Surakarta, Indonesia

I will be in Surakarta, Indonesia from 25 October 2008 to 1 November 2008 for a one-week gamelan study/performance trip! I am very excited! :) It will be a nice short break from my cyclical, full teaching schedule, and I am sure I will come back refreshed.....and hopefully so will my students after a one-week break!...hee hee ;) Since Singapore is rather small, I believe that it is always refreshing to travel out of Singapore once in a while to "see the world" ;) Yippee~~

Thank you to Sze Wing, my student, for the hairpin....I still haven't figured out how to bun my hair yet.....I always love Sze Wing's beautiful and fashionable hairbuns.....Also, Congratulations Sze Wing on passing your ABRSM Grade 8!! :) Continue practicing hard for your Diploma! ;) Hee hee ;)

Tonight I will be attending Murray Perahia's piano concert after my piano teaching!! I am soooooo very excited!! :) However, I am a little stressed because I will have to wake up in the wee hours the next morning to catch my flight to Surakarta. I have finally finished packing though! :) Yes, a very stressful schedule, but I simply haaaavvveee to attend Murray Perahia's piano concert!! ;) Sooo excited! :)

The Meaning of Education???

A university student who has recently happily completed her ABRSM Grade 8 examinations was very excited to start on new repertoire to work towards her DipABRSM in two years. However, a week into her new start, she came to her piano lesson, saying to the effect that her university friends questioned the value of her practicing and attempting to progress towards her DipABRSM, stating that she will be graduating from NUS with a BA in a year, and thus they see not much of a point to investing so much time, effort, and money into getting a DipABRSM. The word used was that it is a "waste". I was simply absolutely shocked! Perhaps not having had the bulk of my education since young via the Singapore education system, I am not quite attuned to the meaning of education here. Moreover, this is not the only incident whereby the meaning of education in Singapore has surprised me and left me very puzzled.

Basically, in the incident mentioned above, education is equated specifically only to monetary value/opportunity/gain. My reply to the university student was that she has to make choices for herself, in that it is not compulsory at all to do DipABRSM. It is fair that different people have different goals, and some do obtain a Diploma for the sake of certification, which might have positive monetary consequences. For others, it is an opportunity that not everyone has in life to discover music and discover oneself/happiness through music, for the sake of knowledge/music, curiosity and to live a full, varied, enriching life that just does not focus solely on money or the obtaining of money.

I went on to say further that the value of any good education in any field is priceless. The value of a good education is not only to be a huge storage for a vast amount of information in the field that one chooses, or only to be an expert in a particular field (two-dimensional human being), but very importantly, a good education will bring out universal useful/positive life skills and hone critical/analytical thinking skills, which are universally applicable and transferable to whatever one may choose to pursue in life (three-dimensional human being). Life is a colorful, interesting journey, filled with potential discoveries. I believe that education is suppose to help the student understand/see the colors and potential. Sometimes in life, one might not end up specializing in what one studied, but with a good education, one should be empowered with positive life-skills to deal with the choices one has made in life.

I have piano students and parents that tell me that piano education is positive factor in their lives. Piano performance requires, thus cultivates patience, discipline, systematic/logical working-through of pieces, focus for long periods of time, calmness, confidence, among many other positive traits. Certainly, it takes commitment and treating piano lessons/practice seriously in order to bring out these positive traits in any individual. For example, an advanced adult student who has been with me for about two years now, keeps telling me that piano has helped her tremendously with her nervousness and anxiety, which affected her job, and basically her life. However, she is currently in her dream job with good prospects, coupled with greater confidence and much happiness. She has also long since graduated from ABRSM Grade 8, and is concurrently pursuing DipABRSM with her full-time job, which is not related to music. I am deeply very happy to see her very much transformed from since I met her two years ago. This brings me yet to another point.

