Opus
Classical piano teaching in Nottingham and online, from a first lesson to a diploma.
Technique exists to serve the sound you are trying to make.
The teaching
Opus is the teaching practice of Joseph Ordish, a pianist trained at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Students range from complete beginners to diploma candidates and conservatoire applicants.
Lessons are built on the Russian school tradition, which treats music and technique as one thing rather than two. Nothing moves forward until it is genuinely understood, so the week of practice between lessons builds on something real.
A superb teacher. Keeps you challenged and engaged. Expect to see fast progress.Adult student
Who I teach
Every stage, one standard
Children and teenagers
From complete beginners upward, with graded examinations for those who want them and a full musical education for those who do not.
Adults and returners
Starting for the first time, or returning to an instrument played years ago. Daytime lessons available.
Advanced and diploma
Grade 6 upward, diploma candidates, and students preparing for conservatoire and university auditions.
What a student is taught
Four principles
The artistic image
Understand what a piece is, its meaning and how it is built, before the technical work begins.
Sound before speed
Tone trained from the first lessons, through a free arm and wrist and an ear that listens to what actually happened.
Security as freedom
Scales, studies and exercises worked slowly and attentively, so technique never limits what a student can say.
Performing from the start
Playing for other people is part of the training at every level, not a reward saved for the advanced.
Begin with a conversation
Tell me a little about the student and what you are hoping for, and we will find the right place to start.
Approach
How lessons work, and what a student is actually being taught.
Nothing moves forward until it is properly understood.
I teach each student closely and expect a shared commitment in return. Before we move on, I make sure every part of what we are working on is understood, so that practice between lessons rests on comprehension rather than guesswork. That is what produces real improvement from week to week rather than the illusion of it.
Progress depends on self-awareness. Knowing what you do well and what is holding you back is what separates a student who improves from one who simply repeats. Much of my teaching goes into building that instinct, so that eventually a student can diagnose their own playing without me in the room.
The focus stays on the process itself: ambitious goals, held alongside steady and honest progress.
The tradition behind it
The Russian school
My own training is rooted in the Russian romantic repertoire and the way of teaching that grew around it. Its central idea is that a player should grasp the artistic image of a piece as early as possible, its content, meaning and substance, and understand it in the language of music theory. Technique then becomes the means of realising that image rather than an end in itself.
Sound before speed
Tone is trained deliberately from the earliest lessons: how a note is produced, how the arm and wrist stay free, and above all how to listen to the sound you actually made rather than the one you intended.
Security as the basis of freedom
A steady technical foundation of scales, arpeggios and studies, worked slowly and attentively, so that the technical means are never the thing limiting the interpretation.
Breadth of repertoire
Students work across Baroque, Classical, Romantic and twentieth century music rather than only exam pieces. A pianist who has never properly played Bach has a gap that shows up later.
Performance as training
Playing for other people is built in from the beginning, not held back as a reward for the advanced.
Joseph Ordish
Pianist and teacher, trained at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
I came to the piano late, and that turned out to matter.
A first lesson
I began only because my great grandmother paid for the lessons. Starting late meant learning quickly and deliberately, and a good deal of how I teach comes from having had to work that out for myself.
Grade 8
I reached Grade 8 with the ABRSM and was performing around the West Midlands, where I grew up.
Performance and teaching
I was offered a part scholarship and took a BMus in Piano Performance, studying with David Quigley as my principal teacher. I played in masterclasses given by Peter Donohoe, and sat in on masterclasses given by Idil Biret, Robert Levin, Andrei Gavrilov and Orit Wolf.
Competitions and chamber music
I have been a finalist and a winner in several competitions, including the David Brookes Piano Competition, performing the Russian romantic repertoire that remains at the centre of my own playing, Scriabin above all. My chamber and vocal work includes the Tchaikovsky Piano Trio in A minor and ensemble repertoire from Schubert to Schnittke.
Teaching
I have taught in the West Midlands, Nottingham, China and Hanoi, guiding students through graded examinations, competitions, auditions and solo performances.
Opus
A teaching practice growing into a music school. For now it is piano, taught by me, across Nottingham and online.
Lessons
Weekly lessons across Nottingham or online, in forty five, sixty or ninety minutes.
In your home
I teach across Nottingham, including West Bridgford, in students' own homes, at a regular weekly time agreed at the start.
Online
By video call, usually Zoom. With a reliable connection and a camera that shows the hands and keyboard, online students make strong progress.
Theory and aural
Separate lessons in theory, aural training, or both. Valuable alongside practical study, and necessary for anyone approaching Grade 6 and above.
