Despite being an adult learner restarting piano after a long hiatus, I want to play piano seriously and not just as “another hobby”. Hence, I am very thankful to have found Ms Xiao Yun, who is dedicated and professional in the art of piano and piano teaching. She has high expectations for her students and not just play through some repertoires. she emphasizes strong foundation in the fundamental techniques, as well as careful observations for musicality in every repertoire we play.

 

Right from the beginning, she has helped to correct my bad habits formed in the past, especially the hand-finger positions. I have tried to deal with that earlier but was unsuccessful and others blamed it on the physique of my hands. Ms Xiao Yun did not dismiss it but prepared something for me to practice and the problem was resolved even before I realized it. She is amazingly thorough in providing feedback on every single repertoire. Her instructions are structured, detailed and crystal clear. She is very fast and precise in pointing out my shortcomings and provides diagnostic practices to overcome the problems. When you think that you have hit the wall in your progress, she would come up with new ideas to resolve it. When preparing for a recent exam, I followed her guidance in using imagery to achieve better tone and expression. This has helped me to engage in the music better and I’ve scored Distinction for the exam. She is also very patient during lesson, drilling the problematic phrases bar by bar, over and over again with me until I get it right. I am especially inspired by her sharing of the background and structure of repertoires and style of composers, which allows me to gain deeper appreciation for the music. I find this beneficial to developing musicality than just playing to the score and maturation as a music student.

 

In this way, Ms Xiao Yun holds her students to high standards. This motivates me to try harder and achieve more. As an adult student with limitations in many ways such as finger dexterity and cognitive processing speed, I was once anxious or even doubtful about achieving any good progress. After starting my lessons with Ms Xiao Yun, I am often surprised by my own progress at the end of the day and become more confident in actualizing my goals in piano. I would strongly recommend Ms Xiao Yun to anyone who is keen in learning and attaining a high standard of piano performance.