PianoLessons

I am so proud to see my students all show us their progress & musical expression in the Mother's Day Recital at St Stephen's Anglican Church. That was the day and milestone in their learning journey. Also, thank you for many family members or friends there to enjoy the recital, and to give their support to the performers. Over the years, I have been lucky to have musical mentors to guide me. One of whom, was my late father in law, Tony Newstead. Tony was a renowned jazz tr

Today we have a really great group of performers from very young to “young at heart”, both from Melbourne as well as other countries, as far away as China and Greece. Let’s talk about today’s program. Over the next 90 minutes, we’ll have 22 performances, ranging in style from classical to new age. We’ll have some others apart from piano performance as well. 1. Nocturne (by Kieran Ooi & Grace Newstead) Kieran Ooi and I will be playing “Nocturne”. Kieran will be performing the

Today was another beautiful day. Even in late summer, the trees just outside my studio here in South Yarra are so green and full of leaves. In the middle of an intensive training for an ABRSM exam (ABRSM Piano 2017-2018 Grade 4 A:3) Vanhal’s Allegretto (2nd movt from Sonatina in A, Op. 41 No. 12) with my talented student Chloe, there was a series of magical sounds that interrupted us... They emanated from the window opposite the grand piano, so we paused practice for a minute

Last week I got the opportunity to enjoy the soul singing of Nathaniel Willemse in his classic soul tribute to Marvin Gaye, which was an inspiring experience. For those who don’t know him, originally from South Africa Nathaniel first shot to fame on X Factor Australia and made waves with his hit song “You”. What was most impressive about hearing him perform up-close and live (in the small and intimate Chapel off Chapel venue in Prahran) was his four-octave range, ranging from

At the start of a new year, I’m feeling very thankful for the wonderful teaching experiences and all my lovely students during 2017. This was was the first full year of teaching in Melbourne, having taught for 12 years in Hong Kong and previously in Brisbane. In a word, I loved it. Melbourne as a city is laid back, charming and with an appreciation of arts and culture and the last year turned out even more rewarding than I had expected. With my younger students, nothing makes

Lately I’ve been helping several students prepare for Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) piano exams. Often they are encouraged by parents with goals to get them into good secondary schools. It’s not an easy endeavour and often causes stress in the leadup to the exams. Students need to spend many months practicing scales, sight-reading, aural and theory and more. It’s important to look at the big picture though - preparing for exams are just one part of learning pia

Piano is a beautiful solo instrument, but I also enjoy opportunities to accompany other instruments. Like yesterday, I was asked to help accompany a violin student preparing for an audition for the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School (VCASS). He's a talented player for his age, and despite having a cold did a wonderful rendition of the difficult and high tempo Carmen Prelude (around grade 5 difficulty) as well as Swing and Swang, a lovely slower jazz composition. M

After visiting Van Gogh and the Seasons at the National Gallery of Victoria and watching teen drama series The 100 on Netflix last week, it triggered a thought about piano as therapy that I want to share... So, what’s the connection between these two very different topics? Well to start - in the Van Gogh exhibition, I found myself drawn to pieces painted during his recuperation in the asylum - so colorful yet also somehow exuding beauty and calm. Next, to a scene in The 100 w

A little story - I just got home from an extraordinary performance by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra of Petrushka at the Arts Centre Melbourne. Bravo to the orchestra! There was a little girl and her dad sitting next to me. She was fascinated at the beginning, laughing and talking with her dad. After a while though, she got bored and her dad in vain to show her how to appreciate the incredible pianist. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out and they left after the first break

Was inspired to follow up on my last post on South Yarra library events helping babies and toddlers learn through rhythm and music (ongoing Preschool Storytime and Saturday Storytime @ South Yarra/Toorak Library for kids aged between 3 to 6 years) As we know, stories not only foster children's creativity and imagination, but also help to develop their reading, listening and even comprehension skills. There’s no doubt that children who frequently read can build more vocabulary