The Music Studios - Student News

Singapore Music Teachers' Association
Le Petit Performers' Festival 2021

Advanced Piano Programme students put up stellar performances at the 2021 Le Petit Performers' Festival organized by the Singapore Music Teachers' Association. Bravo to Darrell Lim and Foo Ming En, who clinched Platinum awards, the highest awards given at the festival, in the solo category, and to Isabelle Yeo and Hannah Kok who received Gold awards for their duet performance that displayed impeccable chemistry as an ensemble! Catch their performances below.

Making music come alive through illustrations

Our multi-talented students Leanne Koh and Isabel Ong narrated their music not just through their playing, but through an illustrated music video and comic strip respectively, with the help of Teacher Arlene. Just, WOW!

The Music Studios' Virtual Concert 2021:
TEA FOR TWO AT CHRISTMAS

Our virtual concert 'Tea for Two at Christmas' premiered on 24th December 2021 at 8pm. Watch it above! It is a celebration of the hard work and achievements of our 2020 Tea for Two Piano Ensemble Programme, comprising Music Studios' students, parents, and teachers. It was also our way of saying Merry Christmas to our entire community!

Music performed features Christmas favourites and a Sound of Music medley. Full programme can be viewed below here:

Joyeux Music International
Music Festival and Competition 2021

Alethea Ong presented a stunning version of Fazil Say's Paganini Jazz at the Joyeux Music International Music Festival and Competition in September 2021 and clinched a Gold Award and Third Place in the Young Artist I Category. Bravo Alethea!

Amigdala International Music Competition 2021

A big and hearty congratulations to Isabelle Yeo for winning First Absolute Prize at the Amigdala International Music Competition, Youth Amateur Category E! Check out her feature here and her full performance of J.S. Bach's Prelude from English Suite No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 807 below.

International Grand Music Festival Piano Competition 2021

Well done to all Music Studios' students who participated in the International Grand Music Festival Piano Competition 2021:

Talia Yeo, 3rd Commendation, Piano Elementary A
Kirsten Koh, 2nd Prize, Piano Advanced A
Isabelle Yeo, 2nd Prize, Piano Advanced B
Wong Shen Khai, 1st Commendation, Piano Advanced B
Andrea Ong, 2nd Prize, Piano Intermediate A
Astrea Ong, 2nd Prize, Piano Elementary A
Astrea Ong, 3rd Prize, Piano Junior B

Congratulations and your teachers are so proud of the hard work you put in!

Celebrating Students' Progress at our In-House Assessments 2020

The Music Studios' In-House Assessments are ten levels of creative musical challenges designed by Dr. Khoo Hui Ling holistically embracing the aspects of musical performance, piano technique and musicianship skills. They ran for the first time in 2020 and saw beautiful progress and music making from our students. Here's a little video tribute to all candidates and a special shout out to:

Isabel Clare Ong Yu Bin, student of Teacher Arlene, for winning the Top Scorer Award

Danzel Chan Yi Zhe, student of Teacher Arlene, for winning the Best Progress Award

Andrea Ong, student of Teacher Hui Ling, for winning the Best Performer Award

Pushing Through the COVID-19 Circuit Breaker with Resilience

Though it's still online lessons for a while more, the past few months of circuit breaker have been a testament to the resilience from our teachers, students and parents. Apart from online lessons, we've kept ourselves growing with virtual pedagogy meet-ups, family and online duets (yes it is possible and effective with the right tools), masterclasses, and here's a special shout out to Alethea Ong, student from our Advanced Piano Performance Programme, who performed beautifully at the Steinway Youth Piano Competition. Bravo to our community!

Catch some photo snapshots of our circuit breaker highlights, and a fun example of an online lesson below! We are still accepting students as per normal, so do contact us if you are interested in our programmes.

The Singapore International Piano Competition 2020

A big congratulations to our students who worked so hard for the 2020 Singapore International Piano Competition:

Loi Yi Xuan: Second Prize and Best Musicality Award (Youth Class C)
Hannah Kok: Second Prize (Brahms Class)
Andrea Ong: Second Prize (Children Class C)
Audrey Lee: Second Prize (Children Class B)

Catch Hannah Kok performing Brahms' Ballade in D Minor, Op. 10 No. 1, live below!

Student Features

Loi Yi Xuan is currently a Higher Music student at Nanyang Girls' High School. In 2020, she was accepted in to the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music Young Pianists Academy programme, and also clinched 2nd Prize and Best Musicality Award at the Singapore International Piano Competition. In 2018, she was awarded 1st Prize at the Golden Classical International Piano Competition and subsequently performed Liszt's Consolation in D Flat Major at Carnegie Hall in 2018. She has also been a finalist at the Singapore National Piano and Violin Competition. Catch Yi Xuan performing Haydn's Sonata in C Major, Hob XVI:50 below!

Alethea Ong is currently in the Music Elective Programme at Raffles Girls' Secondary School, and recently performed at the Steinway Youth Piano Competition. In 2019, she won the First Prize at the Golden Classical International Piano Competition and Second Prize at the Grand Prize Virtuoso International Piano Competition, and was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall and the Musikverein respectively. Catch Alethea performing Asturias by Albeniz below!

Starting off young beginners through virtual lessons posed quite a challenge during the COVID-19 circuit breaker, but with engaging teachers who work closely with sporting and dedicated parents, such challenges are transformed into precious opportunities for family bonding. This is the case for Yap Yi Feng practicing with the help of his mother below!