About me

"The important thing is to feel your music, really feel it and believe it."

Ray Charles

Woman playing Piano

Hello, nice to meet you : ) 

My name is Erika Scaiff and I'm an enthusiastic, dynamic and experienced Bristol piano teacher with 17 years teaching experience in both Europe and the UK.


I was introduced to the piano at the age of six. When I was 15 years old, I went to Conservatoire of Zilina to study classical Piano. I then studied piano and music pedagogy to Masters Level at the University of Konštantína Filozofa in Nitra, Slovakia.

During the last two years of my studies, I began working as a piano teacher and accompanist to violin and singing students. After obtaining my MMus, I worked at the well-regarded Nitra Music School for several years both as a piano teacher and as an accompanist. 

Slovakia and indeed Central Europe has a long and rich history of Musical competition. I have therefore worked as an accompanist at many national and international competitions. These competitions regularly attract entrants from the Ukraine, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Russia. 

I have been teaching privately in the UK since 2004 and alongside working with my private students, I have also taught piano at Torwood House School, Redland, Bristol for 8 years. Whilst there, I regularly entered my pupils for exams and also organised the school concerts for friends and family.   

For the past 10 years, during the Summer, I have worked at Musicale, Music School in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. I work in Harpenden itself and around the UK on their music courses for children aged 5-18. This work has given me insight into a wealth of new methods for teaching music. It has also provided me with access to excellent contacts in the main music centres of the UK and developed my own pedagogy even further. 

I look forward to meeting you.

Erika