I believe that the role of a teacher is not only to teach about the subject, but also to educate/mold the student as an individual, unique human being. For example, I currently have a student who has been stressed out about the upcoming "O" Levels for months. As a teacher, I truly care for my students, and I want the students to do well in whatever they pursue. This student has been regularly coming for piano lessons, even with his exams coming round the corner.

Firstly, it's great that he and his parents understand that life does not stop because of examinations. I cannot imagine a poor child doing nothing everyday, but sleep, eat, go to school, mug for months on end with the examination as the goal, with occasional time to play and explore. I seriously question its educational effectiveness and the psychological impact it has on a child.

Now going back to the main issue...During his piano lessons, I sometimes spend part of the lesson discussing with him about his "O" Level Examinations/goals in life, giving him advice about the psychology of taking exams in general so as to perform better in the future, and to help him understand that yes, he has to study hard for his examinations, but one is not an absolute failure if one is not the brightest in every single subject in school, which seems to be the general perception/trend here. Different people are experts at different things in life. Everyone is unique. For example, if a child is not great at mathematics/science, but excellent in the humanities, the child should be considered as intelligent as one who is not great at humanities, but excellent in mathematics/science. (However, I am often told that the "science stream" is a privilege and only open to those considered capable, not necessarily to those who are simply interested/willing to seriously learn. If the child is excellent in and loves the humanities, and mediocre in mathematics/science, but "privileged" enough to enter the "science stream", then what happens?) If the child is excellent in all subjects, success in life or living a fulfilling life is not necessarily guaranteed either. Life is always filled with exam-like situations and discouraging moments, and one must have the courage to do what thinks is correct and very importantly persevere towards one's goals/beliefs. There will always be someone out there brighter/smarter than you, but what does it matter?

Some who has read this far might start to think that spending part of piano lesson talking about anything other than piano/music during piano lesson is a total waste of time! I strongly disagree, going back to the meaning of education and what it means to educate. I feel that the student feels more encouraged and more positive about his future and intelligence, after our discussions. He leaves with a lighter heart and a greater fighting spirit to do outdo himself in whatever he endeavors. I truly believe in this student's intelligence. It is evident in his attitude towards life & people and personality, something that an exam cannot evaluate. Certainly, he is not a straight A student, but he tries his best, and has strengths in many subjects. He always treats piano lessons seriously, tries his best at piano, and is talented at it as well. As a teacher, I care for the student as a whole, and I have tried to give what I believe to be truly meant by an education, in addition to musical knowledge.

Certainly it takes a lot of trust and effort between the student, student's parents and teacher to develop a student-teacher relationship as evidenced above. It takes years. However, I believe that the relationship and education that result are priceless.

During examination periods, I certainly would like the student to learn, but not be stressed out by their piano lessons. Also, because the above student and his parents are not after certification solely for the sake of certification, it is great that I have the opportunity to introduce, discuss, and listen to numerous piano pieces with the student during lessons, so that he better understands/comprehends the huge exciting, varied piano repertoire out there, waiting to be explored, as well as the various pianists & their styles. This activity is certainly not required by ABRSM examinations and it is a minute percentage of the aural component in ABRSM examinations, but I believe it to be a necessarily component of a music/piano education. It is what I call the "see the world tour" in piano music. ;)

Having said all these, I have also met parents who think that piano teachers can fix any child lacking in discipline during piano lessons. I believe this view to be erroneous. I believe that only the parents can truly instill discipline & respect for teachers in the child. Logically, if the child does not listen to his/her parents, it is highly unlikely that the child will listen to the teacher. If the child chooses not to do his/her homework or practice due to lack of discipline or respect for the teachers, piano teachers cannot, and should not, be expected to perform miracles either during the usual once-a-week lessons. However, the teacher can definitely successfully support the parents and work together with the parents in educating the child, by reinforcing the concept of discipline in a child during piano lessons.

