TWO piano teachers have been awarded for writing three instruction books.

Karen Marshall, from Wheldrake, and Heather Hammond, from Fulford, won Best Print Resource at the Music Teacher Awards for Excellence for their three books, The Intermediate Pianist, published by Faber Music.

The awards are the highest which can be gained in the field of music education, and Karen and Heather’s books competed against hundreds of titles published in 2017 to win.

They were presented with their award at a ceremony in London’s Mayfair.

Judges praised the holistic approach of the books, which include music theory, musicianship, technique, music history and composition.

Karen, who teaches piano privately but also in Wheldrake Primary School and Fulford School and works as the music specialist at Osbaldwick Primary School, said: “I am really thrilled, if a little shocked, to receive the award. The books were written to help children really understand the music they are learning with a view that if they understand it they will keep playing.

“Music is such a valuable tool for children, especially in difficult teenage years. The books are a representation of my own teaching curriculum and I was really delighted with the composed music Heather provided which hit the spot for students.”

Heather, who teaches piano privately and at Scarcroft Primary School, said: “It took around two years from our initial idea of writing three books for intermediate level pianists to the books finally arriving on the shelves. It’s been great working with Karen and the Faber team to produce such a useful resource for piano teachers. It’s a great honour to have won this award, especially in a category where many other wonderful educational music writers were also finalists.”