Music Education?

One of my university friends on Facebook asked me if I thought music education to be useful/good/educational, and why. I replied YES, most certainly! :) Here is a little of what I wrote her:

Education teaches you to think. It is supposed to be an experience, which you learn from. And music gives you a creative experience different from other learning experiences. Thus, it teaches you to think in a different ways, which can indirectly help you, even if you do not become a musician. Moreover, you can learn to appreciate music and culture, which are reflections of life, and thus learn to appreciate life.....


I certainly do not believe that any education is about how much information you can cram/store in your brain (especially for examination purposes), although I do agree that it is useful to have lots of information stored in your brain. Education is actually supposed to teach you how to intelligently use the information you have gathered. In other words it is supposed to teach you to think creatively for yourself!, and be a good, contributing member of society, while living life to the fullest. I guess I am an idealistic teacher/person, but I think it is better to work positively in that direction in life, then not try at all. ;)

Thank You for the Roses! Exams, Concerts

These roses were from my piano student Connie and her parents yesterday. Aren't they so pretty?!? Thank you!!! :) They were for belated Teachers' Day. Mr.&Mrs. Lin and Connie are from the United States and Connie attends the American International School, so they did not know that it was Singapore's Teachers' Day last Monday, until they read about it in the newspaper. It is very sweet of them to think about me and get me such beautiful roses! I appreciate the thought and sincerity a lot! I always really enjoy chatting with Mrs. Lin whenever I go teach Connie. She is a very warm lady with a very cheerful personality. It is also highly enjoyable to teach Connie because she is very interactive and attentive during lessons, and often has intelligent opinions/ideas of her own to share with me. I will definitely miss the family when they return to the States....

Just to side-track, the beautiful colour of the roses and the roses themselves remind me of the pretty Paul Smith rose perfume commercial I saw on TV Mobile. I find the perfume nice for a rose perfume, but a of friend of mine says that rose perfume reminds him of the Bandung Rose drink. That thought never occurred to me. It must be a Southeast Asian cultural thing. I didn't grow up drinking Bandung Rose drink, so to me, rose perfume smells like perfect roses. ;) Funny? Thank you Mr.&Mrs. Lin and Connie for the roses!!! I love them, and so does my mum! ;)

During my short break from piano teaching, I went to the ABRSM office to get exam information for the upcoming Feb/March 2009 practical exams. The sign-up date for that starts 29 September 2008. I will be distributing the 2009 ABRSM exam schedule to my students this week.

In addition, during the break, I also attended a Violin and Piano Recital at the Esplanade. I really enjoyed especially the performance of Allegrissimo from Sergei Prokofiev's sonata for Violin and Piano No.1 in Fminor, opus 80. I love the sonata itself. It is however very sad. The performance was really well-received and the entire recital studio was filled. The duo was really together too! :) However, unfortunately, I think the colour of the piano was a little too muffled, which contrasted too greatly with the violin which had a much sharper, more vivid sound colour....haha....maybe I am biased because I play the piano ;)......but anyway, it couldn't be helped because pianists don't usually get to choose their pianos for performances! Anyway, it was certainly an enjoyable concert and enjoyable evening! :) The next concert I look forward to attend is the Murray Perahia concert happening on 24 October 2008! Go get the tickets now, if you haven't already!!! The tickets are really expensive though because Murray Perahia is really good, and the program which he will perform is really enjoyable and exciting too! :) I heard from a friend in Shanghai that he is actually also visiting Shanghai, and the tickets there are expensive, but not as expensive as Singapore! I wish I were in Shanghai! I love the Shanghai Concert Hall as well. It's very nice. ;) The piano concert I attended this year that blew me away was the one whereby Emmanuel Ax played Chopin's Piano Concerto No.2 in F minor, Ops. 21. Not only does Emmanuel Ax have a stable and reliable technique, he also has a really rich and varied sound colour palette on the piano. It was REALLY ABSOLUTELY magical how he coloured and phrased everything. And the most amazing part is that it sounded absolutely natural!! I so much do hope that I will get to attend another of his concerts! I hope he does come to Singapore again!

Fun Musical Fact I Just Learnt

"If you put on headphones, and listen to one tone in the left ear (say, 440 Hz) and a slightly different tone in the right ear (say, 446 Hz), then you will hear beating between the two tones, at (of course) 6 Hz -- the difference -- even though there's no actual physical interaction between the frequencies. It's all done in the gray matter."

Quoted from Darthmouth's Gamelan Listserve I subscribe to. :)

Music Book Shopping!

I went music book shopping for my students at Yamaha Plaza Singapura today, since I am having a short teaching break! New stocks just arrived, and I was grabbing the more popular ones that always run out of stock for my students. Somehow, Yamaha Plaza Singapura stock out their books every few months and one cannot pre-order the books. And everyone seems to know when Yamaha new book stock arrives too! For those higher grades and diploma students, go get your scores now when there is stock! :)

One laments the recent closure of Sweet Classics, which used to be run by my friend Joseph. It was sooooo conveniently located at Shaw Centre. It also had a huge selection of books, which is great especially for higher grades and diploma students. One could also pre-order books and know that they will arrive very soon.

