Charles-Guillaume Méla

I am a professional pianist, composer and teacher with nearly 20 years of teaching experience, working with students from complete beginners to advanced musicians and professional teachers.

I was trained in classical piano at the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève before continuing my musical development in Paris, where I studied contemporary music, jazz and improvisation. I later deepened my knowledge of bebop, harmony and improvisation through several years of intensive workshops with legendary jazz pianist and educator Barry Harris.

Over the years, I have taught more than 500 students of all ages and levels. My experience includes classical piano, jazz, improvisation, contemporary music, music theory, ear training and professional training courses for musicians and teachers.

My musical interests are very broad. Alongside classical and jazz repertoire, I enjoy working with pop, rock, soul, rap, reggae, musical theatre, film music, video game music and other contemporary styles. I am also active as a composer, arranger and performer, including projects combining music with theatre and visual media.

Whether you want to build strong classical foundations, play the music you love, improve your technique, understand harmony, develop your ear, learn jazz, improvise, arrange music or become more independent at the piano, lessons are shaped around your goals, experience and musical personality.

My teaching style is structured, patient and highly personalized.

I believe that technique, listening, musical understanding and creativity should develop together. Rather than imposing the same method on every student, I adapt each lesson to the student's level, goals, way of learning and musical interests.

For classical students, we can work in depth on technique, sound, phrasing, reading, interpretation and repertoire. For jazz and improvisation students, lessons may include harmony, rhythm, ear training, vocabulary, transposition, standards and the practical tools needed to improvise with confidence.

I also work extensively with contemporary music. Students are welcome to bring music they genuinely enjoy, whether pop, rock, soul, rap, reggae, musical theatre, film or video game music. We can use this repertoire to develop technique, rhythm, harmony, ear training, arranging and musical expression.

Theory is always connected to actual music-making. Harmony, rhythm and ear training are not taught as isolated academic subjects: we immediately apply them at the piano.

My aim is to give students solid foundations while helping them become increasingly independent, creative and confident musicians.