About Heidi Yitang

Born in Dalian, China. Heidi began playing piano at the age of six. She went to Shenyang Conservatory of Music (SYCM) Middle School majoring in piano, at the same time, she started gaining interest in composition. While studying piano performance in SYCM Middle School and High School, Heidi was also taking pre-college composition lessons. She received her Bachelor's degree in Theory and Composition from SYCM in China with Professor Shenglin Jiang, and Master's degree in Theory and Composition from Long Island University with Professor Carl Strommen. While she was in college, Heidi never gave up on piano, she took piano lessons with Professor Stephanie Watt and was a pianist in chamber music class with Professor Sharon Moe. Heidi was given an award for Best Piano Performance when she graduated.

Heidi has been teaching piano for 10 years and music theory for 4, partly in China and New York. She likes teaching piano and theory at the same time, so her students can both understand and enjoy playing the piano. She has a lot of experience on preparing her students for ABRSM and NYSSMA exams. Her students have a 100% pass rate on those exams. Heidi has different strategies for teaching each individual student, she will construct and develop a suitable course for students in accordance with their age and piano ability. Heidi always accepts student’s comments, she encourages two-way communication between the teacher and the student.

Her goal as a teacher is to inspire her students to understand music, including different music periods, musical forms, theory, and also be able to sight-read. When the students can understand the piece of music well, they will enjoy it and appreciate it more. It will motivate them to continue learning and have their own ideas on how to approach the piano.