Testimonials from Parents
Long time ago when I was a child, my parents tried putting me in piano lessons, but it was not successful. As far as I remember, playing the piano was fun, but taking lessons and practicing pieces were not. I think, however, if I met a different type of teacher, my story could be different. When I was challenged to find a piano teacher for my six-year-old daughter over seven years ago, my friend recommended Ms. Emilie Lin to me. As soon as I heard about her teaching style, I thought based on my own experience that she could be a good match for my child. Now Emilie has been my daughter’s piano teacher for seven years. I highly recommend Emilie based on my experiences and observations listed below.
First of all, Emilie is a mom of two children, so she knows and loves children. She always welcomes my daughter and makes her comfortable. She is a very experienced teacher with a lot of patience and a deep love of students.
Secondly, her curriculum is customized to students’ characteristics, situation, and ability without overwhelming or boring. Rather than directly following a predetermined syllabus, she would select different pieces of music and sometimes allow my daughter to choose what she wants to play. I am not sure whether or not her doctoral degree in Psychology makes her to be very sensitive to students’ needs, but in this way, my daughter has been playing and practicing the piano happily and voluntarily.
Thirdly, she encourages and helps students to understand the meaning behind music. I believe this is very important in music and art education. Sometimes she tried to introduce piano scores by explaining paintings on the wall. It seemed like that my daughter really enjoyed playing the scores if she was inspired. I was able to observe all of Emilie’s efforts since I was encouraged to stay in her studio during my daughter’s lesson.
Fourthly, her teaching is well balanced. She teaches theory and ear training as well as technique. After each piano lesson, students can also have a short computer lab session which is a fun way to learn music. Moreover, Emilie provides articles about composers and their CDs. The annual recital and award ceremony for all her students is also wonderful, motivating and educational. The solid music foundation acquired by all these approaches tremendously helps my daughter to learn not only piano but also another musical instrument. Thanks to her balanced teaching, my daughter has received many compliments from violin and school orchestra teachers about her understanding on music theory and sight reading. This is one of the important reasons why I have recommended Ms. Lin to my friends without any hesitation.
Fifthly, she teaches not only what to practice, but more importantly how to practice. She is very organized and, by using weekly practice and reading star charts, she makes sure that students are organized too. I think my daughter will continue to enjoy playing the piano even if she doesn’t take lessons any more.
Lastly, she is an excellent teacher with highly professional performing skills. During the annual recital she takes the stage and plays pieces with enthusiasm and professionalism. She also wrote and published piano pieces. I am sure all these professional activities have positive influence on students.
I hope this testimonial will be helpful to those who are searching for a piano teacher and, once again, I would like to highly recommend Ms. Lin. I also hope that she is healthy, so she can keep being a good teacher for many students for a long time.
- D. Choi
First of all, Emilie is a mom of two children, so she knows and loves children. She always welcomes my daughter and makes her comfortable. She is a very experienced teacher with a lot of patience and a deep love of students.
Secondly, her curriculum is customized to students’ characteristics, situation, and ability without overwhelming or boring. Rather than directly following a predetermined syllabus, she would select different pieces of music and sometimes allow my daughter to choose what she wants to play. I am not sure whether or not her doctoral degree in Psychology makes her to be very sensitive to students’ needs, but in this way, my daughter has been playing and practicing the piano happily and voluntarily.
Thirdly, she encourages and helps students to understand the meaning behind music. I believe this is very important in music and art education. Sometimes she tried to introduce piano scores by explaining paintings on the wall. It seemed like that my daughter really enjoyed playing the scores if she was inspired. I was able to observe all of Emilie’s efforts since I was encouraged to stay in her studio during my daughter’s lesson.
Fourthly, her teaching is well balanced. She teaches theory and ear training as well as technique. After each piano lesson, students can also have a short computer lab session which is a fun way to learn music. Moreover, Emilie provides articles about composers and their CDs. The annual recital and award ceremony for all her students is also wonderful, motivating and educational. The solid music foundation acquired by all these approaches tremendously helps my daughter to learn not only piano but also another musical instrument. Thanks to her balanced teaching, my daughter has received many compliments from violin and school orchestra teachers about her understanding on music theory and sight reading. This is one of the important reasons why I have recommended Ms. Lin to my friends without any hesitation.
