Learn Piano with London ABC Piano Studio

David He-RCM Teacher #140822.

Graduated from Western as a master's in music, David has been working in music field for ten years. He is now a teacher working for TVDSB at a public school and a professional piano player at church in London. He received his RCM teacher's certificate. His studio provides services as follows.

- Private piano/violin learning in person and online 

- Piano tuning and repairing 

- RCM/ABRSM exams preparation 

- Music theory studying

David He (M.Mus in Music Ed, MA in Musicology, BA in Music Ed, BA in Management, RCM Teacher's Certificate)

 Learning the piano is an efficient way of getting to know of music. Studying piano also provide a platform for all the children to interact with each other. It can be effectively fulfilling the requirements lies in the developmental curriculum in all the teaching philosophies. For example, according to How Does Learning Happen, the four pillars in education are, namely, engagement, well-being, expression, and belonging. When my students make music collectively, I would consider the four anchors to determine if my teaching methods fit the requirements of children’s development. Next, I will explain the elements of my teaching practice, students’ takeaways, and my specializations and the area I am outstanding. 

 The elements in my classes are based on communication, which can be separated into repertoire study, musicianship practice, innovative performance, and etude practice. These elements need approximate six minutes each, so students would not feel tired and bored in class. For example, in a typical class, I would firstly let the students warm up by playing the scales and arpeggio. After they feel that they can play the music, I would encourage them to relax and focus on the technique that they have practiced. In the meantime, I would put the content of musicianship into these parts. Normally, at the end of a class, I would encourage the students to find some music they like and play for them while let them try. All the sections above can be exchanged, which should be determined by individual situations. As such, the elements in my classroom are based on the interaction between me and the students, and those elements relate to each other.

 Regarding the outcomes after my class, I would not rather believe that a completion of certain music should be the only goal. The most important thing is for the students to understand music and how music can change their lives. Admittedly, the short-term goals should be based on learning certain pieces, but the long-term end of my classes is to testify the musicianship and artistry. In China, parents always want their child to take all the music competitions so that they could get high score in their school grading. This is a wrong way to teach, and the outcomes of learning music should not be based on this. As such, the short-term goals and long-term goal should be combined, so students could reflect on what they really want to play, which will facilitate their study. 

 My specialization is that I have not only the music study educational background but the early childhood education background. I can observe and find out what children really like. Since I have been studying in both fields, I have the faith that the two fields should have a lot of similarities, so I would continue my research. This is also I am good at, since it encouraged me to try different teaching methods in both areas. Besides that, I have got my piano tuner’s certificate, which provides me the ability to make sure that the instruments are well tuned in my class. Therefore, I strongly believe that I can bring new knowledge into my classroom, which can facilitate my students’ interests in music. 

 In conclusion, this small paper discussed my teaching philosophy. It provided the elements of my class, which are based on the document HDLM and the possible outcomes. I also described my specialties in music education. I believe that with patience and a relaxing learning environment, teachers can use their autonomy to create their own curriculums, which could benefit both the teachers and students.