Claire's Piano Studio

I believe that as musicians, it is our responsibility to bring audiences good music, bring society more choice of entertainment, and bring people spiritual treatment. As a pianist, my interest in teaching piano performance, repertoire, and pedagogy is my passion in my career. I believe that every student has the ability to succeed—either on a personal level, a professional level or both. It is my job to help them with every kind of knowledge I can provide and every opportunity I can offer to make them reach this goal.

I believe that in music, the most important thing is technique. The technique not only means how fast one can move their fingers, or how accurate one can play. The technique also means how to play with legato, how to reach the big range of dynamic level, and how to produce different quality of sounds. For my students who are in beginning level, I focus on basic technique practice, such as how to apply different articulation methods, how to use fingering more efficiently. To the advanced level student, based on first level technique, I focus on how to use different ways to control their fingers and enable them to produce the various quality of sound, such as use different hand movement, arm movement, body movement and different fingering. In addition, teach students how to use their ear maximumly to hear different sounds is also my specialize.

Except teaching various of techniques, to all my students, I put music history and music theory relevant to the piece in student’s individual lessons. In the classroom setting, students will also learn musical works from the Baroque period till present. With this study, students expand their repertoire and learn proper music technique and background, which will help them to have a deeper understanding of music from different periods and genres.

Also, I strongly encourage my students to perform in public. In each semester, every student will be required to perform at least three times in studio class. After the performance is finished, students will be encouraged to discuss, ask questions or give comments to each other. The purpose of this performing on stage is to make the students feel more confident performing in front of the audience which will reduce the unnecessary mistakes caused by nervousness. The aim of the discussion is to make students more engaged in music, expand their repertoire and improve their aesthetic of music.

When the students are finished learning from me, they will have the full capability to present any types of music genre they are given and perform with confidence in front of the audience. Additionally, they will be able to have their own style of music, which will make them become independent and mature pianists. The most important thing I can provide is to reach the certain point where my students don’t need me anymore, and that they love, and enjoy the music.

Education

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Expected graduation, May 2019)

Doctor of Musical Arts Candidate

Major: Piano Performance and Literature

Studies with Ian Hobson

Minor: Piano Pedagogy

Studies with Reid Alexander

GPA (4.0 scale): 3.9

Manhattan School of Music 2012--2014

Master of Music

Major: Piano Performance and Literature

Studies with Phillip Kawin

GPA (4.0 scale): 3.8

Shanghai Conservatory of Music

2008--2012

Bachelor of Music

Major: Piano Performance and Literature

Studies with Ting Zhou

GPA (4.0 scale): 3.5