Fifthly, she teaches not only what to practice, but more importantly how to practice. She is very organized and, by using weekly practice and reading star charts, she makes sure that students are organized too. I think my daughter will continue to enjoy playing the piano even if she doesn’t take lessons any more.
Lastly, she is an excellent teacher with highly professional performing skills. During the annual recital she takes the stage and plays pieces with enthusiasm and professionalism. She also wrote and published piano pieces. I am sure all these professional activities have positive influence on students.
I hope this testimonial will be helpful to those who are searching for a piano teacher and, once again, I would like to highly recommend Ms. Lin. I also hope that she is healthy, so she can keep being a good teacher for many students for a long time.
- D. Choi
"Piano lessons" doesn't even begin to cover this - Ms. Emilie's studio does provide excellent piano lessons, but she offers students so much more! My three children took piano lessons with Ms. Emilie during their elementary and middle school years. They are now 23, 21, and 19 years of age. It is clear to me that having music lessons with Ms. Emilie allowed us to reach our goals for music education with excellence!
Making music and enjoying music is just part of who we are as a family. Ms. Emilie helped to foster that love for us. In her studio, my children learned to appreciate both music and hard work! This has paid great dividends in their lives. They took their foundational knowledge of music from their piano training and have transitioned to other instruments. They have been and continue to be leaders in music ensemble groups in school and church settings. The way they can compose music, re-write music into different keys, and just simply enjoy music is a testimony to this exceptional teaching. One would think my kids are all very similar - but they are not! It just amazes me that Ms. Emilie could take each of these very distinct personalities and give each one just what they needed to blossom into musicians with their own style.
As I look back on our time with Ms. Emilie, I truly appreciate how she tailored each lesson to each student - considering their personality, learning style and goals - to help them master the basics of piano performance and music theory. She also worked closely with me (the mom) to figure out how best to teach each child. She made the lessons enjoyable and her practice incentive tools were very motivational. The recitals were always a time of celebration and we still talk of those fun times each spring.
Ms. Emilie is also a great coach and role model. It is in her nature to encourage and inspire, but she also keeps learning herself. She challenges herself with composing and improving her skills and the students get to witness that.
I am so very thankful that my children were able to receive such an excellent music education in the studio of Ms. Emilie. I very highly recommend her studio to anyone looking to bless their children with such a rich experience. It will be a blessing to them for a lifetime.
Sincerely,
Carol Springer
Making music and enjoying music is just part of who we are as a family. Ms. Emilie helped to foster that love for us. In her studio, my children learned to appreciate both music and hard work! This has paid great dividends in their lives. They took their foundational knowledge of music from their piano training and have transitioned to other instruments. They have been and continue to be leaders in music ensemble groups in school and church settings. The way they can compose music, re-write music into different keys, and just simply enjoy music is a testimony to this exceptional teaching. One would think my kids are all very similar - but they are not! It just amazes me that Ms. Emilie could take each of these very distinct personalities and give each one just what they needed to blossom into musicians with their own style.
As I look back on our time with Ms. Emilie, I truly appreciate how she tailored each lesson to each student - considering their personality, learning style and goals - to help them master the basics of piano performance and music theory. She also worked closely with me (the mom) to figure out how best to teach each child. She made the lessons enjoyable and her practice incentive tools were very motivational. The recitals were always a time of celebration and we still talk of those fun times each spring.
Ms. Emilie is also a great coach and role model. It is in her nature to encourage and inspire, but she also keeps learning herself. She challenges herself with composing and improving her skills and the students get to witness that.
I am so very thankful that my children were able to receive such an excellent music education in the studio of Ms. Emilie. I very highly recommend her studio to anyone looking to bless their children with such a rich experience. It will be a blessing to them for a lifetime.
