Josh McCusker

Future enquiries are welcome. Please be advised that scheduling may require 2 - 4 weeks notice. Josh does not offer trial lessons free of charge.

Josh is a Melbourne-based musician with an active profile as both a chart-topping pianist-composer and a piano teacher. He has been teaching since he began his own undergraduate studies, and maintains a private studio with a range of students at different ages and levels, with an emphasis on fast, effective progress.

Josh teaches with the philosophy that learning the piano is most enjoyable when solid goals are being achieved, and curates his approach to each student's style of learning. While graded/diploma exams and performances (e.g. Eisteddfods) are strongly encouraged, Josh also teaches piano for those purely interested in the enjoyment of playing.

Josh is fully accredited by the Victorian Music Teachers’ Association. Following full marks in performance during his secondary studies, he majored in piano performance and completed his Honours degree at the University of Melbourne in 2020, graduating First Class. Following this, he completed a Master’s degree in piano performance at Monash University, also graduating First Class. Research conducted during his master’s candidature into the solo piano works of Sergei Prokofiev culminated in publication in the Frances Clark Center’s Journal of Piano Research. Prior to these studies he earned licentiate diplomas from the AMEB and Trinity College. His teachers include Dr. Mikhail Solovei and Prof. Jerry Wong. Josh is now currently a doctoral candidate at the music department of Monash University.

In addition to his teaching and postgraduate research commitments, Josh is an active artist on Spotify and other mainstream digital platforms. His music is regularly consumed by thousands of listeners, and has been featured in numerous nationally and internationally prominent playlists and tastemakers, such as a recent feature in Limelight Magazine's '25 in 25'. His creative works are additionally recognised in numerous international pedagogical syllabi, and he is currently an Associate Artist with the Australian Music Centre. His music is published and commercially released under the pen name 'Josh Taylor'.

Recordings can be heard at: https://spotify.link/KBOuapz2qyb

Australian Music Centre Profile:

'Josh Taylor is a Melburnian musician whose undertakings span performance, composition, musicology, and education, all with a strong pianistic focus. With an education initially rooted in classical performance, Josh expanded his practice to include composition during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021. This endeavour led to the release of his first original EP, Musical Journal, in 2022, which spawned numerous follow-up releases.

Josh's catalogue for solo piano spans an eclectic mix of over forty works, which have gained especial traction digitally and have reached well over 100,000 unique listeners (Spotify 2024). His compositions and recordings have been platformed by various tastemakers and playlists, both national and international, such as Limelight Magazine's recent '25 in 25'. Interest in his music has often been attributed to an accessible sound, which is characterised by extended diatonic harmonies and rhythmic vitality, and is also influenced by classical, jazz, minimalist, and contemporary film score works.

January of 2026 saw the release of Josh's debut album minipiano, a collection of original piano miniatures which debuted at #1 on both the ARIA Classical Albums Chart, and the ARIA Crossover Albums Chart, as well as #6 on the AIR Independent Albums Chart. This was shortly followed by a second album, piano works, which also debuted atop ARIA's Classical and Crossover Album Charts, and debuted at #5 on the AIR Independent Albums Chart. Support by Creative Victoria's Music Works scheme saw the release of Josh's third album, piano works 2, in February of 2026.

Josh also writes works for pedagogical contexts. As such, works have been included in numerous international pedagogical syllabi, ranging from mid-level grades through to diploma-level repertoire. Twenty of his solo piano works are included in the Australian Music Centre's HSC and VCE repertoire lists, and these are heard frequently in student recitals in Victoria, New South Wales and throughout the rest of Australia.

Josh holds a Master of Arts in Music Performance (Piano) from Monash University, as well as a Bachelor Honours in Music Performance (Piano) from the University of Melbourne, both awarded with First Class Honours. He is currently a doctoral candidate at Monash University, conducting specialist research in piano performance and composition. Earlier research included investigation of interpretative practices in the solo piano works of pianist-composer Sergei Prokofiev, which has been published in the Frances Clark Center's Journal of Piano Research. During prior studies he also earned licentiate diplomas from the AMEB and Trinity College London. Josh is an Associate Artist with the Australian Music Centre, a Composer Member of APRA + AMCOS, and was accredited by the Victorian Music Teachers' Association in 2020.

Josh runs a private piano studio in Melbourne where he has helped foster the skills of younger musicians since 2016. Open about life with Crohn's disease, he is an advocate for comprehensive education in creative practice, so as to sustain an enduring enjoyment of music for those of less fortunate health circumstances.'