All About Choosing Piano Schools And Teachers

[ng.044490zewei]

Good day to all parents and students! Should your child or yourself be interested in learning the piano, look no further, as I am really enthusiastic about sharing my passion for music with those who have the interest to start learning, or further their studies in this art-form. I was appointed the Music Director of the Dunman High School String Ensemble in 2015-16, and was awarded the Ministry of Education Music Elective Scholarship in 2015 and 2016. Having been part of the Music Elective Programme from 2011-16 (Dunman High School Integrated Programme), and achieving a Distinction (A) in H2 Music in the 2016 GCE A Level Examinations, as well as coming in top in the cohort in MEP all six years, I believe that I will be able to provide guidance to all current MEP students in their school or national examinations. (( PS: I also achieved Distinctions in H2 Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics, so students reading these subjects in Secondary School or JC level may also approach me:D )) I am also extremely excited to work with all students working towards their graded music examinations, allowing them to find both joy and the Distinction in true music making.


In other achievements, I was awarded the Fellow of the Royal Schools of Music in Piano Performance in 2015 (The Fellowship of the Royal Schools of Music is equivalent to a Masters’ Degree or Postgraduate qualification under UK’s National Qualification Framework) and performed in the Esplanade Recital Studio in a solo piano recital later that year.

With over six years of experience accompanying violinists, violists, cellists, double bassists and dizi players in examinations and performances, and being a violinist (DipABRSM) myself who worked with piano accompanists, I believe that I will be able to serve as more than just a piano accompanist, but also guide the soloist in engaging in a musical dialogue with the accompanist. I am willing to learn accompanimental parts in short and work along possibly demanding timeframes, as I have experienced plenty of these in my six years in school

The following is a brief description of my musical experiences and achievements thus far. Please feel free to contact me (hp: 91717796) should you have any queries, or if you wish to view the entirety of my curriculum vitae. Thank you!

Piano Performance:
- 2015: Fellow of the Royal Schools of Music (Piano Performance) - The Fellowship of the Royal Schools of Music is equivalent to a Masters’ Degree or Postgraduate qualification under UK’s National Qualification Framework
- 2015: Performed in a solo piano recital at the Esplanade Recital Studio
- 2013: Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music, Distinction (Piano Performance)

Music:
- Ministry of Education, Music Elective Scholarship (2015, 16)
- Music Elective Programme, Top in Cohort (2011, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
- Music Director, Dunman High School String Ensemble (2015, 16)
- 2011: DipABRSM (Violin Performance)

Piano Accompaniment
- 2017: Accompanied violinist name omitted on the Piano at a Church performance (piece performed: Henri Wieniawski, Variations on an Original Theme)
- 2016: Accompanied violinist name omitted on the Piano at a performance organized by his Music School (piece performed: Pablo de Sarasate, Zigeunerweisen)
- 2016: Accompanied Chinese flute (Dizi) player name omitted on the Piano in H2 Music Practical GCE A Level Examinations in Dunman High School (piece played: Guan Ming, 兰花花)
- 2016: Accompanied double-bassist name omitted on the Piano at her DipABRSM examination
- 2016: Accompanied double-bassist name omitted on the Piano at her Royal Northern College of Music Audition
- 2015: Accompanied cellist name omitted on the Piano at her ABRSM Graded Examination
- 2014: Accompanied 2 double-bassists names omitted on the Piano at their ABRSM Graded Examinations
- 2013: Accompanied violinist name omitted on the Piano at a Violin Masterclass by Nicola Benedetti (piece performed: Felix Mendelssohn, Violin Concerto in E minor)
- 2013: Accompanied violist name omitted on the Piano at her ABRSM Graded Examination

[Pinkdoll]

Hi, I have a referral voucher from Ossia Music School which give a 10% off first month course fee for referrer and referee. If you are intending to enroll yourself or your child in Ossia Music School and is interested in the 10% off you can PM me.

[gvyong]

Dear fellow parents, Toa Payoh area


Our two girls will be leaving their beloved piano teacher soon due to our family relocation. Their slots are in the early Sunday afternoon.

The girls have been with her for 3 years+. She is very good with children and was very popular when she was with a major music school chain, before moving to private practice.

It took a while for her to have slots for our girls. She can connect with children and keeps our girls enjoying their lessons with results. (Not a disciplinary type teacher)

She operates from a flat in TP Hub/central area. The kids will use a grand piano, in an aircon home studio. Lessons are 45mins and payable per 4 lessons at reasonable ‘market rates.’.