Okay I better stop myself from writing a thesis about piano education........I have too much to say, but I think that's enough for now. ;)

Thank you! :)

I have been meaning to post this for a long time! ;) Thank you to Mrs. Wong and my student, Nicole for these yummy and pretty mooncakes during Mid-Autumn Festival! :) The flavours including sesame, durian and raspberry cheese are very interesting and innovative. ;) Nicole is very persistent when it comes to the piano. However, I am constantly amaze at how fast she can devour a story book! I hear that Nicole is an avid reader, and can stay up all night to read non-stop, finishing a thick story book in one weekend! ;) Wow! ;) Thank you Mrs. Wong and Nicole!! :) For this Mid-Autumn Festival I went with my parents to the Chinese Garden to watch the lighted-lantern-display. The entire garden was basically filled with Hello Kitty & Friends characters. I enjoyed the atmosphere...ramai sekali. :) However, I wished that the lanterns were more varied in design and more traditional. But the children out there must have loved it, especially the Hello Kitty fans! :)

This bouquet of pretty roses are from Jarryl for Belated Teachers' Day! :) I love the colour combination and the presentation...it is very sweet. The roses are not real, but a student who saw it displayed at the table beside the piano thought that they were and went to have a closer look, commenting on how pretty they were. Jarryl is a very intelligent child. Although he is only 6 years old, he understands concepts and ideas very quickly and has an instinctive approach at the piano. Recently, Jarryl has taken to practicing the piano everyday, with the wonderful support of his mother, and thus has become more patient/focused, improving a lot. I hope that this positive trend will continue. :) Jarryl is very sweet and enthusiastic. It is fun teaching him. :) Unfortunately, nowadays many children are distracted by computer games. The computer is certainly useful and fun, but as a piano teacher, I find that children who play a lot of computer games tend to have shorter attention spans and have less ability to focus for long periods of time. Perhaps it is because computer games provide a high level of stimulation and engagement regardless of the situation. Playing the piano requires accuracy, a high level of focus and long attention spans. It is like a sport in some ways. ;) However, understandably, computer games for children are unavoidable and are a sign of the times. ;) Thank you Mrs. Cheryl and Jarryl!! :)

This pretty can of Japanese tea is from Grace Ng. Grace is a working adult who is taking ABRSMDip piano lessons. She was sent by her company for a short overseas trip to Japan, and she got me this with other snacks, which I so quickly consumed that I didn't have the opportunity to take pictures of them....hee hee ;) Japanese snacks/foods tend to be delicious and really pretty ;) I love Sencha! :) I wonder how Grace knew ;) I even named my Fluff Friend Frog on Facebook "Sencha". ;) I wish I could be sent overseas in my job. It must be really exciting and fun. :) I love to travel. I find Grace amazing in that she is very disciplined, balancing work and piano. She is not at all anxious to just play through/learn the notes as quickly as possible. She is very patient, systematic and logical in her learning. She would patiently repeat sections several times with me correcting, in order to fully understand my corrections and suggestions, so that by the end of the lesson, although she had only worked on a section of the piece, she fully understands/remembers what she needs to do during her own practices. Grace would work through all her pieces that way, accumulating section by section of music, and although it might seem slow, it is actually a most fast and most effective, thorough way of learning. It is most enjoyable teaching Grace, and I believe that she has improved a lot in her understanding of her pieces. She practices seriously, takes her lessons seriously, and she is very musical, and she asks logical questions during lessons. It's great to work with a student who is concerned about the details in music. Details in music are highly important...music is not just a collection of notes. It is also great that Grace is unfazed by how difficult a piece might seem, choosing the pieces in the exam repertoire list that are not only technically achievable for her after much hard work, but also appeals to her. It always amazes me whenever I teach such a motivated and musical student, and further more a non-music major! It makes me happy to know that there are students out there who learn music for the sake of music, with the certificate as an added bonus, but not the only main focus. ;) If Grace is so disciplined and serious at the piano, I imagine she must be most excellent and wonderful in her job!! ;) Amazing....Thank you again Grace!! :)

Feb/March 2009 ABRSM Practical Exams

The ABRSM sign-up for Feb/March 2009 practical exams are currently ongoing. I have already signed up for the students in my studio. :)

