- Teaching piano since 2008
- DipABRSM in Instrumental Teaching (Piano)
- ATCL Diploma in Piano Performance
- ABRSM Grade 8 Practical (Merit) and Grade 8 Theory
- Minor in Music from Indiana University Bloomington, USA
- 85% Merit and Distinction exam results for ABRSM/Trinity practical exams
- 100% Merit and Distinction exam results for ABRSM theory exams
- Teaching location: home studio at Balestier, and lessons at students’ place at Toa Payoh, Whampoa and Novena
My Teaching Philosophy:
I believe that there is music in every child and my job is to find and nurture it. It is my teaching goal that my students develop lifelong enjoyment of music that goes beyond the exam syllabus.
In my lesson, I acknowledge each of my student’s unique individuality and learning style. I do not assume that students can be taught and motivated by one approach alone. For instance, I assign pieces based on student’s ability and interest. I also adapt my teaching according to student’s learning style, be it visual, auditory, kinesthetic or tactile.
I believe in building musicianship and a holistic approach to music. Weekly music lesson with me includes technique, classical/jazz/pop repertoire, aural, sight reading and music theory. I also love to play duet with my beginner students and I often pair siblings to play together. I see the benefit of playing duet to help develop students’ sense of rhythm and focus. This also keeps the lesson fun and varied.
I believe that to learn well, one must put in dedicated amount of practice at home so that each lesson moves one’s playing up from strength to strength. Often I found many students do not know how to practice effectively. Hence, during lesson I teach them how to maximize their piano practice at home given the busy schedule they have.
While graded piano exams are a good benchmark to measure a student’s playing ability, I do not believe that learning piano is merely restricted to the learning of the exam pieces. Instead, I let my students sit for milestone grades only so they can work on a wider range of repertoire. Piano lessons with me will include music of all genres: Classical, Jazz and Popular. Students showcase this variety at the Annual Recital.
For more able and confident students, I encourage them to join competitions. In Dec 2020, one of my students came as Top 5 (runner-up to be exact) in a piano competition. You can watch his performance here:
With my dedicated and all-rounded teaching, most of my students achieve high scores and distinction in examinations. And most importantly, all of them find joy in music.
Hope to see you at my class!