The faces of Viva Piano: get to know Laura and Scarlett and why we founded this wonderful venture!

Hi everyone, Laura and Scarlett here! As we prepare to welcome a new group of budding musicians to our Autumn courses this week, we thought we'd take a moment to share a little more about us and how Viva Piano came to life...

How did we meet and found Viva Piano?

Our story begins in 2022, when we met at an NCT course, both expecting our first children. Fast forward to February 2024 - we got together for a coffee one Saturday morning for Laura to pick Scarlett’s brain about her experience of teaching piano.

We started talking about how expensive private lessons have become for kids, and how many can get put off by the formal, one-to-one style of traditional piano lessons; Scarlett herself had experienced this as a child. We felt there had to be a way to make learning music more accessible and fun, without the pressure of grades. That’s when the idea for group, affordable keyboard lessons was born. Just a few days later, we named our new baby Viva Piano!

What is our mission?

It's simple really: get more children to learn the piano and to love music, as we do. Although we learnt in totally different ways, neither of us can really imagine what our lives would look like without the piano. It's been a source of comfort, creativity and confidence (and even forged a career for Scarlett!). This is what we want for our students: to spark a lifelong love and appreciation for such a beautiful instrument.

A little more about us...

Hi, I’m Laura! I’m a communications practitioner by day, with a degree in History and a Master's in Social Sciences. But music has always been a big part of my life. I learnt piano as a child, and reached Grade 8 in practical and Grade 5 in theory during my teen years.

These days, I still love playing, whether it's tackling new songs, revisiting old favourites or, more recently, getting creative with nursery rhymes on the xylophone for my son and daughter (turns out, 'Twinkle Twinkle' never gets old).

I’m a big believer that music should be fun, affordable, and something every child has the chance to explore.

Hi, I'm Scarlett! I’m a technical writer with a degree in Law and a former professional singer and pianist. I didn't quite click with traditional lessons as a child so, with a little help from my dad, I taught myself how to improvise piano accompaniments to sing along with (my poor parents had to listen to 'Part of Your World' from the Little Mermaid at least ten times a day).

These days, my audience is a bit smaller but much cuter. I love playing and singing for my two little girls, and I’m secretly hoping they'll grow up loving the piano as much as I do.

I’m a big fan of learning through play, creativity, and fun. I truly believe that when kids are free to explore music through games and improvisation, they’re more likely to build a lifelong love for it.

Check out our About Us page for more info (there's a couple of quick-fire interviews with us at the bottom!) and if you ever fancy a chat, we'd love to hear from you! Drop us an email at info@vivapiano.co.uk.