Emily Lau – Piano

Emily Lau maintains an active teaching schedule at her private studio in Chicago and as a piano faculty member of the American Music Institute in Hinsdale. She holds a Bachelor of Musical Arts with honors in piano performance from the University of Michigan. Her principal teachers have been Christopher Harding, Katherine Collier, and Eda Shylam.

Emily continues her Master of Music at the Chicago College of Performing Arts, studying under Dr. Winston Choi. She actively seeks to improve on her pedagogical skills through personal research and attending professional meetings and workshops for music teachers. Last summer, Ms. Lau attended the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy 2009 on a scholarship for young professionals. She credits the main body of her pedagogical influences to her graduate studies at Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA, including an introduction to Dalcroze Eurthymics--the learning of music & rhythm through movement.

Emily is a member of the Chicago Area Music Teacher Association, the Illinois State Music Teachers Association, and the Music Teachers National Association. She immigrated with her family from Hong Kong at the age of ten, and has spent most of her life in southeast Michigan. She speaks Cantonese and some Mandarin.

Personal Statement

I view my students’ interests, their feelings of success, enjoyment, and their personal & musical accomplishment as top priorities in her studio. All of my students receive instructions, preparatory exercises & activities, and repertoire assignments based on a curriculum tailored to the learning preferences of each individual. Before every lesson, I prepare a printout of lesson notes and a practice guide for each student to take home. Also, I frequently creates worksheets, musical games, and provide additional sheet music suitable to the student’s level from her library to supplement newly learned or less familiar musical concepts.

"My goal as a teacher is to equip my students with the necessary musical tools that enable them to play the piano with ease, expressivity, & pleasure, so that they can always be readily able to share their love of music with friends & family."

"Whether my students end up as music professionals or amateurs, I hope that the knowledge I share with them will help them become functional musicians, who will be able to continue to play and love music long after they stop taking lessons."