About Ebony Music
Esther Cohen, the creator of Ebony Music, has been helping children to enjoy playing the piano for nearly thirty years.
Esther’s main instruments are piano and voice, although she also plays organ, saxophone, clarsach (small harp) and violin. Having studied social science at undergraduate level at Strathclyde University, Esther received her piano teaching diploma (LGSM) from London’s Guildhall School of Music in 1986. Continually seeking to develop her understanding of music teaching, Esther was awarded a Master’s degree (MA) in Psychology for Musicians by Sheffield University in 2003, for which she conducted original research into the work of teaching children to sight-read on the piano.
Esther has five children and is married to Archie McLellan, who also teaches the piano. Both Esther and Archie are successful, busy, full-time piano teachers whose work involves a mixture of private pupils and work in schools.
In her spare time, as in her professional life, Esther has great enthusiasm for a wide range of interests. Describing herself as a “dabbler”, Esther enjoys word games, cooking and sewing, exploring Scotland, cycling, walking and swimming, reading, the theatre, and listening to music, especially choral music and vocal jazz.
For Esther, the Ebony Music books are a natural extension of her love of teaching: “When I see a need for music that a pupil could use, I enjoy creating it.”
