During last year’s East Asian Affinity Group assembly, junior Sasha Mintz sat down at the piano on the VST stage and carefully positioned her fingers to hover over the keys. With a deep breath, she let her fingers glide over the shiny piano keys, each note reflecting her deepest emotions. As Mintz plays Damdamin by Buencamino, she feels at peace and connected to her Filipino heritage.

Mintz began her piano journey at school where she took piano lessons, just like over 100 students every year. In Lower and Middle School, students have the opportunity to take group classes, partner lessons, and private lessons on a weekly basis.

The piano program offers six group classes across Lower and Middle School. Due to schedule limitations, Upper School students can only take private lessons during a free carrier or Da Vinci period.

Piano teacher Yvonne Chen attended Juilliard, one of the most prestigious music schools in the world, and has been teaching at St. John’s for the past eight years.

“I try to listen to what my students want to do,” Chen says. “In private lessons, we can select some things that specifically cater to the student’s needs instead of having to do what the whole class does.”

Students do not need prior piano experience to take lessons. If they are interested, students can go to the school website under the Arts tab to sign up. Private lessons range from $59 for 30 minutes to $115 for 60 minutes. If there is availability in the program, the teachers will assess the student’s piano skills and interview them before they can enroll. Typically, new students start taking group classes and then progress to partner lessons and private lessons.

Sophomore Rafael d’Souza, who has played piano since he was 3, moved from Singapore before his freshman year. D’Souza’s deep appreciation for piano has fueled his growing passion for music. He currently plays for the jazz ensemble and performs frequent piano recitals.

“When I first started playing, the piano seemed more like a chore, but now I can play more advanced pieces and harmonies,” he said. “Dr. Chen has really helped me with improving my ability to play for longer periods without getting tired. Music is great; it is something everyone should learn.”

The piano curriculum is centered around classical training and provides a foundation to play a variety of genres and techniques. To engage her students, Chen analyzes pop songs by Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo that combine classical and pop components. She uses this technique to help students learn piano fundamentals from their favorite artists and relax during a busy day at school.

Mintz has taken piano lessons at school since kindergarten. She appreciates the frequent opportunities to perform and the support of teachers like Chen.

“When I was in fourth grade, she pushed me by letting me start playing more complex pieces and teaching me how to sight-read faster,” Mintz said.

For Chen, piano is not about playing the correct notes each time but about students incorporating their personality into the piece. She is proud how the piano program has developed, yet moving forward Chen would like to see group lessons offered to US students.

Currently, Michael Zuraw and Joanna Reeder are the two other piano instructors at St. John’s.

Zuraw has been teaching piano at St. John’s since 2000. He earned his Musical Arts doctorate at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, and in 2006, founded Aperio–Music of the Americas, which focuses on contemporary music and composers.

Reeder has been teaching piano at St. John’s for five years. She received her bachelor’s in Music from Furman University in South Carolina and her master’s in piano performance and pedagogy from the University of Houston.

“Our program offers a structured and cohesive curriculum centered around a classical approach and provides comprehensive training in all areas of musical proficiency,” Reeder says. “We work each year to create a learning environment tailored to meet the evolving needs of our students.”

Whether you have been playing piano your whole life, like d’Souza, or just want to learn, Chen has one piece of advice: Just do it. “It’s never too late to learn. I see that students who are really motivated can really make progress no matter what age they are,” Chen said.

This story was originally published on The Review on October 21, 2024.