How I teach

Stella P. Tsai
The Royal Conservatory of Music of Toronto (Vancouver location)
ARCT - Piano Performance, ARCT - Piano Pedagogy

How I can help you learn the piano?
1. From years of teaching people in-person and online, I make a lot of effort to understand you and teach in a way that maximizes your learning and genuinely cultivates your interest.

2. I teach classical and pop songs that students tell me that they want to learn. I want to connect the piano with your life, like the music you actually listen to.

3. I studied with famous teachers from a Canadian concert pianist family, the Parkers. Graduated from the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto). I have a playful Mozart sound (like them scales) and a romantic Russian piano sound because my teacher, Eileen Parker, studied in Russia.

4. I have earned a teaching excellence award from Tom Lee Music and received many accolades from students, both written in cards and gifts.

I look forward to working with you!

Online Client Testimonial (Alberta)

"Natalie has nothing but positive things to say about Stella as a piano teacher. She thoroughly enjoys their time together and feels confident after each lesson. Online music lessons have been so convenient for us, I highly recommend this company and Stella in particular to anyone who is looking for a kind, patient and considerate instructor for their child, either in person or online.” Jill Heintz

Returning Self-Taught Pianist Testimonial (BC)

As someone who had only reached RCM Level 2 as a kid and then stopped lessons, I never imagined I could learn a Level 5 piece in just 5 lessons. I had tried to teach myself songs like River Flows in You through YouTube, but they never sounded quite right. Through these lessons, I not only learned the song much faster than I thought possible, but it also finally sounds the way I hoped it would. It's been such a confidence boost!

Message from Student's Thank You Card (BC)

"Dear Ms. Stella,
Thank you for teaching me and my brother this year. My piano skills have gotten so much better this year with your help. I just wanted to say...THANK YOU!" Amarah and her brother.

"Dear Stella,
Thank you for teaching me this year. It has been wonderful playing and learning piano with you. I've enjoyed it a lot and I learned so much with you. I wish a good summer and happy piano playing". Jeremy

Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver. 2024

Thank You gifts from students/clients.

Royal Conservatory of Music's Teacher Appreciation night at Telus Garden, 2024.

Long Biography

Stella is a friendly and enthusiastic piano teacher who is focused on giving what the student needs and bringing out the best in her students. It can be playing for enjoyment, learning a new skill or preparing for RCM exams.

She has taught students from brand-new beginners to teenagers, adult beginners, semi-retirees, and the mentally disabled, ranging in age from 5 to 74. She can deliver lessons in both English and Mandarin.

Stella began learning the piano at the age of 5. She followed the Yamaha Music Education then progressed through the Royal Conservatory of Music's Examination system starting from Grade 8 RCM. She received her ARCT in Piano Performance under the guidance of Eileen Parker and her ARCT in Pedagogy under Edward Parker, a renowned piano pedagogy teacher in Vancouver and the first teacher of the Jon Kimura Parker, Ian Parker, the Parker family of concert pianists. She was a clarinet player in her high school concert band in high school.

Philosophy

I hope to cultivate a genuine appreciation of music, discipline to accomplish music goals, and growth as a human being in you.

I will teach you the way that will help you build both a good technical foundation and a lasting interest in piano. The last thing I want is for students to learn piano and it never becomes useful to them in their life, common with young beginners that were pushed by parents to learn. Many never touch their pianos after growing up. On the other hand, my adult beginners tend to be very motivated to learn because they genuinely like and want to play the piano. In either case, I hope your piano playing will be beneficial to you in your life, either emotionally, socially or financially. Emotionally, I hope your piano playing will help you release your emotions and calm your mind for good emotional and mental health. Socially, I hope it will become a fun activity for you and your friends at social gatherings. Financially, I hope you will find piano an in-demand, hard-earned, highly valued skill that can give you income if you choose to teach professionally.

I remember very clearly that my piano teacher in Taiwan (age 7-12) had many paintings in her studio. Each painting represented a different musical style. For example, Debussy's music is reflected in Monet's impressionist paintings. These types of exposure gave me a deep appreciation of the Arts and I hope to use visual paintings and images to help students interpret the mood and feeling of a music piece.

To have experiential learning, I have traveled to Vienna, Salzburg, and Budapest to visit Mozart, Beethoven, and Liszt's apartments and local music organizations. I brought back souvenirs and Mozart chocolates for my students to encourage and inspire them on their musical journey.

I am friendly and make my lessons enjoyable for you depending on your reason for taking the lessons. I teach mostly classical and often incorporate pop music, Disney cartoons, Broadway musicals or seasonal classics in the lesson.

The Royal Conservatory of Music Program