Sincerely,
Carol Springer
The first thing that pops out in my mind when I think Emilie is that she is a rare gem among the other wonderful piano teachers. Trust me people, I've been to many other piano recitals to come to this conclusion! Below are my few points to ponder.
1) She is a skilled pianist who is patient and enthusiastic. She incorporates classical and modern music to each kid's absorbing level. That's the part I really like, not going by the level books but going by their capacity and interest to learn.
2) She is a published composer and encourages kids to compose, always. My girl just told me that's one of the main reasons she loves Emilie. "Ms. Emilie always encourages me to compose different genre and take risks when it comes to piano music. She says, that's how I explore music. She makes sure I perform my composition at each recital and always motivates me to go further." This is from my daughter :)
3) She shows profound knowledge of kids' abilities and nudges them a bit to give more and to try their best. Her discipline and perfectionism is off the chart! Sadly, you don't see many of these qualities now a days among music teachers. I'm glad I found one with character.
4) She is a brilliant professional who actually has a set of rules for the families to follow which I don't see in many other music classes. Most of them, you have to pay every week and they are very inconsistent. No commitment from either side. That's not Emilie's style! Her rules/procedures really help us and our kids to maintain discipline, teach our kids to be determined, to be consistent. That's life skills people :)
5) Finally, I suggest to come and meet her. She encourages parents and kids to try out before they commit. This is our fourth year going strong with her and my daughter mastered 6 years worth of knowledge and that should say something.
She is genuine, honest and trustworthy. What more could you ask for a perfect teacher. Oh wait- She is also a brilliant pianist with great attitude and her name is Ms. Emilie Lin!
Mrs.Jay
1) She is a skilled pianist who is patient and enthusiastic. She incorporates classical and modern music to each kid's absorbing level. That's the part I really like, not going by the level books but going by their capacity and interest to learn.
2) She is a published composer and encourages kids to compose, always. My girl just told me that's one of the main reasons she loves Emilie. "Ms. Emilie always encourages me to compose different genre and take risks when it comes to piano music. She says, that's how I explore music. She makes sure I perform my composition at each recital and always motivates me to go further." This is from my daughter :)
3) She shows profound knowledge of kids' abilities and nudges them a bit to give more and to try their best. Her discipline and perfectionism is off the chart! Sadly, you don't see many of these qualities now a days among music teachers. I'm glad I found one with character.
4) She is a brilliant professional who actually has a set of rules for the families to follow which I don't see in many other music classes. Most of them, you have to pay every week and they are very inconsistent. No commitment from either side. That's not Emilie's style! Her rules/procedures really help us and our kids to maintain discipline, teach our kids to be determined, to be consistent. That's life skills people :)
5) Finally, I suggest to come and meet her. She encourages parents and kids to try out before they commit. This is our fourth year going strong with her and my daughter mastered 6 years worth of knowledge and that should say something.
She is genuine, honest and trustworthy. What more could you ask for a perfect teacher. Oh wait- She is also a brilliant pianist with great attitude and her name is Ms. Emilie Lin!
Mrs.Jay
Our two daughters take piano lessons from Ms. Lin for over 7 years total. We are really glad that we found Emilie for both of our daughters.
Our older daughter Karen had several piano teachers prior to starting with Emilie. Karen was very frustrated with playing piano before she took lessons with Emilie. After a couple years taking piano lessons with Emilie, she had progressed tremendously and really enjoys playing the piano. Karen is going to be a 10th grade student this fall and will play viola in her high school symphony orchestra, which is the best orchestra among the three orchestras at her high school. She started learning viola in middle school. The reason Karen can learn a new musical instrument in such a short time is due to the great music theory and foundation she learned from Emilie.
Emilie is a very nice, warm, patient and supportive teacher. At the same time she has high expectations for her students. Her teaching style includes a fair amount of music theory along with playing. I am amazed by the full attention she pays to details of playing techniques such as hand position and finger position. Emilie also helps and trains her students to play by ear.
