Carolyn Chen

Specialties

I have been teaching piano since 2001 to students from elementary school to adults. I offer in-​home lessons in Pasadena and surrounding areas.

Whether you are looking to deepen your knowledge of classical repertoire, prepare for a competition, rearrange your favorite pop song, express yourself through improvisation or composition, or begin playing and reading music for the first time, I can guide you in developing efficient practice techniques and finding your own voice in your playing. I work with each student to find an individual approach, including theory, ear training, music history, and analysis by interest. As a certified yoga instructor and tai-​chi teacher since 2010, I can also help you achieve efficient technique through minimal effort. My mission is to help you meet your own musical goals, and have fun doing it.

Please be in touch at walkingmango at gmail dot com. I look forward to hearing from you!

History

Established in 2001.

I trained as a classical pianist from age 3, performed actively in competitions and played in Carnegie Hall at age 11. I earned a BA in music (piano performance) and MA (Modern Thought and Literature) from Stanford University in 2006 and a PhD in music composition from UC San Diego in 2014.

I have played piano, clarinet, shawms, recorder, harpsichord and guqin in orchestras, jazz bands, church choirs, early music, shapenote and free improv groups. I enjoy drawing from diverse traditions in teaching and music-​making. I have taught piano privately for 15 years, as well as college courses in music theory, history, and writing since 2007.