We live in the west but will travel to TP for lessons as she is good with our girls.
Interested parents pls contact me for her details. Thank you.
9820 8810

[Dreamaurora]

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Dear all,

I am going to organise a short public seminar next month on 19 June. I will touch on how to develop healthy piano technique for beginning piano students up to around Grade 5 ABRSM level. I will also demonstrate various approaches to tackle common technical difficulties using current ABRSM exam pieces. Both parents and teachers are welcome to attend. The seminar is free to attend but please reserve a place as the venue has limited seating capacity. Additionally, all participants will receive a $1000 voucher usable for purchase of pianos at my sponsor, Premium Piano Selection.

[Lee Choy Fong]

Hi, I am.interested. May I know what is the,details pls let me know 91773290. Thank you so much

[Lee Choy Fong]

Hi, I am.interested. May I know what is the,details pls let me know 91773290. Thank you so much

[Goatbeard]

I will just be a busy body and offer my 2 cents worth and some thoughts.


The first stage to selecting a good piano teacher was to understand the objective of learning piano. Is it a hobby, simply trying out or totally serious about becoming a musician? If it was the first or second, then the most important bit is to make sure the teacher "click" with the child to maintain interest and that the fees are affordable. If the child then decides that he/she wanted to be serious down the road, the criteria for selecting teachers is slightly more focussed.

Like most professions, there are differences between an undergrad, a grad, a Harvard grad and a Harvard Professor. The same can be said for piano teachers. Most music grad from reputable conservatories are competent and they are good teachers. Beyond that, you may want to find out which college have they obtained their degree from and you may also like to know who were their teachers. Most musicians will be happy and proud to tell you who their teachers were. Although half of the world’s pianist came from the school of Clementi (yes that Clementi but his uncle, Muzio), it is actually quite fun for you to trace the teacher-student lineage if your teacher is able to tell you more. Some music books has the lineage tree but perhaps the easiest way is using Wikipedia You may surprised yourself and your teacher in the process and may discover that your teacher’s great grand teacher was Beethoven, Chopin or Mendelssohn. Mozart is out of the question since he didn’t accept that many students to start with.

The main reason that this is important was because musicians who learned from reputable teachers would probably have attained an excellent standard for him/her to be accepted as a student. Secondly, like Chinese Kung Fu films, there are some tools of the trade that the teachers will pass on over generations and unique to their own school.

Try it out with the teacher for one or two lessons and see how it goes. There is no harm in discovering if your child works well with the teacher. It work both ways and most in demand teachers will also choose their students. If the teacher doesn’t click with your child, it is likely that he/she will let you know and suggest another way forward.

Of course, this is only a suggestion and it was never meant to be a guideline so I ask you to understand that I am not imposing my opinion. Happy to hear the thoughts of others on here.

[Dreamaurora]

Goatbeard:

I will just be a busy body and offer my 2 cents worth and some thoughts.


The first stage to selecting a good piano teacher was to understand the objective of learning piano. Is it a hobby, simply trying out or totally serious about becoming a musician? If it was the first or second, then the most important bit is to make sure the teacher \"click\" with the child to maintain interest and that the fees are affordable. If the child then decides that he/she wanted to be serious down the road, the criteria for selecting teachers is slightly more focussed.

Like most professions, there are differences between an undergrad, a grad, a Harvard grad and a Harvard Professor. The same can be said for piano teachers. Most music grad from reputable conservatories are competent and they are good teachers. Beyond that, you may want to find out which college have they obtained their degree from and you may also like to know who were their teachers. Most musicians will be happy and proud to tell you who their teachers were. Although half of the world's pianist came from the school of Clementi (yes that Clementi but his uncle, Muzio), it is actually quite fun for you to trace the teacher-student lineage if your teacher is able to tell you more. Some music books has the lineage tree but perhaps the easiest way is using Wikipedia You may surprised yourself and your teacher in the process and may discover that your teacher's great grand teacher was Beethoven, Chopin or Mendelssohn. Mozart is out of the question since he didn't accept that many students to start with.

The main reason that this is important was because musicians who learned from reputable teachers would probably have attained an excellent standard for him/her to be accepted as a student. Secondly, like Chinese Kung Fu films, there are some tools of the trade that the teachers will pass on over generations and unique to their own school.

Try it out with the teacher for one or two lessons and see how it goes. There is no harm in discovering if your child works well with the teacher. It work both ways and most in demand teachers will also choose their students. If the teacher doesn't click with your child, it is likely that he/she will let you know and suggest another way forward.

