Helen's piano studio

Helen's piano studio Welcome to my studio. I am a Christian and a biblical counselor in training who loves to teach others to appreciate and enjoy music - a gift from God.

I believe with love, patience and creativity, ordinary people can learn to play piano beautifully too!

08/13/2026

This is my first lesson coaching a student to learn a beautiful piece composed by Jackie Sharp

You can purchase the music on Sheet Music Plus or Sheet Music Direct. Jackie is a great piano teacher, I am so happy to try out her music with a student today. ❤️

You can also search on YouTube to hear Jackie perform the autumn leaves.

08/07/2026

There are subtle difference on how to play a 3 note slur that ends with a staccato.

The 6 year old student doesn't capture both element to it:
1) playing slur with wrist movement
2) short staccato with finger tip attack

In this demonstration, I tried to help him visualize the wrist motion with a paintbrush with a staccato at the end. He begins to capture the concept of paintbrush by the end of video and yet need time and practice to fine tune the strength of the attack.

But it's a beginning. A good one. It begins with visualization in our brain and continues through practice in class and at home.

I assigned homework and "paintbrush points" for him to earn when he comes back to class next week.

Unlike sports, real learning for piano actually happens both in class and at home.

08/06/2026

The true teaching moments are way more than just using tools or toys to teach a specific concept. Those are all good, but as a teacher, I find myself constantly analyzing a piece, a phrase, a measure and breaking into steps for the student to learn.

This is just a typical day teaching a 8 year old student who started piano for less than a year. His patience and attention is amazing.

07/18/2026

It is important to learn to quickly retract our fingers and take away the tension from playing a chord, but this concept may not be easily captured by a student.

This 7 year old girl learns this technique through play. When she has a target to work on (very gently capture the dumpling toy).

Every kid is unique, for some, this might not work as they may "catch" the dumpling too tightly and created more tension instead of less. Therefore, lesson is tailor-made for each kid using fun, engaging ways.

07/14/2026

You can't believe how many times I have reminded students and parents for this very important tips 😂

Practicing WITHOUT this would develop wrong habits that may take weeks or months or years to correct!

Save this and follow me for more piano tips!!

07/10/2026

Conducting an "experiment" with my student on how to create clear and crispy sound vs. blurry sound.

Although the specific phrase asks for a clear sound, I asked him to experience playing the same phrase with different tonal quality. Directing their attention AWAY from the piece on hand and back to the sound quality of the note promotes sensitivity.

Follow me for more tips!



07/06/2026

Music is the language of the souls.

My friend lost her sister at the massive blaze happened in my hometown, Hong Kong, last November. 168 lives have been lost and many more wounded physically and spiritually. We, who grew up there and left our hometown, all watched it on the news. One tragedy after another, the Hong Kong we loved is not the same anymore.

When words lost its power, music comes in. Cliff, a young survivor of the fire, chose Chopin's Ballade No. 2 in F major, Op. 38 to express his heart. Ordinary life has been completely changed overnight; survivors are still struggling losing either their loved ones or their home, their souls still wandering in the wilderness.

The extreme, violent contrasts between a serene pastoral melody and a furious, chaotic storm of the Ballade depicts the lives of many survivors. It tragically concludes in A minor, leaving a question mark for the audience: when will the tragedy end? And where is hope for those who were left behind?

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1905639956820805/?mibextid=9drbnH

Happy July 4th to those who belong or are friends with this country! Music has the power to unite, not divide. Let's pra...
07/04/2026

Happy July 4th to those who belong or are friends with this country! Music has the power to unite, not divide. Let's pray for more peace to this world no matter where you are from.

07/03/2026

Play melody in octaves beautifully.

Student started piano at age 9 and took class for 4-5 years. With busy school activities and schedule, she still manage to practice about 45 mins for 4-5 days a week. Got merit on ABRSM G7 and moving on. Love her interest and persistency. At her age, no one is forcing her to practice.

Follow this simple exercise to learn to how to use dynamics, control how long each octave stay, and pay attention to the "destination point" or "arrival point" of the phrase by playing on a simple C major scale first.

07/03/2026

It's called "arrival point" or "destination", the point of emphasis on a musical phrase.

It's like going on a scenary drive, you are stopping at different points to enjoy the beautiful nature scenery there.

I believe my student is too excited to go on the trip he kept sneaking under my hand to play! 😂😂😂

Address

Not Disclosed
Elk Grove, CA

Telephone

+19162649443

Website

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