Ms. Lin always finds the best teaching approach to suit each student's own level and interests. She works very hard to keep kids challenged and motivated while making it very fun. She gives students choices when picking their pieces to play, which makes learning a more enjoyable experience.
In each lesson Ms. Lin writes very detailed weekly practice instructions so that kids will know exactly what they need to correct and how many times they should practice. She also offers students to take musician stories and CDs home to read and listen.
We highly recommend Emilie Lin's studio if you want your children to explore and deepen their knowledge of music and to have music as a life-long joy and gift.
- The Zhang Family
Our older daughter Karen had several piano teachers prior to starting with Emilie. Karen was very frustrated with playing piano before she took lessons with Emilie. After a couple years taking piano lessons with Emilie, she had progressed tremendously and really enjoys playing the piano. Karen is going to be a 10th grade student this fall and will play viola in her high school symphony orchestra, which is the best orchestra among the three orchestras at her high school. She started learning viola in middle school. The reason Karen can learn a new musical instrument in such a short time is due to the great music theory and foundation she learned from Emilie.
Emilie is a very nice, warm, patient and supportive teacher. At the same time she has high expectations for her students. Her teaching style includes a fair amount of music theory along with playing. I am amazed by the full attention she pays to details of playing techniques such as hand position and finger position. Emilie also helps and trains her students to play by ear.
Ms. Lin always finds the best teaching approach to suit each student's own level and interests. She works very hard to keep kids challenged and motivated while making it very fun. She gives students choices when picking their pieces to play, which makes learning a more enjoyable experience.
In each lesson Ms. Lin writes very detailed weekly practice instructions so that kids will know exactly what they need to correct and how many times they should practice. She also offers students to take musician stories and CDs home to read and listen.
We highly recommend Emilie Lin's studio if you want your children to explore and deepen their knowledge of music and to have music as a life-long joy and gift.
- The Zhang Family
Mrs. Emilie was great as my two childrens' piano teacher. My kids loved to learn piano and I liked her teaching style.
I think the most important thing for kids to learn the musical instrument is to practice everyday, and it was hard for me to make my kids do it everyday before I met Emilie. She gave my kids very detailed and organized homework which was designed perfectly for each child's progress. They understood and knew how to practice at home without too much pressure or being too bored.
We went to Korea for 6 months in 2017 and when we came back, my son struggled to settle down. She made him feel comfortable and it was very helpful for him to return to his normal life.
She loves and encourages kids very sincerely and I always appreciated her hard working.
I strongly recommend her to anyone who is looking for a piano teacher. She is a wonderful and great teacher!
Y. C.
I think the most important thing for kids to learn the musical instrument is to practice everyday, and it was hard for me to make my kids do it everyday before I met Emilie. She gave my kids very detailed and organized homework which was designed perfectly for each child's progress. They understood and knew how to practice at home without too much pressure or being too bored.
We went to Korea for 6 months in 2017 and when we came back, my son struggled to settle down. She made him feel comfortable and it was very helpful for him to return to his normal life.
She loves and encourages kids very sincerely and I always appreciated her hard working.
I strongly recommend her to anyone who is looking for a piano teacher. She is a wonderful and great teacher!
Y. C.
What can we say about Ms. Emilie? “Awesome Teacher. “
Keshav was four years old when we started his piano classes with Ms. Emilie. I had called about fifteen music teachers from the piano guild list. None of the teachers worked, except Ms. Emilie. I have not met her and we only spoke over the phone. She had no spot for a year. We waited and Keshav started when there was an opening a year later. Now he is fourteen years old and still continues his lessons with Ms. Emilie. She has great teaching skills and structure that works well for my son. She is very talented, very kind, soft spoken, patience and one of the most understanding teachers. Keshav enjoys his classes with her every week. She motivates him. I would recommend her in a heart beat!
