We are very pleased to announce that Wan Choong is this week’s Student of the Week!

“I had formal piano lessons when I was in school. Then, in adulthood, work, family, and early parenthood made me almost forget about the piano. During the lockdown, I was looking for a piano teacher online for my kids. One day, Stephen’s presentation dropped in my social media feed. Impressed by his story and passion for teaching piano, I enrolled in Ridley Academy: 1. To inspire my kids and 2. To learn myself. At first, it took a little bit to get me going, but luckily Ridley Academy is an evolving entity. The contents get updated. There is a Facebook Community. And I get email reminders to get back on course when I need them! After completing the Masterclass, I signed up for the Ridley Academy Mentorship program, and that was the best decision I have made for my musical journey. My coach is amazing! My musical journey has moved from playing piano for just myself to playing for my kids, to playing for...

Proud to announce the ‘little piano project’ - Ridley Academy - I started 7 years ago, teaching adults how to play piano, just got a Global Recognition Award!!!

40,000 students. 70 countries. It’s an amazing team working together as a real group that has made this happen.

I’m so proud of everybody involved.
I wanted to copy and paste what they wrote below.

Our independent judging panel has awarded you the Global Recognition Award for exceptional achievement.

The selection process is highly competitive. Of the 15,000 entrants each year, Ridley Academy has been recognized with the 2026 Global Recognition Award, and the honor reflects a body of work that has changed how tens of thousands of people around the world approach the piano. Its founder, Stephen Ridley, built a curriculum around emotional expression rather than dense theory, and that decision has produced measurable results across a genuinely global student base. The award falls under the Innovation category, since the academy's t...

Ridley Academy is excited to announce John Hughes as our Student of the Week!

“I decided to enroll in Ridley Academy because I had a very clear goal to develop a professional piano sound and personal style. I wanted to learn advanced chords, jazz accompaniment techniques, techniques for overcoming challenges. I also wanted to develop more fluent and common use of polytonality in my improvisational melodies and to become more proficient at reading music and more confident in my playing.

”With all those previously-seeming unreachable goals in mind, my musical journey with Ridley Academy has been very rewarding. I was able to learn a bucket-list piece. My style and sound feel more complete. My confidence and playing have improved tremendously. I no longer get nervous to play for other people and rarely get nervous when hitting record. I use much richer chords and have more control over dynamics.

”I intentionally found a way to break any ‘musical rule’ from rejecting that music requires rep...

Ridley Academy is excited to announce Helen Børhaug as our Student of the Week!

“I enrolled in Ridley Academy because I wanted to be able to play the piano soulfully and really understand music — like what is the secret behind the feelings it creates? The journey has been magical — I got a lot more than just music! Showing up for myself here and learning something new has made me grow as a person and believe in the music in me. Ridley Academy is helping me build a solid musical foundation, so when I show up and practice, my music grows fast. Doing the challenges has helped me be uncomfortable enough to stop caring about it so much and start playing confidently! Ridley Academy has inspired me to keep going, even when I feel that I’ll never make it. I’m proud of my perseverance! And I also love the community I get to be a part of here. My musical goal is to be the best I can be and be proud of it, and Ridley Academy is helping me to achieve that!”

— Helen Børhaug, Ridley Academy Student ...

Why finishing the journey is about far more than completing a piano course

There’s something deeply emotional about watching a student complete a journey they once doubted they could finish.

Not because it’s about perfection.

Not because it’s about becoming a concert pianist overnight.

But because somewhere along the way…

They become someone different.

Recently, one of our students, Majella Vitto, completed the course.

And her message honestly moved me deeply.

Not because she talked about flawless playing.

Not because she talked about talent.

But because her words captured something I believe so many people experience quietly while learning piano:

Transformation.

When people first begin learning piano, they often think they’re simply learning music.

Chords.
Scales.
Technique.
Rhythm.

And yes — those things matter.

But over time, something else begins happening underneath the surface.

You begin learning patience.

You begin learning consistency.

You begin learning how t...

A journey filled with fear, growth, music… and finally reaching the finish line

By Majella Vitto

I honestly don’t even know how to describe what I’m feeling right now.

Stephen… you’re making me well up with tears.

Not sad tears.

Tears of happiness.
Tears of fear for Nashville.
Tears knowing this incredible journey is becoming something different.
And most of all…

👉 Tears of completion.

Because somehow…

I DID IT.

I COMPLETED THE COURSE.

Honestly?

That sentence still feels surreal to say.

When I first started this journey, I never imagined how emotional learning piano would become.

I thought I was signing up to learn music.

And yes — I learned chords, rhythm, technique, songs, confidence, creativity…

But somewhere along the way…

This became so much more than piano.

There were moments where I felt inspired.

Moments where I felt overwhelmed.

Moments where I doubted myself.

Moments where progress felt slow.

And moments where I honestly wondered if I would ever reach the...

I wanted to share something that honestly surprised me.

I almost didn’t join the last Monthly Call.

Not because I don’t care about learning piano — I really do.
But I caught myself thinking:

“Is it really possible there’s anything new to hear about the challenge?”

I nearly talked myself out of it.

But… I showed up anyway.

And I’m really glad I did.

During the call, I decided to invest in asking a question.

I didn’t overthink it.
I didn’t wait until I felt completely ready.

I just asked.

And the answer I received… genuinely moved me forward.

Not in a dramatic, overnight transformation kind of way.

But in a real way.

A grounded way.

A way that gave me clarity and helped me continue.

It made me realize something important:

Sometimes the reward for showing up takes longer than you expect.

I think that’s something we don’t talk about enough.

There are moments in this journey where:

You’re not fully confident...

You’re not sure what to ask...

You’re still trying to find ...

There’s a point in learning piano where things stop feeling exciting…

and start feeling repetitive.

Scales.
Chords.
Inversions.

Over and over again.

And for a lot of people, that’s the moment they begin to question everything.

“Is this really working?”
“Why does this feel so slow?”
“Am I even improving?”

Recently, a student shared something that I think more people feel… but don’t always say out loud.

He spoke about the difficulty of learning inversions.

About how once your hands get used to one position, your muscle memory locks in.

Your thumb wants to lead.
Your fingers want to follow familiar shapes.

And the moment you’re asked to change that…

It feels unnatural.

Uncomfortable.

Even frustrating.

At Ridley Academy, I see this all the time.

And here’s the truth:

That frustration is not a problem.

It’s a signal.

Because what’s actually happening in that moment…

Is that you’re no longer just playing?

You’re learning.

Most people don’t quit because they lack talent.