Technically, parents can sign their children up for exams. However, as a responsible teacher, I strongly prefer to personally sign my students up for exams, personally handle the dates, issues if any etc, so that I fully understand/know/keep track of the timeline/situation for each student, and therefore I can easily plan appropriately for each student, working together with the student towards the exam goal. Usually, a group of students would sit for exams at the same place, on the same date, and at about the same time because the teacher will sign them up as a group. After the exam, a student will usually tell me that he/she saw this other student(s) from my studio who was also there to take his/her exam. I believe that it is comforting for the students when they see other students from my studio also taking exams. Perhaps it's a feeling of positive comradirie, which is nice. :) In addition, the teacher can easily remember and keep track of the student's progress through the years. :)

I take immense pride in, and I believe that I am very responsible in presenting my students for their exams. I will always notify/call the parents/students on the day when I get notices/results for exams because I believe that it is very important to do so. Also, I am always super-excited when I receive the results/certificates in my mail. I would read the exam comments several times to prepare in order to help my students understand them the next lesson, so that the comments and exams are helpful for them. :) In the July-September 2008 exam season, students did very well, and all of them passed. :) Good job to my students! :) Happy Sherina :)

Selamat Hari Raya & Happy Children's Day!

Selamat Hari Raya & Happy Children's Day! :) Today must be super-happy because the two celebrations fall on the same day in Singapore: October 1, 2008. It was difficult getting the candy for Children's Day this year for the children in my piano studio, due to the China milk scandal, which I find very, very sad and unscrupulous. :( One of my students told me that even the baby animals in China have kidney stones because they were fed the milk. :( Very sad.

I have been told that children in general love squishy, chewy, bouncy candies. White Rabbit, which children loved though it was traditional, would have been the obvious choice previously, but not anymore. Definitely NO candies/foods from China from me! So this year, it's bouncy Yupi gummies manufactured in Indonesia, and the much-loved Chupa Chups Lollipops manufactured in Mexico. :)

Selamat Hari Raya & Happy Children's Day! :)

Fee Adjustment November 2008

I feel that it's been quite a while since my last post. Sorry about that. :) I was busy recently with the fee adjustment issue, which was difficult for me. If inflation did not exist, Sherina would not have had to deal with fee adjustment and money, which would have been great! But electricity and water is increasing by 20 to 21 percent, while transportation fees have basically doubled recently, not to mention the increase in the price of food, commodities etc....! Therefore, not surprisingly, some schools such as Yamaha decided to increase their fees by 10 to 15 percent starting October 2008. With all that, Sherina has decided that she cannot hold out any longer, and she has to increase her fees by 10 to 15 percent starting November 2008. It wasn't an easy decision, and I tried to be as fair as possible. I believe that the piano lesson fees are actually still very low and competitive, taking into account the high quality of education given.

The response to the fee adjustment has been positive so far. :) Parents and students expected the fee adjustment as a normal reaction to the recent steep price hike of everything in Singapore. Several parents/students/friends even commented that there is too big a fee difference between grade 7 & grade 8 because there is no difference in fees between grades 5 & 6, and a $5 (per month) difference between grades 6 & 7. That was my weird effort to keep the fees low.... Therefore, the suggestions have been that I increase grade 6 by $5 (per month) and increase grade 7 by $5 (per month), which will make the fee chart more normal....such nice parents/students/friends right?!? Sherina loves her students & studio and feels very lucky. :) I guess nowadays, $5 is equivalent to one meal at the hawker centre....I feel that the inflation this year in Singapore is just too high.....In any case, I will take the suggestions into serious consideration. Right now, I am happy with my chart, and will decide later. However, to be fair, no matter what happens, the existing students will certainly not be affected by this suggested change till they next up the grade next year. :) So don't worry. :) My perpetual obsession with fairness, but I am very glad that the fee adjustment is all over and done with. :)

A huge sigh of relief :)))