Zhang Laoshi

I was born in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China. I grew up in a traditional Chinese family. Before I came to the US, I finished my bachelor in piano musicology. During those four years, I taught piano to the young children who were around 4 to 9 years old, so I have experiences with children. After graduating from Oklahoma City University in 2015 with a master’s degree in piano performance, I used one year to do some music jobs, such as teaching children play piano. I know that the foundation of piano learning is important for young pianists, because good behaviors will affect their music life, which is the same for children’s whole life. After one year, I decided to go back to school to learn how to teach young children, so I took Montessori early childhood education program. I believe that I would learn good methods about how to teach children, furthermore, I believe I can combine music education and Montessori education, so that children could enjoy and love studying music. Last year I did my intern in a Montessori primary school, I really loved working with those lovely children, and I learned a lot from those children too. In my perspective, teaching children is not only teaching children, but also teach ourselves. From the children, we could see what we need to improve it and what we could do much more better.