Education Background
I was born in Seoul Korea. I started playing piano at the age of 8. My family immigrated to the United States and settled down in San Francisco, California. I started my music program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Preparatory Division and soon found out that music education was quite different from what I had experienced in Korea. Teachers put much more emphasis on performance, where as in the US, teachers put emphasis on musicianship (sight-reading, aural, singing) and theory classes along with performance. At the university, I was exposed to music theory, history, and harmony which helped me raise the level of performance in interpretation, style, touch, and expression profoundly.
Education Experience
I have been teaching piano for more than 20 years applying music knowledge to students for effective lessons. I believe that students should be exposed to integrated music, which includes sight-reading, theory, and musicianship, so that they acquire a broader range of skills. In my experience, this method of teaching not only enhances the student’s performance quality, but also allows them to enjoy practicing music. My students participated in the Certificate of Merit, which is provided by The Music Teachers’ Association of California, and ABRSM graded exams.
ABRSM graded exams are music making exams rather than instrumental exams, to which my direction of teaching, perfectly compliments.
• I am recruiting students that are attending SIS, SFS, KIS, or NLCS, and need piano
performance, sight-reading, aural test,
theory, or musicianship lessons for ABRSM
graded exam requirements.
• I am also recruiting students who are just interested in Integrated Music and want to
participate in ABRSM graded exams.
Performance and Teaching Experience
Cellist Kim Seung Sei approached the audience with warm sensibility and sincere performance. Earlier in his career, by winning the Gold Prize at the Wonju University Music Competition, the Gold Prize at the Kaywon Chamber Music Competition, and the second place at the Bethesda Sports Today Competition, he established himself as a professional player. He performed with the KNUA cello ensemble, the NEC Cello Ensemble, and also at the NEC Chamber Gala Concert, the chamber music at the NEC Commencement. The Charis Trio's performance was played live on KMFA radio broadcasts and was well received by the audience.
After recitals at Knua Hall, Pierce Hall, Jessen Auditorium, and Bass Hall, with Robert Hatten he presented Research on trill by J.S. Bach in 2018 at Lecturer Recital, Arona Music Festival. He participated in Courchevel Music Festival, Asian Youth Orchestra, the Busan International Music Festival and invited to play at the ACL Contemporary International Music Festival, and performed for many different audiences in diverse projects. He played in the Lindenbaum Orchestra, United Orchestra, Beha Philharmonic as a concertmaster, Police Symphony Orchestra as an associate concertmaster, Philharmonia Korea Orchestra as an associate concertmaster, Hankyung Philharmonic, Symphony Song as a guest and showed his various experiences as an orchestra player.
By participating in master classes of Peter Wispelwey, Paul Katz, Natasha Brofsky, Brinten Smith, Dover String Quartet, and Borromeo String Quartet, he improved his musical talents. Cellist Kim Seung-sei, studied with Kim Min-ji, Kim Yi-sun, and Bion Tsang. He is a member of the Erato Ensemble and the Myeong Ensemble and at the same time, he teaches at the Lindenbaum-pre-College and wishes to continuously perform on various stages through recitals.
Education Experience
• Instructor cello and piano, The Stony Brook School
• Instructor cello, Harbor Front Chamber Music Festival
• Instructor cello, Play Music NYC
• Instructor cello, The Rushmore Festival
• Instructor cello, New York Conservatory of Music and Arts
• Resident musician, University of Minnesota at Morris
• Instructor cello, Ewha Womans University Elementary School
Education and Teaching Experience
In my childhood, I remember being a quiet child who loved to play the piano, sing songs, and draw pictures. To compliment my passion for music and the arts, I studied at Sunwha Arts High School and graduated from Sangmyung University with a major in composition.
I have been teaching for a total of twenty years. While I was a student in the university, I started teaching Music Theory and Musicianship, gave piano lessons to students, and also coached children's choir. I taught middle and high school students from Yewon Art School, Sunwha Art School, and Kaywon Art School in their major studies with theory, sightsinging and listening, harmony, and analysis. Through the teaching, I was able to find their most practical needs and guide them. For students who were interested in Korean Classical Music, I helped them enroll in Gugak (Korean Classical Music) National Middle and High School majoring in instruments or composition.
I have taught students from NLCS (North London Collegiate School in Jeju) and guided them through the ABRSM Program since 2012. While teaching students from many different schools, I was able to guide their music studies by interrelating and tying together all the other fundamentals of music.
Education Goal
I truly believe that art is the abstract expression of one's thought, and not something that is expressed through words or language. To this day, this is what draws me in to the arts, and I cannot see myself ever compromising these values for anything.
My educational value is to accept the individual’s character and guide them in maximizing their strong points while raising the level of their weak points to find a balance. To me, skill and knowledge are not the only things required in becoming an artist, but rather, an artist should be someone who lives and breathes the arts in everything they do. In my opinion, this will be very apparent in the performance of an artist who holds these values.
I feel that finding creativity by attempting new things should be a top priority, followed by the process of repeated practice in order to achieve the next level of one's performance. I strongly believe that not applying the musical aspects of theory, listening, and musical perception to one's performance only keeps them behind. My goal is to teach students in applying what they have learned in these musical aspects and widen their views of music.
Performance and Teaching Experience
• Principal violist, Ewha Womans University,
• Prize Winner, Ewha Womans University Competition while attending and performed with the Ewha Strings Ensemble
• Prize Winner, The Chamber Music Competition while attending Ewha Womans University and performed at Kim Young-hee Hall
• 2nd Prize Winner without first prize, Baroque Ensemble (now KCO) Competition
• 1st Prize Winner, Ars Chamber Orchestra Competition
• 1st prize, Strad Competition and performed at Yeongsan Art Hall concert
• Orchestra Principal, University of Southern California
• Performed at String Academy and participated in the program in Switzerland, fully sponsored by the Gstaad Menhuhin Music Festival (Yehudi Menhuhin Festival)
• Participated as a Fellow in Maine, United States, fully sponsored by the Bowdoin International Music Festival
• Performed as Guest Principal, Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra
• Guest performer, Torrance Civic Chorale Orchestra
• Masterclasses with Kim Kashkashian (Professor at New England Conservatory), Richard Yongjae O'Neill, Hsin-Yun Huang (Professor at Juilliard), Carol Rodland (Professor at Juilliard), Dimitri Murrath (Professor at San Francisco Conservatory), Yura Lee (violinist/violist), Teng Li (LA Philharmonic Principal), Hung-Wei Huang (Seoul City Center and New York Philharmonic), Ettore Causa (Professor at Yale University), Kirsten Docter (Professor at Oberlin Conservatory), Yizhak Schotten (Professor at Michigan University)
• Performed in numerous ensembles with cellists Kian Soltani, Moon Tae-guk, and Kim Min-ji
• Private lessons and ensemble instruction, BSBC Music school
• Guest viola instructor, United Youth Orchestra in Korea
• Principal and Deputy Principal Guest of Many Orchestras in Korea
• Participated in film and recording work including drama Penthouse OST
• Private lessons at Academies
• Orchestra instruction in church orchestras
Education Goal
• ABRSM all level training
• High-level practical lessons that focus on the performance with the experience gained through various performances.
• College entrance exam, major, hobby class guidance