Piano Lessons in Fremont, CA

Instruments: Piano Guitar Violin

When did you decide to become a professional musician? Was it a gradual decision or was there a defining moment for you?
Sometimes I feel like I have always been a professional musician, and sometimes I feel like even though I have taught so many students, I am still not a professional musician. However, my defining moment were my friends. One day, they told me that they were really motivated to learn how to play the guitar. I knew how to play, but I never taught them. They were making so many mistakes because they did not have a teacher. I fixed all of their mistakes, and helped them become a great guitarists. That is when I realized I could teach music at a high level!

What is your dream piece to perform and why?
I do not have a dream piece to perform. I purposely play music for a better quality of life, and a way to express skill and art.

If you weren't a musician what do you think you'd be doing instead?
I am currently a math teacher. Learning math can be very stressful sometimes, so playing music is a great way for me to let go of the stress and learn something fun.

What is your favorite style/genre of music to play and why?
Pop is always going to be my favorite because 1. It is easy to learn if you have your fundamentals down 2. It is easy to improvise 3. Everybody around you can dance/sing with you

If you play more than one instrument, how did you decide to start playing the second? (Or 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc)!
I have always wanted to start my own band, but it was hard finding new musicians. So I learned a new instrument, hoping that somebody else can takeover the one that I currently know. That way, I am extremely flexible when there are new musicians.

What does a normal practice session look like for you?
1. warm up: this could be scales, breathing techniques, posture, tuning the instruments, or anything that could help prepare for a smoother session. 2. play pieces from last week: Here is where I get to see what is good and what needs more work. If things are good, we can move on. If things are not good, I will spend some time and fix things here and there. 3. learn new pieces: The fun part where the student gets to sight read (or play if they practiced in advance) and I could play it for them so they could get a feel of what it is supposed to sound like.

What musical accomplishments are you most proud of?
In 2007, the middle school finally opened an orchestra. I was one of the students at the time. I barely knew how to play violin. Since it was a new program, all of the students were new too. I worked hard and spent a lot of time practicing so I ended up becoming the concertmaster for all 3 years of middle school. It was awesome to see that if I worked hard, good things will happen. The orchestra went and performed to numerous cities and I was leading all of them. All it took was some motivation and dedication and I was able to accelerate.

What do you think is the hardest thing to master on your instrument?
The hardest thing to master would be quality and consistency. When we first start playing an instrument, all we really care about is if we play the right note at the right time. That's all you need to be good. The longer you play, you start to notice to focus on dynamics meaning that some pieces need to be louder or softer. That way you are expressing yourself and making the music sound better. Now once you play even longer you start to focus how every note is unique and different. 1 note can be played in a million different ways to produce a unique. That is something to think about if you play an instrument for a long time.

Did you have a teacher that inspired you to go into music? How did they inspire you?
No, a teacher did not inspire me. I always enjoyed singing songs on the TV so I did not need inspiration to start learning. However, as a teacher, I have inspired students who never considered learning to try playing music.

Why did you choose your primary instrument?
Here is the story of how I chose my instrument. I was 6 years old watching tv with my parents. I would sing the theme song of the show and my mom would say "Oh isn't that so cute?". My dad said, "Well, if he likes singing so much, maybe i should sign him up for music lessons". The next weekend, he took me to the music store so I could explore. I spent the most time looking at the piano so my dad signed me up for piano lessons. Piano is a very hard instrument to learn, but in the end, it is very rewarding.

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