Anqi

I have 11 years of teaching private piano, composition, music production and music theory lessons; 1 year of middle/high school classroom experience; 5 years of college classroom experience at University of California San Diego. My teaching style as my students commented in the CAPE (Course And Professor Evaluations) as “Professor Liu is a very knowledgable instructor and went out of the way to help me outside of class to understand music. I have come to know music much better in terms of its intellectual content, and she has inspired me to compose” “Anqi is a very sweet teacher that genuinely cared about her students. She always emphasized her availability and really tried to cater her teaching to whatever her students wanted to learn” “Anqi was kind and approachable. She has encouraged some in-depth discussion” “She is always filled with enthusiasm that lifts students’ spirits up”, "The best music teacher", and many others. I held Ph.D. in Music Composition from University of California San Diego. An MA in Music Composition from Rutgers University and a BA in music Performance from Xiamen University.

My pedagogical approach to music is always informed by a desire to connect practices and theories, and to build aural and theoretical comprehension in tandem with one another. On doing so, theory becomes both an organic reflection of sonic observations and a point of departure for intellectual extrapolations as well as heuristic investigations. I encourage students to trust that their cumulative experiences will reveal how their own handling of music practices and will continue to grow from practice, perseverance, and curiosity.

My lessons are often a combination of introducing the skills and knowledge, discussion, and problem-solving activities where students heuristically absorb new knowledge through creative experimentation and constant dialogue with me. My assignments are designed towards engendering inventiveness while internalizing new technical tools and methodologies. I want my students to approach every perspective of a new skill and knowledge from a variety of angles. I encourage students to share their findings and questions with me throughout the entire process, thus cultivating cooperativeness and individuality simultaneously. Above all, I want my lessons to feel like a welcoming and encouraging environment for each student as to enable the freest and most genuine flow of ideas among my students.

The bond I build with my students outlives our time working together. I feel immensely grateful when former students tell me that what I taught them years ago still resonates with them. Witnessing their continuous self-realization as musicians and human beings as they find their place and purpose in the world is my greatest reward as a teacher.