David Chang Music

David and his team are great. Dedicated professionals every one! David has really innovative ideas about piano and personal development. His systems helped me greatly approaching my goals on and off the piano bench. I also worked w Isidora weekly. She’s a wonderful caring person with deep knowledge about piano and music theory. This is a meticulously run business and will definitely be a good fit for you if you’re a type A person. And will likely help you get organized even if you’re less type A. Thanks DCM!

Fair warning, LONG review. A word count hates to see me coming haha! I played until my early teens (up to ABRSM Gr. 7) but then stopped. 15 yrs later, I wanted to restart lessons and found David Chang Music. Enrollment was seamless: David set aside a whole 2 hrs to get to know me & figure out what would be best. We went with his Pianist Collective as I really wanted a sense of community for motivation & accountability. My goal piece was Scarlatti Sonata K.517 which felt hopeless (had tried it myself and couldn’t even make it past the first 2 measures lol). But with David, I learned it in just 2 months! I’m now able to play it at speeds that seemed impossible. Then followed Chopin’s Op. 25 #2 and Beethoven’s Pathétique Sonata - which I performed at my first recital ever! To go from insta-panic attack at the word "performance" (you could play a techno beat with my heart-rate if I caught a whiff of that word lol) to playing such a piece for an audience was huge, especially after a large gap in my learning. When I found David, I had a super traditional expectation of instruction: show up, put in my 1 hr, spend the week troubleshooting on my own, save questions for next week (hoping I remember them lol). Rinse & Repeat. But I can't stress how much better the Collective is than that. We have an incredible online platform to post questions, progress videos, fingerings, chat etc that keeps us constantly motivated & accountable to each other. At any time & with any issue, I can get a detailed reply from David, an adjunct instructor, a student (or all 3!) in mere hours. All outside class time. So you get near real-time feedback, social benefits of a community, AND 4 hrs of instruction & performance trading, plus recitals & weeks of training. My performance anxiety improved SO much due to the amount of exposure therapy we get. And critiquing each other in turn improved my ability to critique myself. It’s amazing the value you get at a cost that would amount to maybe 1 hr of weekly one-on-one instruction at best (and no feedback in between) in a more traditional setup. David also posts a wealth of knowledge on our platform & YouTube, with very detailed methodologies, most of which I’d never paid attention to before studying with him ("good enough" was my mantra for years haha) which I found quite invaluable. He sets you on the path to being GREAT, not just "good". Piano is a pretty isolating hobby so this next point really sets David apart: He curates his students impeccably. Everyone is SO warm, friendly & supportive! I've made real friendships (recently just flew to Seattle to visit a friend from the group). We have in-person meetups - just hanging out & playing for each other, that are so fun! It’s like a Gumbo class - the best parts of everything! Classes, recitals, meetups, and even private instruction too. We’re also a diverse bunch in terms of age, skill, background & ethnicities, so you’ll feel instantly comfortable. We have complete beginners & advanced players but everyone is as enthusiastic & encouraging as though we were all virtuosos haha. On a personal note, David is so kind in his interaction with all students. Very responsive & communicative, but also very attentive - I was at a very low point with a piece, and he detected that just from my demeanor & messaged to check up on me, which ended up in a mini counseling session about not being so hard on myself, that I really needed at that time. I find myself applying his guidance in my daily life. There’s a very special personal touch he has with everyone that makes you feel like you’re part of a family. He’s an inspiring virtuosic pianist, but is also an equally wonderful teacher - sometimes people with great skill aren’t able to translate that into instruction, but he’s uniquely adept in guiding both beginners & advanced students. I can’t adequately express how happy I am with the Collective and him as an instructor. No exaggeration when I say it’s been a life changing experience.