Today, I finally got my two grade 7 students their aural practice books with CDs! :) I waited and waited for a few months for it to be in stock and kept checking and checking! There were only a few of those left on the shelf, although they had plenty of grade 8, and none of grade 6. Another popular and much loved book by children is Ng Ying Ying's colorful theory books....those are also usually out of stock. I think they complement the ABRSM theory books very well, especially for students who need extra practice on their theory. :) I also got Tuneful Studies and Leila Fletcher for some of my younger students, which are now in stock again. I am very happy! :) I do not enjoy lugging all the heavy books all the way home and sorting out the payment, which is way confusing for me, but by buying books for my students, I know exactly what books they have, and I can plan their musical progress exactly, and think about it carefully while selecting the books for them. And no, I do not stock books like some piano teachers do. I believe that each student is uniquely talented. :) But that means that I have to go music book shopping often and hunt the books down, which is a positive experience anyway. :)

Yippee! :) I feel so accomplished today! :)

Thank You to My Dear Students! Love you all! :)

I want to thank all my dear piano students for their well-wishes, kind thoughts and lovely presents for this Teachers' Day. I appreciate it all a lot. You are all very sweet and thoughtful! Thank you very much! I will always try my best to be the best piano teacher/adviser/friend! :)

Below are the gifts I got this Teachers' Day, in addition to sweet well-wishes :), in order of appearance. :) Thank you So Very much for your thoughts and efforts! :)




This is from Mrs. Viena and her two boys, Ray and Russell. The two boys are fun, and Ray has recently developed an interesting sense of humour! Mrs. Viena too is a very understanding and fun mum to be around! :) Yummy! One of my favorite chocolates ever! And I love Mozart, the composer, not surprisingly! Thank you!! :)



Next, this is from Mrs. Michelle and her daughter Kelly, who are also my most wonderful neighbors! It's great to hear Kelly practice the piano so regularly! :) I simply love honey! (I am a little bear in disguise.) And this comes with a nice beautiful comb, which I find fun to eat! Plus, I love Eu Yan Sang. I even signed up for their free membership for teachers this Teachers' Day. Thank you!! :)

This cute mug is from my friend Yee Jiun and her son Mun Tat. Mun Tat is a most conscientious and fun student, with a highly supportive mother, who plays the piano really well herself! I adore the story "Guess How Much I Love You"! I once read it in a bookstore because it was one of the books highly-recommended by the bookstore, and I thought it is a really sweet story and it is very well-illustrated. Yee Jiun tells me that they now have the story in four new versions based on the four seasons! I have got to go check it out! I love you guys too! :) Thank you!! :)



This wonderful box of yellow custard kueh is from Mrs. Wong and her daughter Rui Yee, who recently passed her Grade 5 ABRSM Practical with a High Merit and encouraging comments. Rui Yee always has good ideas and questions, and it is really interesting working with her! Congratulations and Thank you!! :)

This miniature violin is from Celine, a most enthusiastic and hardworking adult piano student who recently passed her Grade 3 ABRSM Practical with Merit. She has been improving a lot and has come very far. For those lucky children who have the wonderful opportunity to learn the piano when young, do treasure it and practice!...The music, skills and memories will last a lifetime and will be appreciated later in life. The miniature violin is a beautiful accompaniment to my piano, and it will be permanently displayed on my piano. :) Congratulations Celine and Thank you!! :)

Lastly, the box of one of my favorite Japanese chocolates is from Mr.&Mrs. Ang and Ling Kee, who is one of my oldest student, a student who started with me since I started my teaching career in 2001. Ling Kee has a lot of potential, and can go very far in music with lots of practice. He is very musical, logical, calm and focused. However, I agree that "O" levels is very important, and I wish him the best of luck in that!! :) I look forward to Ling Kee learning Tchaikovsky's Dumka, when his "A" levels are done....hee hee :) It's a beautiful piece, and I am sure Ling Kee will play it very well with lots of practice. Mr.&Mrs. Ang are also one of the sweetest, nicest and most encouraging parents I have ever met, whom I believe truly appreciate the rewards of a good musical education. I appreciate their kindness, support and thoughtfulness always. Thank you!! :)


Thank you very, very much to all my wonderful students again! I truly appreciate all your thoughtfulness and kindness!! I am really touched and thus super-happy!! I love you all lots too!! :)

Testing and Thank you Mr.&Mrs.Lee&family :)

A few friends of mine have suggested that I set up a blog since eons ago. I have finally decided to try it. I am not sure how conscientious I am at keeping it up, but it seems fun trying. :) So here goes........Have fun reading! :)

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. & Mrs. Lee and family for their support, and for their generous help and time in making and setting up my piano website . As you all know, I am very far from a computer/internet expert. The piano website could not even have existed without Mr. & Mrs. Lee, who suggested/initiated the idea, and then took time and effort to help me realize it, as well as upkeep it. Their generosity and kindness are greatly appreciated. I am very thankful, and I feel very blessed to have such wonderful people in my life!! I wish Yan Hui the best in his studies and his upcoming PSLE, and Jia Ying the best in her studies as well! :) I will go visit you guys after the busy PSLE season! Good luck! Miss you guys! Thank you lots and lots for your continuous support! :)