Profile of Piano Teacher

Ms Monica

  • LTCL Teaching – Licentiate Trinity College Of Music In Teaching
  • Masters Of Church Music by Singapore Bible College
  • 30 Years of Teaching Experience (Children, Youths & Adults)
  • 10 Years of Experience in Yamaha Music School Group Lessons (3 Years Old Onwards)
  • 10 Years as Choral Director in Primary School Choirs
  • Organist and Pianist in Church Worship and Church Choirs
  • Teaching Location: Home Studio at Clementi

About

For the past 30 years, Ms Monica has been giving piano and theory lessons to kids, youths, and adults, as well as group classes for children as young as 3 years old.

Ms Monica received her Licentiate Trinity College of Music in Teaching (LTCL) in 1989, and has gone on to be a piano teacher to countless number of students. She taught at Yamaha Music School for 10 years, where many of her students achieved Merit and Distinctions for their ABRSM graded exams.

One student has even gone on to be an international performing music artist today.

Ms Monica also hold regular class performances and group concerts for her students. Masterclasses and piano competitions were also arranged for those who were interested in stage performance.

On top of regular piano teaching, Ms Monica also include different activities in her lessons to make it exciting and engaging for her students.

Such activities include music theory games, music appreciation, story telling of music composers, rhythmic games, and Dalcroze movements.

Ms Monica currently teaches at her home studio at Clementi, specially customized to provide a conducive environment for piano and theory lessons for all ages.  Ms Monica is also interviewed by The Happy Pianist to share her journey of teaching music for over 30 years. You can read the interview here.

Here’s a kids piano class with Ms Monica at her home studio at Clementi.

 

Here’s a performance by 5 years old Ollie (the girl in the video above). Ollie learned for 5 months with Ms Monica, and performed her first song with Ms Monica in the recital.

Below is a virtual recital organized by Ms Monica, during the circuit period. The first part is the kids performance, followed by the adults. Enjoy!

And here’s the performances by some of Ms Monica’s kids and adult students in the 2020. Enjoy their performances!

 

 

Dear Teacher Monica,

We are parents of student Min Hao from your piano class, it was an amazing learning journey for the past few months for Min Hao. My son was having a hard time adjusting to a new learning environment in the beginning of his first Piano journey. Teacher Monica was a great help and her endless encouragement to boost up his self motivation to made him love the music. She has a great way in teaching and tackling Min Hao to do his best in piano,

He was so lucky to be in your piano class.

Teacher Monica is very professional and show great dedication and passion in teaching Piano, we are always feel blessed as a parent with our son being taught by her. We really appreciate it!!

.

Here’s a performance by a 5 years old Min Hao, who started learning with Ms Monica for just 3 months. Recital is organized by Ms Monica for her students.

 

Parents Of Student, Min Hao

We started with teacher Monica since January 2019.

Matthieu had another piano teacher for a year who migrated to another country.
Teacher Monica’s style is very well structured and encourages constantly the right posture, discipline and good piano practices.

Also what we appreciate is that Monica listens to our feedback and make adjustments to Matthieu’s lesson plans. It shows that she is involved, passionate and cares for her students.

However most importantly, teacher Monica exudes passion with a lifelong experience of teaching piano to children. We hope that her passion for music transcends onto Matthieu.

Mervyn, Father of Student, Matthieu

We are very thankful to have found an experienced and nurturing piano teacher like Ms Monica for our daughter, Janna. During her first lesson with Ms Monica, we found Ms Monica to be patient and extremely encouraging. It is evident that she is a nurturing teacher who chooses to see beyond her students’ current inadequacies but believes in their potential and works with them to bring out the best within them.

Janna really enjoys playing the piano under Ms Monica’s guidance and looks forward to attending every lesson. Her lessons are varied and creatively structured so that they are always interesting. She is also very understanding and flexible to incorporate the piano books we have previously gotten with her lessons books so that nothing goes to waste. She also patiently answers all my questions during the lessons so that I would be able to help Janna when she practices at home.

After around 5 months of lessons with Ms Monica, Janna has grown in her confidence in playing the piano such that she would even play the simple pieces she learnt at the school piano. Her Daddy was also pleasantly surprised to hear Janna playing a short piano melody from memory at home.

