About Serena
Serena is a gifted cello and music theory teacher based in Richmond Hill, offering in-studio and online lessons to students from the age of 5 to adults. Holding degrees from Taipei National University of the Arts, Mannes College of Music, and Michigan State University, Serena brings a rich educational background to her teaching. Fluent in English, Mandarin, and Taiwanese, she provides a comprehensive learning experience, specializing in RCM exam preparation, the Suzuki method, and more. She's also a distinguished musician, having made her solo debut at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall.
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Teaching students from the age of 5 to adults, my philosophy is patient, caring, and learner-centered. I aim to teach according to students' aptitudes and help them reach the best of their ability through a dialogue-based pedagogy, cultivating students’ independent thinking ability, fostering an appropriate learning attitude, and instilling a growth mindset. In addition to considering students’ technical skills and helping them understand how to interpret each piece’s standards and aesthetics for performance, I especially prioritize students’ mental and physical well-being, teaching them about injury prevention, healthy and efficient practice skills, and strategies to manage stage fright. As a result, my students have achieved excellence in music competitions, Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) exams, and Arts Program auditions.
Name: Serena (Full name will be provided upon registration)
Age: 30's
Gender: female
I am a teaching artist, appearing as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestra musician, and educator. I am classically trained and started my musical journey with the piano and cello at the age of 5. Between grades 3 and 12, I studied in a music-gifted program. I hold degrees in music performance from Taipei National University of the Arts (Bachelor of Music), Mannes College of Music (Master of Music), and Michigan State University (Doctor of Musical Arts)."
As the 2nd prize winner of the American Fine Arts Festival's Golden Era of Romantic Music International Competition, I made my solo debut at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall during the winners' concert in 2016. I have also been invited as a jury panelist for Taiwan's 18th and 19th Capital Taipei International Music Competition and music-gifted program. My students have received top prizes in the Ontario Music Festivals Association (OMFA), North York Music and Performing Arts Festival Competition, Unionville Music Festival competition, Crescendo Music Competition, and CCC Toronto International Music Festival.
I specialize in RCM exam preparation, the Suzuki method, art school audition preparation, music college/university entrance audition preparation, and teaching music for amateur musicians or those who simply want to play for fun. I drive excellence in students' musical, social, personal, and emotional growth by developing dynamic, thoughtfully designed lesson plans that empower and engage pupils. I am a creative self-starter who promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion in music instruction. I excel at identifying students' challenges and encouraging innovative instructional methods to overcome learning obstacles. As a bilingual communicator (fluent in Mandarin Chinese), I build strong relationships with students and parents/guardians of various ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
English
Mandarin
Taiwanese
Rates and Studio Policies
Registration Fee: $25.00 (One-time lifetime registration fee may be used by all family members)
Rates for instruction:
30 minute private lesson: $39.00
45 minute private lesson: $49.00
60 minute private lesson: $59.00
Travel charge: additional $15.00 per visit (for lessons in a client's home as opposed to my studio)
1. Cancellation Policy
Lessons not cancelled or rescheduled with at least 24 hours notice are billable to the client and payable to the teacher. This does not of course apply to travel fees unless the notice is effectively given at the door and the teacher has travelled to the location.
2. Cessation (quitting) Policy
A client must provide a 2 lesson notice period to stop lessons. So a weekly student needs to give 2 weeks of notice, a biweekly student works out to 3 weeks notice and a twice weekly student works out to a week of notice.
3. Illness Policy
Lessons cancelled due to illness or extraordinary circumstances with less than 24 hours notice remain billable to the client and payable to the teacher.
BAH teachers are encouraged to offer a make-up lesson at a future date in the interest of client relations and general goodwill. This only makes sense as teaching a student with the flu for example, will ruin the rest of your week's employment.
No more than 2 lessons may be made up due to illness within a 60 day period.
4. Rescheduling Policy
Any lesson can be cancelled or rescheduled with at least 24 hours notice.
Summer Vacation and Extended Absence Policy
Clients may schedule longer absences for trips etc. 24 hours notice is required.
It is normal and typical for students and about 20% of our teachers to schedule a break in the summer. We do not enforce a notice period (see cessation of lessons) at the end of a long summer break.
5. Evaluation Period
There are no free trial lessons with Beethoven at Home but we do offer a 2 lesson evaluation period where it is easy to try out a teacher. There are no free lessons during the evaluation period and clients may choose to discontinue the lessons at any time by providing the required 24 hours notice. After the student's 3rd lesson the required 2 lesson notice period will apply (see cessation of lessons above).
Online lessons
Serena can provide online instruction. While other platforms are possible BAH strongly recommends the use of the Zoom video conferencing platform as it is optimized for music lessons and audio quality.
Serena 's Studio Location
Serena offers lessons from her studio. Please note that map locations are based on the postal code of the teachers studio. address will be released to you if needed.