Whilst playing the grand piano at Wednesbury Museum and Art Gallery on the weekend, I was asked the question – what is your story? It got me thinking, that is actually a really good question and it’s often something that is overlooked. Most of the wedding and event suppliers you speak to are self-employed, one or two person businesses, who have created their business from scratch and who really love what they are doing – and with that human element comes the story behind them, why they do what they do, and how it has changed their life by doing it. It sounds cheesy to say, but every booking adds to that story, probably in ways you might not even realise.
As a child I was very fortunate that my wonderful parents supported me through years of classical piano lessons and exams (and many other things besides!), my nan supervised my practising, and playing at school and my parents’ church gave me opportunities to play in public as well. As a teenager and into my 20s, I started getting into other things (As you do!) and started learning how to transfer my classical piano skills into playing modern stuff as well – pop, rock, eventually jazz although that was a long road to feeling comfortable playing in that free style, being used to the rigid world of classical! But my music theory learning, and having developed my music ear along the way, meant that I opened up a whole spectrum of ways to enjoy music – piano, singing, guitars, leading choirs and theatre casts, anything really.
I started playing church organ at St Hubert’s in Oldbury (the big white cross church!) which kind of gave me the confidence to play even further outside of my comfort zone, and how to contend with the nerves of playing the loudest of instruments in an enormous space in front of people every week! I also played jazz weekly night while studying in Vienna, at an amazing cocktail bar called Nightfly’s in the central district. Each of these built up my musical confidence, my adaptability, and my improvisation skills – all of which has contributed to the bespoke and personalised piano music I can offer you today for your wedding or event.
Fast forward a few (!!) years, and into the Covid lockdowns that started in 2020. I was working as a property management surveyor, but was really unhappy in a job that I was ultimately unsuited to. As many other people did during that time of uncertainty, I re-evaluated what I wanted from life in general, what made me tick and basically what would make me happy. I changed day-jobs to something much more suited to my how my brain works, but even more importantly, I also got married during the chaos of Covid. It was a rollercoaster leading up to it of course (three different dates!), but all the way through, every one of our suppliers that we’d booked were so lovely, so helpful, so friendly, essentially just genuinely happy people trying to do their job in the most difficult of circumstances.
That was my lightbulb moment – these were the happiest people I’d ever encountered while working, and that was during a period of time where there was literally no work for them. I decided to join them – inspired by all of our suppliers who provided the most amazing personalised service to us and made us feel a million dollars on our big day.
2022 was my first year of bookings as Piano Matt, and it’s all snowballed from there. It’s been a really brilliant journey for me personally, such a confidence boost when I see couples’ faces on their big day enjoying the music they requested to frame their everlasting memories of the day. It’s a privilege to be involved in every single one.
My personalised service for couples means that I do not overbook myself, doing 20-25 bookings per year, as that gives me the time to really work on my bespoke music setlists for each and every booking. I don’t offer a catalogue of songs to choose from like a menu, it’s your day so it should be your way, that’s what I enjoy doing the most and that’s what I find people really respond to the most. I’ve played weddings, parties, Friday nights in pubs, and even full concert recitals!
It's been a really fun journey so far, and I’m looking forward to what it brings in the future!
Thank you for reading my blog – I will be posting here regularly going forwards about all elements of being a pianist. Things such as my playing style, my methods, my observations, and just lots of (hopefully) interesting info for those interested in piano music or weddings and events in general. Stay tuned folks!
Piano Matt