While Ms Monica is always encouraging and seeks opportunities to inspire Janna, she is also firm in her standards. I like it that she doesn’t pressurise/rush her students but journeys with them in accordance to their pace and stretches them accordingly. She is really a great teacher!


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Here’s a performance by a Janna, after learning about 1 year with Ms Monica.

Charmaine, Mother of Student, Janna

I started taking piano lessons at the end of 2018 at the age of 44! I had always wanted to learn the piano and so took the plunge.

After searching for Adult Piano Lessons I came into contact with Monica. Monica is very accommodating (as I have quite a hectic work travel schedule), thoughtful and understanding.

She is patient and also not afraid to point out corrections in your style and how you play, which I appreciate. She is a good natured person with a kind spirit and I am pleased to have her as my teacher.

I love the piano and whilst you of course need a good teacher the bulk of the work and learning must come from you! I am never afraid to ask Monica to repeat something or slow down and explain again! She tries to find ways that make it easier to grasp.

I look forward to continuing my lessons with Monica and one day playing as easily as she does!

Michelle, Student

Monica is a very patient teacher. She teaches very well and explains the music theory well. She reinforces the basic well, explaining the rhythms and how to position the fingers to create a clear sound.

She writes down the homework that is supposed to be practiced at home neatly in a notebook. She is also very friendly and you can share any problems you have with her. We also have meals together after lessons.

She also teaches how to observe musical patterns to simplify and ease the learning process.

Grace Ang, Student

My music journey began with Mdm Monica Tong when I was 7.

Mdm Tong gave me one of the most enriching journeys one could ever ask for. In no other group would I have had lessons dedicated to embracing the stories of composers, watched a multitude of different concerts, and the chance to perform every year with friends.

Mdm Tong’s lessons were particularly exciting, especially during theory classes. Mdm Tong is the only teacher to have had so many different toys and tools to play with whilst learning that I have lost count. The one that particularly stuck with me throughout my life was her use of ‘Wrap-ups’. ‘Wrap-ups’ was a challenge she had for us students that really challenged my mind. It was a love-hate relationship with this toy. I loved coming in first amongst my friends, but I hated learning it. Her best practical lessons were the ones where I was immersed in the story of the composer, imagining his life in the Baroque Period, all in the very room I was in.

One thing I loved was the annual concerts Mdm Tong planned. She would invite parents to come watch me and my friends perform on stage, organised many games and even special performances for our audience. My most memorable experience was our group performance – the handbell ensemble. Our favourite song on the handbells was ‘Joy to the World’, and I remembered holding up the ‘G’ and ‘A’ bell, ever so eagerly waiting to ring them at the right time.

Before I knew it, I was already grade 4. A year later, I hit grade 5 with Mdm Tong. The pieces I was learning were so much more difficult, and they became so much more interesting and colourful. In her annual concerts, I was moving off from playing solo to duets, and then from duets with Mdm Tong to duets with her other students.

Then came the time Mdm Tong hosted a mission trip to Chiangmai, Thailand to perform for the students there. Despite their culture of music being different over there, I was glad that they enjoyed our handbell ensemble performance we prepared for them.

In almost every piano grading I had, I managed to score a distinction for it. Of course, it wasn’t an easy feat. During the trainings, I’ve laughed a lot, and I cried just as much. Practising for 4 hours at home every day for 2 months before my exams was very painful and tiring. At some time after practicing, I’d find tears dripping onto my piano keys, so I had to wipe the keys dry, wipe my tears off my eyes and continue practising. However, after those hours, I’ve always found delight when I was able to play a new section of the piece well, even if it was just in front of Mdm Tong herself.

Through all the hardship and guidance from Mdm Tong, I was able to finish grade 8 in piano with a distinction. 2 years later, I’ve found my first student to pass on her knowledge and guidance.

I am extremely grateful for Mdm Tong to have found me and guided me to where I am now. I hope that I am able to provide the same enriching experience Mdm Tong brought to me to all my future students.

Timothy Tan

A Grateful Ex-Student Of Ms Monica

Languages

English, Mandarin

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