Shepherd Piano Studio

Everyone loves music. To many students, however, learning to master musical elements such as the grand staff, note identification, rhythm, and key signatures can be intimidating.   As a piano instructor, my primary goal is to make the study of piano a joyous and rewarding experience. Therefore, it has always been very painful to watch whenever my students struggle for accuracy in their rhythm, tempo, notes, and dynamics while pursuing excellence in their playing. I frequently ask myself questions such as: How can I help? How can I shorten their struggle? How do I make this learning process more fun and enjoyable? Instead of seeing that they feel they are not good at music, is there any way or any tool to make my teaching more effective?   I strongly believe that the more I seek solutions to help students learn more effectively, the better the teaching skills I will attain. This summer, after playing with lots of music apps, I found that the following games are fun to play and sh

Introduction. The Royal Conservatory is one of the largest and most respected music education institutions in the world. Students at Shepherd Piano Studio are offered the opportunity to participate in the Royal Conservatory Music Development Program. This program not only involves performance, but requires students to develop musicianship and theory skills as well. It is a well-balanced training to cultivate great performers and musicians. At each level, the program sets goals and measures success against students across the United States and Canada based on a national standard. Participation in a Royal Conservatory Program can be a first step on the road to become a professional musician. Results (May 2014). I am extremely proud to announce that six Shepherd Piano Studio students participated in the Royal Conservatory Music Development Program during the 2013-2014 academic year. Of those six, two were awarded 1st Class Honors with Distinction (the highest score level), two ear

On May 4, 2014, the Plano Music Teachers Association held their annual Trophy Competition at the Collin College in Plano.  It makes me extremely proud to report that ten of the contestants were Shepherd Piano Studio students. Participation in this type of event is very demanding. In order to be able to perform their pieces perfectly, students had to push themselves hard to bring themselves up to the standards, both technical and artistic, that are required for this type of competition.  All of the Shepherd Piano Studio participants worked strenuously to meet these standards, and watching this competition, I felt very proud to be their teacher. Four Shepherd Piano Studio students were winners in the competition.  Grace Inthathirath, competing in group 2 of Grade 8, came in Third Place.  Connie Yang, competing in group 2 of Grade 6, came in Third Place.   Sarah Chen, competing in group 1 of grade 8, received an Honorable Mention.  Eileen Zhao, competing in group 3 of Grade 4,