U. Naidu
Keshav was four years old when we started his piano classes with Ms. Emilie. I had called about fifteen music teachers from the piano guild list. None of the teachers worked, except Ms. Emilie. I have not met her and we only spoke over the phone. She had no spot for a year. We waited and Keshav started when there was an opening a year later. Now he is fourteen years old and still continues his lessons with Ms. Emilie. She has great teaching skills and structure that works well for my son. She is very talented, very kind, soft spoken, patience and one of the most understanding teachers. Keshav enjoys his classes with her every week. She motivates him. I would recommend her in a heart beat!
U. Naidu
My son was taught by Emilie for about a year, and we had a wonderful experience! Emilie is an extremely kind and thoughtful teacher; she was always looking for the best interests of my son. I was very impressed by how organized Emilie's lessons were; once we set a goal for my son to take Level 10 of the MMTA piano test, Emilie did her best to have my son prepared for the examination, working on both musical repertoire and theory. In addition, Emilie rewarded her students after each lesson to motivate them to practice and improve. When she felt that my son needed more challenging training, she was so kind and selfless to refer my son to a professor. I would highly recommend Emilie; she is certainly an instructor who puts the student first.
Melody Huang
Melody Huang
As a parent, I really like and support the teaching model Emilie has been using for our daughter over the past four years. Observing Emilie's interaction with our daughter, it appears that she will always take a very individual approach with each of her student's based on the parent's preferences and, perhaps more importantly, the student's needs. For example, a steep learning curve is not important to us (as long as there is progress), but we do like to hear the music in the house and we appreciate that our daughter enjoys her music and her lessons. Other parents may have higher expectations and I firmly believe that Emilie is able to accommodate this. Watching her interact with her students during the annual concerts reveals that she has very good rapport with and is supportive of all of them.
Playing the piano is tremendously important to our daughter. We're glad we've found the perfect teacher for her in Emilie Lin.
- Andrea Waltje
Playing the piano is tremendously important to our daughter. We're glad we've found the perfect teacher for her in Emilie Lin.
- Andrea Waltje
My daughter Amelia took piano with Ms. Emilie for almost 7 years, from the time she was in third grade through this summer, just before she is to enter 10th grade. We are so thankful for the wonderful experience and wholistic musical education Ms. Emilie provided!
One of the things Amelia liked and appreciated most about Ms. Emilie's teaching is that Amelia got to choose which pieces she would learn and work on; this made it much more enjoyable for her since she was excited about learning the pieces and connected to them.
As a musician myself and a parent, I appreciated the additional computer lab Ms. Emilie offered; Amelia learned fundamentals of music theory and ear training, which was a fantastic addition to her whole musical education.
Something that really made Ms. Emilie's teaching stand out to me, in relation to other piano teachers I have experience with, is that she really focused on teaching toward each student's unique musical interests and levels, and celebrated them. We always loved the recitals where we could hear a wide range of student progress in a variety of musical styles. Ms. Emilie also encouraged students to compose their own pieces and perform them, which was really special.
Amelia got to a level where regular piano lessons weren't necessary anymore for her practice, but even though we knew it was time to stop lessons it was hard to make the call because we enjoyed so much being part of the studio.
If you want high-quality, professional, caring, and student-focused teaching, you should definitely consider Emilie Lin! Can not recommend more highly!
-- Emily Jobe
One of the things Amelia liked and appreciated most about Ms. Emilie's teaching is that Amelia got to choose which pieces she would learn and work on; this made it much more enjoyable for her since she was excited about learning the pieces and connected to them.
As a musician myself and a parent, I appreciated the additional computer lab Ms. Emilie offered; Amelia learned fundamentals of music theory and ear training, which was a fantastic addition to her whole musical education.
Something that really made Ms. Emilie's teaching stand out to me, in relation to other piano teachers I have experience with, is that she really focused on teaching toward each student's unique musical interests and levels, and celebrated them. We always loved the recitals where we could hear a wide range of student progress in a variety of musical styles. Ms. Emilie also encouraged students to compose their own pieces and perform them, which was really special.
