Sue

19 December 2023

Sue, a retired music teacher from West Midlands, used to work with vulnerable young people as an advisory teacher. Sue has been getting recognised while out and loves taking selfies with people. She’s been playing lots of gigs in pubs with her band and has also started teaching a friend to play the piano who felt inspired to take up the instrument after watching the series.

How does it feel coming back for The Piano Christmas special?
It was wonderful to catch up with Claudia, Lang Lang and Mika and the contestants that have played in previous episodes. It was great to catch up and see what everybody's been up to over the past a year or so since we filmed the first series.

Tell me about your connection to the piano.
I started playing the piano at ten years old. My mum and dad used to be members of Bristol Youth Choir so there was music around all the time, it was a very important thing in our household. I started playing classical music and went through the grades. When I went to secondary school, the swing band needed a piano player, so I was able to have free swing piano lessons with a great pianist. Throughout my life, I've been very lucky to have lots of different musical influences from a wide range of people and styles; classical, jazz, swing, rock, blues.

What memories do you have of music and Christmas coming together?
When my mum was a Brown Owl, we used to sing, and I used to play the guitar around the campfire and things like that. When I was a teacher, every year at school we’d start rehearsing in the middle of October for the Christmas concert. I used to get asked to play for choirs because I was a reasonable standard, classically speaking, so it was just always busy, busy, busy! Music has always been a part of my life.

What did you enjoyed about the first series that you hope would be in the Christmas special?
I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Claudia, Mika and Lang Lang again. That’s what I love about The Piano; there's always been little surprises and you learn to take those onboard…who knows what's going to happen next? It’s great, it’s all the unexpectedness. I was the only person in the first series that got Mika and Lang Lang up to dance. Lang Lang is phenomenal, but I don’t think he’s so up on popular music whereas Mika, being from the popular side of music, is. I don’t think Lang Lang had come across boogie woogie before, but their reaction when I played in the first series was amazing. I was so lucky that was their response and that's what I love when I'm playing. It's that response from the heart, that's what music is all about.

Was there anything you learnt from the first series that you brought into the performance for the Christmas special?
I learnt a lot from other performers in Glasgow. I learnt to be a bit more theatrical, and I’ve also learnt to have the element of surprise in my music - variety, changes of styles and volume. The devil is in the detail and I’m more conscious of keeping people engaged by choosing different styles, different tempo and trying different things. I’ve also learnt to respond to my own playing too. I’d been too reserved in the first series so I thought, “Why not let myself go this time?” and enjoy it even more and if people can see that if I’m enjoying it then they will enjoy it more too.

How were you and your fellow pianists ahead of performing?
I hadn’t met any of them before but by the end of the day we were all chatting and giving each other updates on what we had been up to. I started talking to Harry about playing the accordion. It’s great to talk about different people’s interests and where they get their motivation from, and it was a really quite a diverse mix. The talent of the pianists has really put a spotlight on the programme.

You performed a Christmas Boogie Woogie Medley at King’s Cross Station. Were you aware of how the crowd were responding to your performance? How did it feel when you hear that applause?
Amazing, I felt like I was in a dream, doing something I love. Christmas is a special occasion and music is an integral part of the celebration. It’s the icing on the cake and it’s so humbling for people to recognise what I’m doing and what I’ve done all my life. I enjoyed absolutely every second because I know what the impact has been from the first series, we are celebrating!

Can you share a special moment from the Christmas Special?
My first favourite moment was seeing Gregory Porter; he was a metre away from me and the way he sings is just so soulful. His whole demeanour is just absolutely amazing and so calming. My second favourite moment was when Mika took my Christmas necklace and put my necklace on Lang Lang so he was more Christmassy because he was about to play so that was a nice.

What Christmas song or piece of music represents Christmas the most to you?
Away In A Manager because it takes me right back to when I was in junior school and playing the piano. It’s quite a simple song but everyone knows the words.

Why do you think music is so important at Christmas time?
I think it’s the familiarity of singing songs from your childhood, whether you’re five, fifty or hundred, music is the glue that brings people together. It’s family, friends, getting people together, familiar songs that are elevated when you are enjoying them with other people. We go down to Worcester on the train and the last train back on a Saturday night is a concert in itself because everybody's coming back from enjoying the Victorian Christmas fair and everybody’s singing. Anywhere there is people, there is always a chance of enjoying live music, in whatever way.

Do you think The Piano has encouraged people to start playing?
Yes, I was approached by a woman who told me that her four-year-old has started playing the piano now because he saw me on Channel 4. It's the stories that people are sharing with me and the teacher in me is saying, “Well done!” I love it. It’s amazing where people spring up from, that’s how music can pull people together. It’s been an absolutely amazing journey for me. I have a friend who was inspired to take a piano because of the first series and I’m giving her lessons. She's quite a determined person and that's the message for people who really want to do something. If you set your mind to something, it’s all about the process, not the end result.