/melanie-spanswick-snapchats |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=80 Days Publishing |language=en}}

Her original piano compositions, several of which are published in the Edition Schott Series, have been recorded on the [https://quartzmusic.com/ Quartz] and [https://www.orchidclassics.com/ Orchid Classics] labels.

Since 2014, Spanswick has written a regular column for Pianist Magazine, contributing an elementary composition and a tutorial article to each issue{{Cite web |last=Pianist Magazine |title=Our Writers: Melanie Spanswick |url=https://www.pianistmagazine.com/author/4/ |access-date= |website=www.pianistmagazine.com}}. She has also written extensively about music and piano for various other publications and websites.

Spanswick has delivered workshops and presentations around the world, including in the Far East, Italy, Germany, Dubai, Oman, the USA, and Australia. Notable events include a lecture and workshop at the 2017 USCI University Piano Pedagogy Conference in Kuala Lumpur, a keynote address at the 2024 Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conference in Melbourne, and workshops at the 2019 Frankfurt Musikmesse and the 2025 Music and Drama Education Expo in London.

• [https://prestomusic.com Presto Music Award] for "New Series of the Year" for [https://www.schott-music.com/en/women-composers-noc443433.html Women Composers – A Graded Anthology For Piano] (Schott), 2022{{Cite web |title=Sheet Music Publications of the Year - Winners 2022 |url=https://www.prestomusic.com/sheet-music/articles/5034--awards-sheet-music-publications-of-the-year-winners-2022?srsltid=AfmBOoqCxi_cnPEM7mnYHlFDJNb1psuaZkj6mZTynfstjjg-ZVyNW0hh |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=Presto Music |language=en}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://melaniespanswick.com/ Official website and blog]
• [https://www.schott-music.com/en/person/melanie-spanswick Schott Music profile]
• [https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/staff/melanie-spanswick Guildhall School of Music and Drama staff profile]
• [https://www.facebook.com/groups/394081705493873 Facebook Group]