The Good Pianist

Author: Philip

  • Why choose The Good Pianist? (Part 1)

    Note: The views expressed in this post are strictly mine alone.

    Anyone living in a cosmopolitan city like Hong Kong and intending to enroll in piano lessons probably knows that there are thousands of piano teachers in this city. Which begs the question: how does one find a suitable teacher? What factors need to be considered? Or should one just plunge in and hope for the best?

    Generally, people who are looking for a piano teacher (either for themselves or their children) have one or more of the following in mind:

    • Price
    • Location
    • Availability
    • Qualifications
    • Experience

    Let’s look at each of these in turn.

    Price: This is probably the Number One question prospective students ask me first. All I can say is—don’t take pricing as the most important factor in making your decision. There are teachers who charge cheaper rates (perhaps they are just starting out and/or they don’t have much experience) and conversely there are teachers who charge more because they have been in this business for a long time. Of course, my advice would be to go with a teacher who has had a lot of teaching experience (more about this later).

    Location: This wields a lot of importance, as it would make traveling to and from the teacher’s studio less of a hassle. Hong Kong is blessed with a good and efficient public transport network. I’m pleased to say that The Good Pianist is located at a convenient spot in Tsim Sha Tsui. The nearest MTR is Tsim Sha Tsui station and many buses ply Chatham Road South, which is very close to my studio. If you’re coming by car, ample public parking is available nearby. There are also numerous cafes and restaurants if you need to eat or just to while the time away.

    Availability: The times that the teacher and student are available for lessons is another factor to be considered. Usually, this can be worked out in most cases and doesn’t present any problems.

    Part 2 will deal with qualifications and experience.

    Go to Part 2

  • A Charity Concert for the Children of Nepal

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    (Top) Vincent doing what he does best.

    (Bottom) Adriana playing some very polished Chopin.

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    (Top) Maestros Loo Bang Hean and Ng Chong Lim playing Schubert.

    Great afternoon concert at the PenangPAC (Performing Arts Center) on September 6, 2015. My student Vincent Ong played Mozart’s Sonata in B flat major K 333 and three of Chopin’s Op. 10 Etudes. Adriana Chiew played Chopin’s Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise Brilliante Op. 22. Maestros Ng Chong Lim and Loo Bang Hean played the Schubert Fantaisie in F Minor for piano four hands, D 940.

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    (Top) The four performers with their bouquets after the recital ended.

    (Below) Mrs. Fong presents a cheque to the Buddhist Tzu-Chi Merits Society of Malaysia.

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    (Top) The closing performance by the students of Digital Music—It Starts With Me.

  • Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

    This is the main title theme to the 1983 movie, Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence. I would like to thank my friend Susan P. for drawing my attention to this lovely music. It was composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto (who also starred in the film) who is perhaps more well-known for his music in another famous movie, The Last Emperor. Hope you enjoy this.

  • Gangnam Style!

    Fooling around with Psy’s mega hit. I recorded this using my Canon PowerShot G15.

  • Always a glimmer of hope

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    The piano teaching field is always unpredictable. Making a living out of it is a gamble, a risk. Like any other job, it has its ups and downs. I’ve had some wonderful students in the past but as my piano professors used to remind me—everything has a beginning and an end. No student, no matter how wonderful he or she is, is going to remain with a teacher forever. It’s a little sad when some students drop out for one reason or another; more so if they do so suddenly and I feel they have potential. Sometimes I click with a student, sometimes I don’t. And yes, at times they surprise me with stuff…like this new student who sent me this text. She was just shy and didn’t have a high opinion of herself, so I tried my best to coax her out of it by reassuring her that her piano playing would blossom and improve, given time. Getting this text from her meant a lot to me…at least I’m helping one student along and restoring her dignity to herself—she thought she’d lost it but it was always there, inside her…waiting to emerge.

  • Yamaha Piano Challenge 2012

    After a hiatus of almost two years I’m back in the judge’s chair—this time for the Yamaha Piano Challenge 2012. Mrs. Fong asked me to judge the Finals together with fellow judges Razif, Soo See, and Mei Ling. The format was different compared to Piano Idol, with categories ranging from YPC1 (Beginners) to YPC12 (Advanced) and there were winners for each category. All in I think there were around 60+ contestants, and there were two sessions—one in the afternoon and another in the early evening. We had an early dinner around 5 pm. I brought my Canon EOS 550D along with the Speedlite 580EX II so here are some pictures.

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    (Above) The stage is set at the Penang PAC (Performing Arts Center). That’s the Yamaha GB-1 baby grand piano together with the Digital Music banner. This is a smallish hall which can accommodate approximately 300 people, but it has great acoustics. The piano sound seems to bloom on its own accord. This would be a great place for solo concerts. I took this picture handheld, resting my elbows on the judges’ table, taking a deep breath before pressing the shutter.

    (Below) Vincent was one of the guest stars of the day. He played Franz Liszt’s Liebestraum No. 3 in A flat major and Chopin’s Black Key etude, Op. 10 No. 5.

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    (Above) Adriana was the other guest star. She performed Chopin’s Etude Op. 25 No. 1 and Debussy’s Prelude from Pour le Piano. Both these talented pianists are my students and I’m extremely proud of them. They each won the Piano Idol in the past.

    (Below) A candid view of the junior contestants in the afternoon session with their certificates of participation.

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    (Above) For the Senior session the piano was moved to a different angle but the sound was still great. A slow shutter speed emphasizes the dexterity of this contestant.

    (Below) A cross-section of some of the winners in the Senior category.

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    (Above) Here I am, posing with Vincent after the whole show was over. The Speedlite 580EX II is fantastic; this was taken using direct flash and yet it handled the lighting conditions extremely well, exposing both of us just right.

    (Below) I could recognize some budding talents today. Here I’m posing with Yeu May, the Level 8 winner. She played a scintillating Chopin waltz—I’d love to have this 15 year-old for a student.

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    I have to commend Mr. and Mrs. Fong for organizing these competitions. They really foster and encourage the upcoming musical talents in our midst. I’m looking forward to more in the future.