"Improvisation is like learning a new language."

Silvano's musical career began like that of many others. He took music lessons as a child and played various instruments until he stopped at some point. Other priorities took centre stage, he studied computer science and started working. Until music returned.

A good year ago, he was gripped by the idea of learning the piano. He didn't want to "just" play, he also wanted to understand how music is structured - and learn about composition, harmony, rhythm and structure. Perfect for piano lessons. That's how he ended up at Instrumentor via a Google search. Based on his wishes and preferences, we thought that Maximilian would suit him well and recommended him. So Silvano booked his trial lesson.

Silvano finds his style.

Silvano has enjoyed working with Maximilian from the very beginning. He really appreciates the fact that his teacher also enjoys his lessons and teaches him the fundamentals of music. "Suddenly I heard chords from a piece - that was a great moment," he says enthusiastically.

Silvano can develop his ear, trains his dexterity and makes rapid progress. His enjoyment of music is great, as is his commitment. He tries to practise for an hour a day on the electric piano at home and also attends a 45-minute lesson with Maximilian every week. He records these so that he can listen to exactly what his teacher has played later at home. This helps him to practise.

Together they play a lot of classic jazz from the 50s and 60s: Duke Ellington or Miles Davis, for example. As a multi-instrumentalist, Maximilian can accompany Silvano well.

Silvano likes this music and listens to it himself. His taste is quite broad, ranging from classical music to various types of jazz, funk and soul to hip-hop. He also likes to be inspired by concerts at Moods in Zurich.

The fear of making mistakes is gone.

Thanks to Maximilian, Silvano now plays much more freely than he did a year ago - in every respect. On the one hand, he can now improvise quite well and pick up a theme from his teacher, and on the other, the fear of making mistakes has disappeared. "Improvising is like learning a new language," says Silvano. "Sometimes you make a mistake, but that's not a bad thing, you just keep going."

In lessons with Maximilian, Silvano has learnt to be more creative and to interact with other musicians. He also thinks it is quite possible that his memory has improved as a result of playing so much. At the same time, he admits how frustrating it can be to sometimes think he's stagnating. "But then the progress suddenly comes, there's something magical about it," he says, looking back on the past year. Silvano is also aware that he has become much more critical thanks to his progress.

Lots of plans and ideas.

Silvano would like to continue the lessons with Maximilian. His goal for the end of the year is to find a group that meets regularly to play. "Performances aren't an issue yet, I just want to find people who are at a similar level and share my joy," he says.

He soon gets his first opportunity to play in a group. Silvano has signed up for a jazz workshop at the Musik-Kurswochen Arosa in summer 2024 and is looking forward to making progress and exchanging ideas.

Silvano is also toying with the idea of buying a piano at some point. His electric piano is very practical for practising and in case he has to move house, but one day he will probably fulfil his dream. Until then, he may also be able to accompany himself, as the idea of booking singing lessons with Instrumentor has also appealed to him.