A Hong Kong native, founder and teacher Miss Yat Lai Chan noticed that the local piano education scene is largely marked by two extremes. On one hand, piano lessons are viewed as a strict and tiresome extra-curricular activity. More often than not, the excessive emphasis on exams and competitions lead to burnt-out students who never return to the instrument after obtaining their Grade 8 certificate. Walk past any piano school in Hong Kong, and you will usually find a row of exam reports lined up against the wall to showcase student results. On the other end of the spectrum, piano lessons are often treated so casually that important fundamentals are neglected even years into a student’s piano journey. It is not uncommon to find transfer students who cannot identify a single note of music. Even after years of lessons, many do not know how to sit at the piano! 

Mission

Founded with the aim of bridging the two extremes, Little Pianest strives to redefine the local learning culture by helping students develop a strong and comprehensive foundation through creative and enjoyable means. As a studio, our mission is to help students cultivate a lifelong and passion for piano and music, rather than a mere pursuit for certificates. 

Vision & Approach

Fun and Innovative

One thing that sets Little Pianest apart from other schools in Hong Kong is that we use an array of games and interactive activities to help students acquire a strong foundation in performance, technique, musicianship and musical literacy. Rather than forcing students to learn from a prescribed set of books or syllabus, we select repertoire for our students carefully, often taking their own preferences into account. Duets are also a staple part of our lessons, as we believe that collaborative piano playing is a fun and effective way of enhancing musicianship and helping students bond through music. For more details about our classes, click here. 

Unlocking More with a Classical Foundation

Whilst our classes are rooted in the foundations of classical piano, we also expose students to a breadth of other musical styles - including jazz, swing, ragtime, pop and film music. We believe that classical music provides a wonderful foundation in helping students unlock pivotal skills as a pianist. The study of classical repertoire not only encourages open-mindedness, it also allows students to understand how music has evolved over the centuries. Nevertheless, music should also be culturally relevant. It is important for students to enjoy the music they learn. Hence, our students are also taught a range of non-classical repertoire.

Tailored for the Individual

Whilst performance, technique, musicianship and musical literacy form the core outline of our lessons, we recognise that every student is different. Therefore, we do not advocate for a one-size-fits-all approach. Our lessons are tailored to suit each and every one - from learning pace and lesson structure, to choice of book, repertoire and learning materials. Nevertheless, our overarching vision remains constant - to help students discover their full potential via enjoyable means, and to foster a long-term passion for the piano and music.

A Thorough and Well-Rounded Piano Education

At Little Pianest, we believe that piano lessons should involve more than just teaching students how to play. We take pride in offering a thorough and comprehensive curriculum, so that our students can become well-rounded musicians who are capable of thinking creatively, mindfully, intellectually and independently about music. Whilst many piano lessons in Hong Kong focus exclusively on the practical element of performance, we believe that it is equally important for students to develop musical literacy. In particular, it is crucial to expose students to music theory from the get-go, rather than dumping everything in crash course style the minute they enrol in the Grade 5 Music Theory exam. The latter is truly problematic, yet an unfortunate norm in Hong Kong. At Little Pianest, we believe that music theory should always be taught in conjunction with the practical aspect of playing, even in the elementary stages. For theory and practical are not two unrelated disciplines, they are intricately connected. If properly understood and internalised, music theory can do wonders in helping students learn pieces more quickly and effortlessly.

Beyond The World of Piano

Often viewed as a less relevant part of piano lessons, it is not uncommon to find students in Hong Kong who have had zero exposure to contextual knowledge, despite having played the piano for years. At Little Pianest, we are committed to helping students learn about the wider contexts of music in an engaging and age-appropriate manner, so that they are able to understand and build an appreciation for different types of music. Depending on age, this could involve learning about different composers, instruments, musical eras, genres and styles etc. so that students are better-informed on how to interpret a piece, and why some performance choices outweigh others. Instead of introducing contextual knowledge as boring facts to be memorised, we encourage students to learn via story-telling, games and visits to live concerts.

From Mindful to Independent Learner

At Little Pianest, we are opposed to ‘spoon-feeding’ and raising ‘copy-cat’ pianists who learn by imitation and memorisation. Whilst this approach seems to show fast and impressive results in the early stages of learning, the sense of reward is often short-lived. Students who are accustomed to learning by imitation usually find themselves at a lost of what to do when their teacher or parent is not around. Without musical literacy as a foundation, students are essentially robbed of the chance to learn independently. A bigger problem awaits: students are set up for inevitable disappointment, as they will eventually be hit with the reality that they can no longer rely on this method of learning when pieces get longer and more difficult. Here is a simple analogy - whilst it is easy to memorise a short paragraph comprised of simple vocabulary, it is much harder to memorise a novel built upon complex vocabulary and syntax. As the ancient proverb goes, ‘Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime’. Even if a student does not choose to pursue a professional career in music, our lessons are designed in a way that by the time they reach the advanced levels, students would possess the skills and knowledge needed to pick up a piece of music they like, and be able to learn it by themselves.

We hope that the founding of Little Pianest can help students and parents around Hong Kong alter their stereotypical perception of piano lessons as boring or highly stressful. We are excited to welcome families who share a similar vision and enthusiasm for piano learning, and hope that the information shared on this website and our social media can help everyone re-evaluate the true value of piano and music education. If you or your child (or both!) are interested in making the piano a lifelong companion of yours, and would like to experience a fun, unique yet thorough approach to piano learning, Little Pianest might just be the place for you.

Miss Yat Lai Chan

Founder & Teacher at Little Pianest