The Story...

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Growing up in a single-parent family, Virginia did not have a roomful of toys to play with, but only her best friend in the living room - an old upright Yamaha that was once belonged to her mother, who is also a piano teacher, her first piano teacher. Despite the fact that her father did not support her music education when she was young (taking piano lesson was not allowed), nothing could cease her uttermost love and unspeakable crying need for music - The most unique way to discover and develop one's self-identity, express and expose a soul, ruminate, reaffirm, and reflect humanity - Virginia continued to teach herself piano, and eventually passed the ABRSM (Associated board of the Royal School of Music) grade 8 examination when she was 14-year-old. 

Her love for teaching began to blossom since her first year in college when she was working on her first Bachelor's degree in Sociology. Because music has always been an indispensable part of her life, she decided to pursuit a second Bachelor's degree in Music Education at San Jose State University, where she studied piano with Dr. Gwendolyn Mok and Dr. Namik Sultanov. For her, being able to be a music major at college was such a great honor that she soon became one of the most hard-working students her teachers ever had - Practicing 7-8 hours a day, her immense improvement could be testified by her professors. She was one of the winners of the French music competition in 2009 at SJSU, and as a result, she performed in the French Music Concert on an 1868 Erard Piano. She also performed on the Erard Piano in the Liszt Festival in 2012. Because of her academic  excellence (she was on the Dean's List in 2011 & 2012), she was accepted into the Master's program at Bowling Green State University, where she received tuition scholarship for 2012-13 and 2013-14. She was also the recipient of the 2013 Heidi Fern Clausius Music Scholarship. She was one of the finalists of the 2013 Art Song Competition. At BGSU, she served as the Vice President of the OMTA (Ohio Music Teacher Association) Collegiate Chapter, and she studied with Dr Solungga Liu. She has been an active member of MTNA (Music Teacher National Associoation). Virginia holds a Bachelor of Art degree in Sociology from Cal State East Bay University (CA), a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from San Jose State University (CA), and a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Bowling Green State University (OH). After graduation, she lived in Boston (MA) for a year, where she studied privately with Michael Lewin, the piano professor at Boston Conservatory. In 2015, she has returned to her lovely home - California, where she continues her musical journey.

 

To her, Teaching music is one of the most noble forms of communication. Virginia has been teaching since 2004, in which she has nurtured countless great souls in her unique and creative ways. Besides her own private studio, she has taught at numerous music schools, including Kids' N Keyboard Music Center (CA), Cherry Kids' Children Center (CA), Northern California School of Music (CA), Taiwanese American Center of Northern California (CA), Perrysburg Music Center (OH), South Shore Conservatory (MA), Mozart Academy (MA), Ip Piano School (MA), and Veksler Academy of Music & Dance (CA). She also served as the accompanist of the BGSU Men's Chours in 2012-13 (OH), the accompanist of the Junior and Senior Children's Choirs of the Cambrian School District in 2014-15 (CA), and the worship pianist at Hosanna Lutheran Church in 2014 (OH). She is currently developing her private studio in San Jose (CA).

 

Virginia has always been the most artistic one among her peers - Besides playing and teaching piano, she also enjoys writing, crafting, photography, travelling... any form of art, which includes life itself.