Profile of Piano Teacher
Ms Gail
- 2+ Years Teaching Experience
- Currently Pursuing Diploma in Piano
- ABRSM Grade 8 Piano
- ABRSM Grade 6 Music Theory
- ABRSM Grade 6 Double
- Experienced performing with NUS Symphony Orchestra & Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra (Double Bass)
- Teaching Location: Bukit Timah
About
Hi! I am Miss Gail, piano teacher based in Singapore. Today, I am teaching students ranging from 4-43 years old and I believe that anyone with a positive learning attitude can learn the piano!
I teach students who are learning for leisure, as well as students who wish to take ABRSM exams. I have also helped students transition from Yamaha to ABRSM grading.
As a piano teacher, I believe in having a balanced music diet.
As the saying goes,
“You are what you eat”
Likewise, what we play will impact the kind of pianist we grow up to be.
It influences our level of interest in learning the piano, and how long we will be able to sustain it.
So what do I mean by having a balanced music diet?
Scales & Technique
I believe technique can be taught right from beginner stage. I teach simple 5-note scales to beginners to help them build finger strength and good posture.
As we advance, we will learn more interesting scale patterns to help fingers move independently and reduce tension even when playing difficult passages.
Sight Reading & Repertoire
I like to expose my students to a wide range of music to build strong sight reading skills. This way, they also get to be learn about many different composers and develop their own musical taste along the way!
Students also motivate each other by participating in our 30-Piece Challenge, where students will work towards learning 30 pieces in 6 months! This allows them to stay interested to find out what’s next, and be constantly learning new things.
And below are the prizes I prepare for my students who complete learning 30 new pieces in first half of 2020, despite the Covid-19 situations. Kudos to them!
Musicianship Skills
I use clapping and singing to develop musicianship skills like Aural & Rhythm. Clapping allows them to be able to have a strong sense of rhythm and be able to switch between different rhythms with ease.
Through singing, students are able to hear the shape of the music lines better, and also listen to how multiple music lines work together to create different harmonies. This also gives them a practical understanding of how theory works in music.
By building a good foundation, Piano playing gets more exciting as we progress into graded exams! With strong sight reading skills, students can learn new music easily & no longer get scared learning pieces with “a lot of tow gay”.
Growing up, I was lucky to watch live music performances and be exposed to different genres of music in MOE’S Music Elective Program. I also performed with other musicians as part of NUS Symphony Orchestra and Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra on the double bass.
This allowed me to develop a sense of camaraderie with my fellow musicians, and always inspired to improve my music making.
Performing with Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra 2008
This is why I love creating a music community for my students and parents to share and learn music together! Through Group Classes & Performance Opportunities, students are able to have positive peer support from each other, and come away feeling so excited and proud of their accomplishments.
These also develop important life skills like confidence, goal-setting and resilience, that will stay with us for the rest of our life.
With each performance, students become more confident playing for bigger audience, and grow more inspired to learn more pieces and new techniques from watching each other.
During the circuit breaker period due to Covid-19, stage recitals and gatherings are not allowed, but that does not stop performances! So instead of normal recitals, I organize a zoom recital for all the students to perform for one another, and we all enjoyed ourselves even during this difficult period.
Languages
English, Mandarin
Lessons
- Sight Reading Training
- Aural Training
- Scale Playing Training
- Music Theory Grade 1 to 8.
- Graded Piano Lessons
- Piano Lessons for Adults
- Piano Lessons for Kids