WELCOME

JAZZ & CONTEMPORARY
PIANO, FROM A SEASONED PIANIST

Welcome to JazzPiano.co.nz — a platform for learning jazz and contemporary piano from a working pianist with a deep background across both. My name is Dr Mark Baynes, and I'm based in West Auckland, New Zealand. I bring twenty years of professional performance, composition, accompaniment and teaching to every lesson.

My teaching style is fun yet focused, aimed at helping students enjoy learning the piano, build skills and confidence, and develop a solid repertoire. I teach all ages and all levels from my home studio (and online), covering jazz, contemporary, funk, Latin, soul, pop and rock — alongside reading and technique, improvisation, harmony, composition and songwriting, music theory, and music production.

Students continue practising between lessons on My Woodshed Music — my own practice platform with weekly assignments, audio uploads for feedback, AI-assisted resources, and progress tracking. It's how I keep students engaged and improving even when we're not in the same room.

In my extensive experience in the music industry, I have collaborated with acclaimed artists like Troy Kingi, Latin Grammy Award winner Mireya Ramos, the Royal New Zealand Ballet, and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. I have also worked as a musical director in the Middle East and as pianist/MD for ProShip (Canada), and have performed alongside jazz giants such as Eric Marienthal.

I'm also Director of Let's Go Music — an NZQA-registered private training establishment offering programmes for those launching or building careers in the New Zealand music industry. Our team comes from MAINZ (Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand), bringing decades of industry experience to the programmes.

As presenter of 95bFM's The Jazz Show and a columnist for NZ Musician Magazine, I stay up-to-date with the latest trends in jazz and popular music. I also sit on the NZQA panel reviewing unit standards for music technology, run Networks of Expertise workshops for secondary school teachers, and review NCEA achievement standards on the Music Subject Experts Group.

On this site you'll find a wealth of resources to help you learn jazz piano, including a special focus on the music of Brad Mehldau. Whether you're just starting out or you're an experienced player, I can provide the guidance and tools you need to deepen your understanding of music.

MUSIC & RECENT WORK

DISCOGRAPHY,
VIDEO & PERFORMANCE

As leader of The Ironic Trio I released two albums; with vocalist Allana Goldsmith I co-lead the duo Goldsmith Baynes, whose Creative NZ-funded album E Rere Rā reimagines jazz standards in te reo Māori — broadcast on BBC Radio, Jazz FM (UK), CBC (Canada), and Radio New Zealand. With Miguel Fuentes I co-lead the Latin-jazz duo and trio Fuentes Baynes.

LATEST RELEASES — SPOTIFY

E Rere Rā — Goldsmith Baynes album cover

E Rere Rā · Goldsmith Baynes
Creative NZ-funded · Jazz standards in te reo Māori

RECENT VIDEOS — GOLDSMITH BAYNES

Selections from E Rere Rā — jazz standards reimagined in te reo Māori, recorded with Allana Goldsmith.

LIVE AT THE AOTEAROA MUSIC AWARDS

Goldsmith Baynes · 2021

TO IHU

Goldsmith Baynes · E Rere Rā

TE ARANGA O MATARIKI

Goldsmith Baynes · E Rere Rā

HEI KAWE I A AU

Goldsmith Baynes · E Rere Rā

LEARN

TIRED OF BORING
PIANO LESSONS?

Learning jazz and contemporary piano is one of the most rewarding challenges a musician can take on. I believe that setting specific goals is key to motivation and active learning. By working with each student to create a bespoke learning plan, I help you achieve your goals and stay engaged. Whether you're a beginner, a self-taught player wanting to fill the gaps, or an advanced pianist, I tailor lessons to your pace and preferences.

Whether you want to play jazz standards, improvise over chord changes, write your own songs, or learn the contemporary piano vocabulary heard in modern music — pop, soul, neo-soul, funk, gospel, R&B, Latin, film score — we'll build the technique and theory together. I specialise in helping advanced pianists transition into improvisation, and introduce composition, chord voicings, lead sheets, theory and reading from an early stage to keep lessons engaging.

I encourage positive reinforcement and a can-do attitude in younger students, and avoid the negative stereotypes of piano teaching. The focus is on making learning enjoyable and inspiring.

"Mark is the jazz man! He's been teaching me jazz piano for 2½ years and he's been a fantastic teacher. He has a great personal manner, expertise in many different styles, and includes a good mix of theory and practical. Mark is encouraging and inspiring, and I would recommend him to any aspiring jazz pianist at any level."

— A current student

WHAT WE COVER

01 · FOUNDATIONS

READING & TECHNIQUE

Beginner to advanced. Posture, voicings, hand independence, and the fundamentals that make everything else possible.

02 · STYLES

JAZZ & CONTEMPORARY

Jazz standards, funk, Latin, soul, neo-soul, pop, gospel and R&B. How to hear a chord change and know what to say over it. Specialist support for advanced pianists moving into improvisation.

03 · THEORY

HARMONY & EAR

Music theory that connects to what you play. Built from the ground up, or fill the gaps if you're self-taught — using video tutorials and backing tracks to sharpen your listening.

04 · COMPOSITION

SONGWRITING

Turn ideas into finished pieces. Lead sheets, structure, arrangement — practical tools for every genre.

05 · PRODUCTION

MUSIC PRODUCTION

Record, mix, and produce your own music. Logic Pro, Ableton, or your DAW of choice.

06 · MENTORSHIP

ONE-TO-ONE COACHING

Already playing? Goal-focused coaching — performance prep, album projects, exam prep, industry direction.

STUDENT VOICES

FROM THE STUDIO

“Mark was my first jazz-piano teacher. I remember my lessons with him being incredibly inspiring and refreshing — each week I went home with lots of music to check out and a lot of things to work on. Goal-oriented while keeping lessons fun and engaging. He helped me prepare for the National Youth Jazz Competition in Tauranga and the Auckland School Jazz Competition. I can strongly recommend Mark to anyone eager to get jazz-piano lessons, beginner or advanced.”

LEON HATTORI · CONSERVATORY OF COLOGNE · MAINZ INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP ENSEMBLE AWARD WINNER

“I studied with Mark during my high school years. Mark introduced me to many fundamental concepts of jazz which helped me tremendously in preparing for my undergraduate study at the University of North Texas. We covered the fundamentals, but Mark also introduced me to the music of many contemporary jazz pianists, especially Brad Mehldau. I was so inspired to come to my lesson every week — they were fun and very challenging.”

TANAKRIT · TANAKRITMUSIC.COM

“I am very pleased to be a student of Mark's. I leave every lesson with a wealth of knowledge and a new found enthusiasm to learn more about jazz. Not only is he an incredibly talented musician himself, but is an inspiration to me as a student. Mark has an amazing ability to make complex musical concepts understandable and incorporates the fun, knowledge and discipline necessary to learn.”

TAM LEACH

“Mark is the jazz man! He's been teaching me jazz piano for 2½ years and he's been a fantastic teacher. Encouraging and inspiring — I would recommend him to any aspiring jazz pianist at any level.”

A CURRENT STUDENT