I am very glad to have received quite a number of adult piano students in the past month. Some of them are new to piano, while others had some piano lessons in the past.

It’s very satisfying to see new students get excited about their lessons with me. Whether it’s getting back to piano lessons after a long break, or trying their hands at the piano for the very first time, it can be a fun and an anxious experience at first.

It takes time to get used to the music instrument, the lessons and the teacher. My adult students always say I have a lot of patience and am very kind about their playing. To that, I say it’s my pleasure to help them, and one of the most important things I do is to make sure they are comfortable in their lessons with me, so they feel free to learn and try their hands at the piano.

I have students who are absolute beginners to those who are very advanced piano players and piano teachers, from young kids to more mature adults. Sometimes people think I must get bored teaching beginners, it’s not true. When I take in my own students at my own studios, I treat them all the same. They can be 5 or 100, beginners or piano virtuosos, they are still my students. Of course I teach them different things and perhaps talk a little differently (you know, I get that special voice to do kid talk!), but I make sure they feel I am putting 100% into my teaching in their lessons.

The first item in my studio policy is: there should be mutual respect among students, parents and teacher. I believe in order to gain trust and build a genuine relationship, there must be mutual respect. I respect kids just the same as adults. I listen to what they have to say, invite them to ask questions, and try to answer them as much as possible. Everyone has a different character and learning personality, and I do my best to accommodate that. I respect my students’ time, their way of learning and in return I like them to respect my time and my teaching.

If you have any questions at all about my piano lessons, feel free to contact me about them. If you are uncertain about committing for long term, you can always start with a month’s lesson.

Until next time, this is Teresa Wong.