Amelia got to a level where regular piano lessons weren't necessary anymore for her practice, but even though we knew it was time to stop lessons it was hard to make the call because we enjoyed so much being part of the studio.
If you want high-quality, professional, caring, and student-focused teaching, you should definitely consider Emilie Lin! Can not recommend more highly!
-- Emily Jobe
My 7-year-old has been taking piano lessons from Emilie Lin for about two years. She has made a great progress in a short time.
She loves her teacher because Emilie is very encouraging, patient, cheerful and extremely well-organized. She pays attention to details without overwhelming her students. She tailors lessons according to every student’s needs. Her bright personality empowers and motivates kids to enjoy music and to do their best. She clearly understands that teaching piano is not all about sharing her knowledge, but she forms relationships which motivates the students to love music for life.
My daughter now enjoys playing beautiful classical pieces, sonatinas and hymns. She also likes to play by ear and compose. My daughter considers her an excellent, awesome teacher.
I believe Emilie Lin is one of the best piano teachers you or your children could ever have!
-- MC
She loves her teacher because Emilie is very encouraging, patient, cheerful and extremely well-organized. She pays attention to details without overwhelming her students. She tailors lessons according to every student’s needs. Her bright personality empowers and motivates kids to enjoy music and to do their best. She clearly understands that teaching piano is not all about sharing her knowledge, but she forms relationships which motivates the students to love music for life.
My daughter now enjoys playing beautiful classical pieces, sonatinas and hymns. She also likes to play by ear and compose. My daughter considers her an excellent, awesome teacher.
I believe Emilie Lin is one of the best piano teachers you or your children could ever have!
-- MC
My daughter has been taught by Emilie for one year and half. Emilie is a great teacher with a great passion for piano. She carefully prepares for every class. My daughter likes her very much.
Vivi C
Vivi C
My 12-year-old son has been taking piano lessons from Ms. Emilie since July 2019. Before Ms. Emilie, my son had three piano teachers. We knew immediately that Ms. Emilie is the BEST on the first day we met. Ms. Emilie is not just a skilled pianist, but also an excellent teacher!
What sets apart Ms. Emilie from other professionals is her teaching style. She has each lesson tailored to suit for my son. She teaches in such a detailed and thorough way while organizing the lessons perfectly.
With Ms. Emilie, you will truly understand what Practice Makes Perfect means. Her assignment for my son is engaged and highly efficient, which makes my son’s piano practice so meaningful. My son now even sets a timer for his practice on his own.
Ms. Emilie strives to make her students to enjoy the music. She will ask my son to pick his favorite music pieces to learn. She will also help my son find a connection to each piece and makes his play expressive and becomes his own style. Ms. Emilie also encourages my son to experience different music genres, to be creative, to improvise and to compose.
Ms. Emilie is also a psychology professional. She knows each student very well. She will help each student reach their highest potential, with enthusiasm and enough challenge, while not sacrificing the joy of the music.
This is our fourth year with Ms. Emilie and my son has learned so much and made tremendous improvement. Thank you, Ms. Emilie!
Gu Jiang
What sets apart Ms. Emilie from other professionals is her teaching style. She has each lesson tailored to suit for my son. She teaches in such a detailed and thorough way while organizing the lessons perfectly.
With Ms. Emilie, you will truly understand what Practice Makes Perfect means. Her assignment for my son is engaged and highly efficient, which makes my son’s piano practice so meaningful. My son now even sets a timer for his practice on his own.
Ms. Emilie strives to make her students to enjoy the music. She will ask my son to pick his favorite music pieces to learn. She will also help my son find a connection to each piece and makes his play expressive and becomes his own style. Ms. Emilie also encourages my son to experience different music genres, to be creative, to improvise and to compose.
Ms. Emilie is also a psychology professional. She knows each student very well. She will help each student reach their highest potential, with enthusiasm and enough challenge, while not sacrificing the joy of the music.
This is our fourth year with Ms. Emilie and my son has learned so much and made tremendous improvement. Thank you, Ms. Emilie!
Gu Jiang
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