Piano is a great instrument to play because it is versatile and teaches students the fundamentals of music easily. First, you can see what notes you are playing unlike string instruments. This is a great advantage over many other instruments especially as a beginner. The instrument also allows one to produce multiple notes rather easily, so one can play a melody and accompaniment at the same time. Another big advantage is that you don’t need to learn to tune yourself like string or wind instruments, so right away you can enjoy making relatively nice sound and enjoy playing a simple tune. And not only that, there are many wonderful pieces written by so many great composers. I usually let the students choose from a few pieces that I select for them depending on their taste and also the area (technically or musically) that they need to work on. We often play duets because they are great for the aural skills and most importantly it is so much fun to play the piano with another person!

I believe music study should be introduced like a language since music is a language like what we speak in a way that it is an expressive tool to communicate with others. In my teaching, especially when the student is too young to read (generally before Kindergarten), a lot of listening and imitating should take place without reading notes for a good month or so. We as a baby start to imitate the sounds that our parents make. Initially it is a bunch of sound and eventually starts to make a meaningful word and then a sentence. Once we start to talk comfortably, we then start to read and write. So, once students are old enough and are reading already, I encourage them to read music a lot even though we might spend the first few lessons without any score. Music has a set of rules like any other language and you must understand it to fully express ourselves and without being able to read fluently, it is difficult to enjoy expressing ourselves through playing the piano.

There are a few things I require to have a successful piano lesson: an acoustic piano, daily practice and parental involvement. It does not matter the size of the instrument, whether an upright or grand piano, but it does whether it is an acoustic or electric. A proper instrument is needed in order to learn a proper technique and cultivate a good aural skill. Once you can control the acoustic piano, it is rather easy to play on an electric one but not the other way.

In order to master a new skill and have fun with it, one must spend an adequate time and energy. Piano is no different. I demand that students are committed to daily practice even if it may be only 10 minutes! It sounds strict, but it will help you in a long run to get use to practice daily. I want my students to enjoy music, but at the same time they as well as their parents need to understand it takes some commitment. It must be done on a regular basis. My teacher in the past used to say,

“If you have a day that you don’t eat, you don’t need to practice.”

Well, I eat every day; thus, I practice every day. Of course, we have a busy life. Things do happen and you cannot possibly make it happen once a while. The important thing is you keep trying to make it a habit, and a great thing is once you know how to practice daily, you know how to overcome the obstacles and to manage your precious time. It is so important in this fast paced age.

Another thing I cannot emphasize enough about is the parental involvement. In order for the child to succeed in learning this new skill, it must have a triangle relationship between teacher, student and parent. All three of us have to know that we are in this together and agree to achieve something. Especially the young students who don’t know how to manage their time, follow the lesson plan (because they cannot read well) and improve what they are supposed to, it is crucial that the parents practice with them at least a part of the daily session. I have taught students from the age of 4 up to teenagers and have seen both success and failure in my teaching years. Most students need encouragement, sometimes constantly, and parents are the one who could do so at home! I spend precious 30 to 60 minutes once a week with them and I cannot do what the parents can do for the rest of the week which is almost more important than what happens in the lesson. As a parent myself, I truly value the work of the parents at home and being interested and involved in their child’s development and helping him/her continue the piano study at home.

A use of technology is an important component in my studio. I tend to record pieces (that I often let them choose) for the students so that they can have some kind of model aurally and visually when they go home. They can also send me a video clip if they have a problem with learning a section of the piece. I can critique what is going on and try to help solve the issue. This is almost like another lesson between the weekly lessons.

Performing is still a big part of my career. I continue to perform in public because I love playing piano to say the least! I also want to keep learning and challenging myself with a new piece of music all the time. You never stop learning – there are so many pieces that I want to get to know. By doing so myself, I truly understand what my students are going through and what it takes to get ready for a performance and during the performance. Two to three times a year, I organize studio recitals besides play-ins that are offered to them by me or the local music organizations. Preparing for a performance definitely motivates students to practice hard. It is also an important skill that we know how to stand in front of an audience and present ourselves.