North London Colourstrings - helping children successfully learn music since 1995

Stephen Baron studied music at Southampton University and piano at the Guildhall School of Music. His passion for music was fired at an early age with his father, a professional violinist, playing chamber music at home just about every weekend, and introducing him to music via Stravinsky's Soldier's Tale and Ravel's L'enfant et les sortileges (not most people's first choice - but great children's pieces!).

For 15 years, Stephen lectured in adult education, covering just about every nook and cranny of music history possible and looking at countless pieces in the Classical repertoire.  At the same time, he was a frustrated piano teacher, unable to find coherent ways of teaching piano - until his discovery of Colourstrings in the early 1990s.  After attending several courses, he was asked by Deborah to teach kindergarten, musicianship and piano.  The inspirational ways of Colourstrings made piano teaching not just possible but hugely exciting. This in turn led to composing pieces for children, an activity which had previously held no fascination at all!  Six books of piano music for children have now been published, four of them under the title Piano Explorer (published by Nymet Music).

As well as teaching, Stephen has enjoyed a varied career as a performer.   For four years, he was part of a double bass-piano duo which performed widely. He has accompanied numerous other instrumentalists and singers in concert.  He now specializes in performances of piano music for children which include a strong theatrical element, and has toured schools over large parts of the British Isles.

Stephen lives locally with his Finnish wife, Aila (a homeopath), and two children, Olga and Nicky, both of whom play music - violin and trumpet.  Stephen is to be seen frequently pedalling his bike around Muswell Hill, or looking decidedly earthy, carrying compost buckets to, and organic produce from, his allotment. He also enjoys swimming, mountain climbing and reading fiction.

Stephen Baron