Broken links across staff profiles

Due to an ongoing technical issue, some links to publications and other resources in staff profiles may not always work. We apologise for the inconvenience and are working on a solution.

Mr Sam Leak

Senior Lecturer in Creative Music Practices (Research)

Sam Leak

  • School Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries

  • Department School of Arts

  • Location London

Research activities

Funded by the AHRC, Dr Leak’s doctoral research investigated the adult acquisition of absolute pitch, drawing on cognitive psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, learning theory, and advanced statistical methods. He designed and coded a bespoke training and testing system and analysed data from 521 participants. His findings challenge prevailing assumptions about absolute pitch and led to the formulation of the Absolute Pitch Fundamental Difference Hypothesis. This work has been presented at research seminars in Cambridge and at the Francis Crick Institute. He currently has four papers in preparation with Professor Ian Cross (University of Cambridge) and is developing an iOS application to support future data collection and research dissemination.

He was also a co-investigator on the ESRC-funded project "Investigating the Monetisation of Live Streams of Musical Performances in the Wake of COVID-19" (£50,437.87), a collaboration between Middlesex University and King’s College London with external partners including Serious Productions, the Musicians’ Union, the Incorporated Society of Musicians, the Sheffield Performer & Audience Research Centre, and the Music Venue Trust. The project produced two UKRI/ESRC-commissioned reports (Livestreaming Music in the UK and Livestreaming Music in the UK: Quantitative Analysis, 2021). He led the statistical analysis of survey data from approximately 1,500 participants, examining livestreaming practices, technology, legal frameworks, monetisation strategies, and the evolving role of livestreaming in the music industry. These reports were widely disseminated through professional bodies, received over 1,000 downloads within the first month, and have since been cited in several peer-reviewed journals.


Current Teaching

• PER1001: Skilling Up: Tools and Techniques [Module Leader]

• MUS2120: Performance and Composition/Songwriting [Module Leader]

• MUS2140: Performance Festival [Module Leader]

• PER1004: Making Performance

• MUS3120: Advanced Creative Music Practice

• MUS3140: Degree Festival

Previous teaching:

Pathway Leader for Popular Music at Middlesex University (2022–2024), leading staff and visiting tutors, coordinating assessment processes, and managing resources during budgetary constraint. 

• MUS1096: Musicianship and Production [Module Leader]

• MUS2096: Musicianship and Performance [Module Leader]

• MUS3096: Advanced Musicianship and Performance [Module Leader]

• MUS1002: Musicianship and Theory [Module Leader]

• MUS2012: Performance and Musicianship [Module Leader]

• MUS3012: Advanced Performance and Musicianship

• MUS1095: Popular Music Genres

• MUS3055: Independent Project

• MUS2099: Songwriting

• MUS3099: Advanced Songwriting

• MUS1625: Jazz Musicianship

• MUS3223: Afro-Cuban and Brazilian Styles

• MUS2514: Bop and Hard Bop

• MUS3083: Advanced Jazz Improvisation

• MUS1084: Jazz Repertoire 1

• MUS2017: Style and Theory

• MUS3019: Negotiated Project [supervising Music Psychology projects]

• MUS1054: Managing Arts and Music Projects

• MUS3014: Popular Music Studies [teaching "Aesthetics of Music"]

• MUS2015: Music and Culture [teaching "Music and Language"]


Biography

Sam Leak is an internationally recognised jazz pianist and educator, combining a current professional profile as a performer with extensive conservatoire and higher-education teaching and management experience. His work as a jazz pianist has been recognised by national and international media: Jazz FM described him as “one of the brightest stars” of his generation; Aquarium (2011) was listed by MOJO as a Top Ten International Release; Places (2013) received strong critical reviews including The Guardian and BBC Music Magazine; and Adrift (2018), a duo recording with Dan Tepfer, was praised by The Wire and The New York City Jazz Record. His recording output spans 2011–2025 and includes releases as a leader and co-leader alongside significant contributions as an ensemble member on other artists’ projects, including participation in John Zorn’s Cerberus: Book of Angels, Volume 26.

He has performed extensively across the UK and internationally (including Italy, Romania, China, Greece, Estonia, Sweden, and the UAE) at major venues and festivals such as Ronnie Scott’s, Cadogan Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, the EFG London Jazz Festival, Love Supreme, and Blue Note (Shanghai and Beijing), and with leading artists including Gregory Hutchinson, JD Allen, and Will Vinson. Notable credits include Ronnie Scott’s International Piano Trio Festival, the Steinway Two Pianos Festival, Quincy Jones’ Q’s residency, and a BBC Radio 3 broadcast with the BBC Singers (improvisations around Poulenc’s Figure humaine). His professional practice also includes cross-genre collaboration (e.g. Derrick May, Black Egypt, Leon Foster Thomas), reflecting deep, applied knowledge of contemporary performance practice and today’s wider cultural landscape.

Alongside performance, Sam Leak has an extensive record as a teacher at the highest level. He is a Senior Lecturer at Middlesex University, a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music. He has taught in conservatoire contexts (Guildhall School of Music & Drama; Trinity Laban) and in leading university settings (University of Cambridge; University of Surrey), delivering jazz ensemble tutoring, guest teaching in jazz harmony, history, and transcription, and performance instruction. He currently provides one-to-one jazz piano tuition at Surrey and Cambridge. He is an experienced examiner, including conservatoire recital examining at Guildhall (2017; 2021-22) and external examining for Jazz Performance Recitals at the University of Cambridge (2023).

Qualifications

Title: PhD

Notes: Leak, S. (2023). Can Adults Learn Absolute Pitch? Evaluating the “Melody Triggers” Method [Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository]. https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.123873

Date: 07 Aug 2023

Institution: University of Cambridge


Title: PGCertHE

Notes: Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (fellowship reference number: PR141953)

Date: 20 Dec 2018

Institution: Middlesex University


Title: MMus

Notes: Jazz Studies: Distinction. (also DipRAM for ‘Outstanding Final Recital, and Benjamin Doniger Jazz Scholarship)

Date: 01 Aug 2009

Institution: Royal Academy of Music


Title: BMus

Notes: Music - First Class Honours

Date: 01 Jul 2007

Institution: Kings College London


External activities

  • External Examiner for Jazz Performance Recitals, University of Cambridge, 2023
  • Examiner for Jazz Combo and Student Recitals, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, 2017
  • International Professional Practice as Jazz Pianist and Recording Artist, Independent Professional Practice (Music Performance),

    • Prizes and Awards

  • Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, Royal Academy of Music, 2019

    • Publications

    View publications