Fees
Per lesson
The same rates apply in person, online, and for theory and aural.
| Forty five minutes | £38 |
| One hour | £50 |
| Ninety minutes | £75 |
Most students take a weekly lesson of forty five minutes or an hour. Length is agreed at the first meeting and depends more on stage than on age. Lessons cancelled with at least forty eight hours notice can be rescheduled.
Students
Every student entered for an ABRSM examination has passed, and several compete nationally.
A student's story
Yilin
That pace is not typical, and it was never the goal in itself. It came from understanding each piece thoroughly before moving on, and practising with a clear purpose rather than by the clock.
In their words
What students say
In addition to high quality, well structured lessons each week, Joe also guides my seven year old how to explore music by himself. He always explains and demonstrates everything very clearly.
Parent of a beginner
From the very first lesson Joe has patiently built up my abilities, and his explanations and demonstrations are very clear and helpful.
Adult student
A superb teacher. Keeps you challenged and engaged. Expect to see fast progress.
Adult student
Further reviews are available on Google.
Questions
The things people usually ask before a first lesson.
Getting started
Do I need my own piano?
Can complete beginners take lessons?
How often should lessons be?
How long does it take to learn?
Can I choose the music I learn?
Online lessons
Are online lessons as effective?
What do I need?
Which platform?
Practical
What if I miss a lesson?
Do you teach advanced and diploma students?
Get in touch
Tell me a little about the student, their stage, and what you are hoping for. I reply to every enquiry.
Terms
How lessons, payment and cancellations work. Every new family receives a copy before the first lesson.
Lessons
Lessons are weekly, at a regular time agreed at the start, and follow a teaching calendar of around 44 weeks a year that I share in advance. Lessons take place in the student's home in Nottingham or online. Lesson length is agreed at the first meeting.
Fees and payment
- Fees are those published on the Lessons page at the time of booking.
- Fees are paid monthly in advance by bank transfer, before the first lesson of each month.
- You are only charged for weeks in the teaching calendar.
- I give at least one full term's notice of any change to fees.
If you need to cancel
- With at least 48 hours notice, the lesson will be rescheduled at a time that suits us both.
- With less than 48 hours notice, the lesson is charged in full.
If I need to cancel
If I cancel for any reason, the lesson will be rescheduled or, if that is not possible, not charged.
Stopping lessons
Please give four weeks notice if you wish to stop lessons. Lessons within the notice period are charged as normal.
Safeguarding
- For students under 18, a parent or responsible adult should be at home for the duration of the lesson.
- For online lessons with students under 18, a parent or responsible adult should be in the house, and lessons are never recorded without written consent.
Examinations
Students are entered for graded examinations when I believe they are ready and the family agrees. Exam board entry fees are paid by the family directly or reimbursed.
Photographs and recordings
Photographs or recordings of students are only made with written consent, and are only ever shared publicly with separate permission.
Practice
Progress depends on regular practice between lessons. I set clear goals each week so that practice time is used well.
Personal information
How your information is handled is set out in the .
Last updated September 2026.
Privacy
What information I collect, why, and what you can ask me to do with it.
Who I am
Opus Piano Tuition is run by Joseph Ordish in Nottingham. I am responsible for the personal information described here. You can contact me about it at joeordish@live.co.uk.
What I collect
- Enquiries: your name, email address, phone number if given, and the details you include in your message.
- Students: the student's name, age, level, lesson notes, progress and any examination entries.
- Payments: records of fees invoiced and paid.
- Photographs and recordings: only with written consent.
Information about students under 18 is provided by a parent or guardian.
Why I use it
- To reply to enquiries and arrange lessons.
- To teach, plan lessons, track progress and enter examinations.
- To keep the financial records the law requires.
- To share photographs or recordings, only where you have given permission.
Who it is shared with
I never sell your information. It is only shared where needed to run lessons: the company that hosts this website and processes the contact form, my email provider, examination boards when a student is entered, and my accountant or HMRC for financial records. Some of these providers may store information outside the UK, with appropriate safeguards in place.
How long it is kept
- Enquiries that do not lead to lessons are deleted within twelve months.
- Student records are kept while lessons continue and for up to two years afterwards.
- Financial records are kept for as long as tax law requires.
Your rights
You can ask to see the information I hold, have it corrected or deleted, restrict or object to how it is used, or withdraw consent at any time. If you are unhappy with how your information has been handled, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.
This website
This site does not use tracking or advertising cookies. Its fonts are loaded from Google Fonts, which receives your IP address in order to deliver them.
Last updated September 2026.