Hi waiyean,


Thanks! A lot of the credit should go to the students themselves. really hardworking and eager to learn. The age range is quite wide.
Grade 2: 8 yrs old
Grade 5: 24 yrs old
Grade 7: 12 yrs old

Hi parents,


Latest results of my students for the recent theory exams include:
Grade 2 - 94/100
Grade 5 - 97/100
Grade 7 - 98/100
If any of you happen to be looking for piano teachers for your sons/daughters, feel free to PM me.
Thanks.

Dear Parents,

some of my weekend slots will be opening up in 2017, feel free to PM me if you are searching for a piano teacher this coming year.

[quote]Posted by sleepy:

\"Yahboi, even more expensive.
dd said she intends to continue with diploma. I told her to kiv till after psle.
Maybe she will change her mind by then

Is it feasible to dive straight to diploma without grade 8 theory? Not sure if grade 5 theory sufficient knowledge to kickstart diploma[/quote]- I think it is possible to go for the diploma without grade 8 theory. It boils down to how much the student has understood about music, about how music is structured. That understanding can be cultivated through the practical side of piano learning. In the case of ABRSM diplomas, the challenge would come in the viva voce section, where there is an element of research into the history of the instrument/composer etc. .
[quote]Posted by Dreamaurora:
Btw, personally I think the first teacher a child have is in fact the most important one because it's this teacher who will lay the technical foundations so the child can progress comfortably to higher grades. So I don't really see why must charge cheaper for the lower grades, but this is the market practice, so I do the same too for my studio.[/quote]This is a very important point that cannot be more emphasized. There are many students that I have encountered where previous teachers have enforced certain rules or ideas about music that actually harm the student's technique and forms habits that stop them from making music more naturally. If anything, paying for quality from a young age is a more cost-effective approach than shifting from a very cheap teacher to a more expensive one later on.

sacredmusicals:

Imami:

It's me again. New problem. :slapshead: :slapshead:


I did mention we had moved to a new teacher right? This teacher has a habit of tickling my son's tummy. He usually does this after explaining the mistake. In the recent lesson, he probably went over board with his tickle. My son was taken by surprise and dropped his violin.

If...... The violin was damaged by the drop, I would want to seek compensation from the teacher/school. How much % reasonable? is it fair to ask for 100%?

If..... This teacher often show his affection by hugging the student (ie my son, a preschooler) or tickle the student, in front of me. However, my son doesn't share the same feelings. I intend to tell the teacher that my son doesn't like the tickling and we would be happier if he doesn't shock him (ie my son) with his tickling. If you are the teacher, would you be offended?

Separately, how do we tell if the child needs to upsize the violin?

I don't think its appropriate for any teacher male or female to have physical contacts beyond what is necessary for demonstration in lesson. I would be very disturbed if a teacher does that to my kids.

I am in total agreement with sacredmusicals here.

Hi Blue Pearl,

I just want to add to the good points made by Dreamaurora and Waiyean.

It sounds like the problem is that after two weeks, your daughter is still rushing in a part of the music, and so her teacher has probably given instructions to help (Be it counting/tapping rhythms out loud, checking with metronome, staccato/rhythm drills etc.)

The difficult thing about communicating over video, is that though the problem of rushing is easily detectable, there are several underlying reasons that the teacher may need to troubleshoot with the student before finding the real issue.

Here is a possible list:
1) Learning the piece with an incorrect reading of the note values.
2) Not noticing a harmonic change and so pianist just hurries along.
3) Not knowing which melodic line goes where, not knowing what to listen for in that particular bar
4) a genuine technical issue (be it fingering, wrong technique, tension, stiffness etc.)
5) Not having a clear sense of the tempo in that bar.

It could even be a combination of all these, with many different ways of approaching the solutions, and even when you correct one, another one may arise, so the process of figuring it out, I think is one that is much easier done in person.

Hello all,


I have just returned to Singapore after piano performance studies in the US, and am looking to teach a small group of talented pianists. (5-10 maximum)

I have 8 years of teaching experience (With positive references from both Parents and the student pianists), and have performed extensively in the US.

Here is a brief list of my qualifications:
-Locally: Diploma ABRSM and Licentiate ABRSM (LRSM)
-Scholarship holder to one of the top Music Conservatories in USA
-One of the only pianists in Singapore who are formally trained in Harpsichord, Fortepiano and the Modern Piano

For more info./questions, please call 91867832

ctan3101:

Hi,


Please advise how to prevent sticky keys issues, esp for those keys on extreme left and right of piano that kids seldom play on.

I have sent my keys for repair on sticky keys twice already and it cost me few hundreds each time for repair.

Hope this helps!

http://www.petesummers.com/keyfree.html

I think Dreamaurora has made many good points about choosing between pianos! I would just like to add on to emphasize some really important points.


1) Upright Grands are Not Grands in any way.

They should be called Significantly Bigger Uprights (And as dreamaurora has explained, with a bigger soundboard, and longer strings, these uprights often can produce fuller and more ‘quality’ sound.)

One of the key differences between uprights and grands lies in the hammer action, in that the hammers in a grand piano are affected by gravity with its up-down motion, versus the backward-forward motion of hammers in an upright. This produces quite a different "feel" for the pianist. Many pianists will tell you that they prefer grand pianos (I am one of them), however, it is not a crime for a young pianist to be learning/practicing music on an upright piano. (It will not hinder his/her progress. There are more important factors: quality of teaching, discipline of student etc.)

However, for young pianists growing up, a good upright will do just fine. If you have the space and budget to afford splashing cash on a good grand piano, then by all means, do that.

As Dreamaurora has cautioned, there are a combination of factors between quality of materials and craftsmanship, so the idea that the bigger the piano the better cannot be followed blindly.

Example:
A horribly made grand piano, advertised as "Premium grade" with shiny polish and all, would not make a better buy than a decent upright for the same price.

I would buy the decent upright 10 times out of 10.

This scenario is a common one, where we are trying to get the most value/quality at the lowest price point.