Of course, this is only a suggestion and it was never meant to be a guideline so I ask you to understand that I am not imposing my opinion. Happy to hear the thoughts of others on here.

To be honest, I don't think the lineage of the teacher affects a teacher's ability to teach. I was fortunate enough to spend the last 2 years of my serious piano study under possibly the most elite teacher money could buy in Singapore. But I freely admit that when I started teaching piano I was not a good teacher. It was only in the following years that I became more competent as I continued to upgrade my certifications through trial and errors, self-study, and observations of other teachers. I have personally heard plenty of complaints about teachers with very good pedigrees from forumers here and elsewhere, so this phenomenon is not uncommon. What is more important I feel is that a teacher needs to have the passion to continually evaluate and improve himself/herself, even after finishing their Masters/Degrees/Diplomas.

What I will concede though is that a teacher's ability to perform though does affect the extent of how far a student can go in his/her playing standard. Though as teachers we strive to develop students' individuality, most of time students are basically channelling their teachers' own playing. Our current students will never surpass our own playing standards. Getting the best performing teachers are probably only applicable for students who are truly serious i.e. want to win competitions or get higher level Diplomas, but nonetheless for those who are more semi-serious e.g. want to prepare Grade 8 or ARSM, it is still a good idea to ensure that the teacher can play competently .

I think it is fair to say extremely few parents would start music lessons for their children with the intentions of their little ones becoming future elite performers. So like what you said, most would probably be just trying out first, and for parents of these students, cost and convenience are often the deciding factors in choosing a teacher. So most of time they will go for non performing or non full-time trained teachers. Nonetheless, I don't think having a good chemistry or being able to motivate are solely the good qualities that these teachers need to have. I think a basic competence in providing a structured and well-rounded lessons along with the ability to build good technical foundations are equally as important. So if the students decide to get semi serious or serious, they don't have to waste precious time doing corrective works.

[Goatbeard]

Dreamaurora:

To be honest, I don't think the lineage of the teacher affects a teacher's ability to teach. I was fortunate enough to spend the last 2 years of my serious piano study under possibly the most elite teacher money could buy in Singapore. But I freely admit that when I started teaching piano I was not a good teacher. It was only in the following years that I became more competent as I continued to upgrade my certifications through trial and errors, self-study, and observations of other teachers. I have personally heard plenty of complaints about teachers with very good pedigrees from forumers here and elsewhere, so this phenomenon is not uncommon. What is more important I feel is that a teacher needs to have the passion to continually evaluate and improve himself/herself, even after finishing their Masters/Degrees/Diplomas.

What I will concede though is that a teacher's ability to perform though does affect the extent of how far a student can go in his/her playing standard. Though as teachers we strive to develop students' individuality, most of time students are basically channelling their teachers' own playing. Our current students will never surpass our own playing standards. Getting the best performing teachers are probably only applicable for students who are truly serious i.e. want to win competitions or get higher level Diplomas, but nonetheless for those who are more semi-serious e.g. want to prepare Grade 8 or ARSM, it is still a good idea to ensure that the teacher can play competently .

I think it is fair to say extremely few parents would start music lessons for their children with the intentions of their little ones becoming future elite performers. So like what you said, most would probably be just trying out first, and for parents of these students, cost and convenience are often the deciding factors in choosing a teacher. So most of time they will go for non performing or non full-time trained teachers. Nonetheless, I don't think having a good chemistry or being able to motivate are solely the good qualities that these teachers need to have. I think a basic competence in providing a structured and well-rounded lessons along with the ability to build good technical foundations are equally as important. So if the students decide to get semi serious or serious, they don't have to waste precious time doing corrective works.

Thanks Dreamaurora. All very valid points.

I have simplified my explanation in the hope of keeping it succinct but it seems to have missed some key points.

Lineage is no guarantee but it is a 1st line assurance like choosing a german made car is no guarantee that it won't break down but it gives you a peace of mind. As you have experienced yourself, learning from an elite doesn't make you a great teacher immediately but I am sure there are techniques that you have learned that have made you a better player, and hence was able to improvise and pass on this knowledge to your students.

I can't agree more with what you have said on rest of your well-articulated post. :goodpost:

[Maple Oak]

There is quite a big difference between pianist as performer and pianist as teacher though.


I know friends who can trace their lineage to Beethoven;Czerny, fantastic performers who are linked to Rachmaninoff indirectly, and these people have no interest in teaching.
A commitment to the growth of the student and having a strong feeling of mission in music education is something far more essential, in addition to having excellent musical understanding and communication skills of course.