ABOUT

Who We Are?

Piano Village Foundation was established in July 2017, Connecticut, USA.

This is a community platform dedicated by volunteers from advisors, teachers, school students and parents who share the same mission and passion.

We are sharing, inspiring and growing through music learning.

Our Philosophy:

We, at Piano Village Foundation, strive to offer an innovative and efficient way to demonstrate the art of music reading, comprehending theoretical music concepts, and piano playing techniques. Our goal is to help students excel in music most proficiently, allowing them to apply these skills into their daily life and studies.

To start a fun, happy, life-long journey for young students in music – to help them get the ability to focus, follow and flow (Felicia Zhang’s 3EFM method); Develop courses on music instruments and music theory to discover potentially talented children, and further train them to participate in performances, ensembles, choir, etc. To attend concerts, workshops, parent-child integration music camps together with their parents and friends;

Our Vision:

It takes a whole village to raise a healthy and bright child. Music is one of the key elements in the life journey of joyful and accomplishment. We seek to gather all high quality education programs and advisors to build a platform for all children to grow.

To provide a fast, innovative, efficient way to teach children music
To start a happy journey for young students to get quality music training, in music instruments, theory, ensemble participation, performance, workshops, camps, and more with members of the community.
To create an opportunity for young musician to develop their talents in music, as well as education and leadership positions.
To engage community members and school students, and to provide a platform for community service.
To provide an early music education for underprivileged children in the community; To supply caring charity service to vulnerable groups in the community; To ensure that no one in our community will quit the music learning due to financial hardness.

Our Mission:

To provide music education for children to enjoy music, build confidence, strengthen character and express themselves through music;
To introduce music education from an early age to cultivate their core values towards building a harmonious society;
To provide an opportunity for youth leaders to develop their talents along with their academic studies and leadership;
To engage family members in music related activities as participants or volunteers to enhance community relationship;
To foster a life-long interest in the arts through the learning of music;

Founder Advisor

Piano is the mother of music instruments and an excellent education tool which provides the solid music foundation, develop both brains, both hands and ten fingers simultaneously. All skills built through piano learning closely in connection with academic and life, through my over 36 years of firsthand teaching and research, it is my passion and profession to help everyone to play music with ease and receive much more benefits from learning it! We founded Piano Village where you can find this approved methodology to learn effectively and efficiently with joy!

I am fully supporting our young professions here to achieve their talent contribution goal, not only to deliver beautiful music to the community, but also help more people to enjoy this beautiful grand instrument!

Read More about Felicia Feng Zhang

Felicia Feng Zhang, a MTNA National Certified Piano Teacher and Certified American College of Musicians (NCTM & ACM) with more than 35 years of teaching experience. Award-winning educator, pianist, pedagogical practitioner, youth talent development with strategy planning expert and Educational advisor with multiple degrees and cross-border discipline certifications from China and United States. She has been interviewed and featured in National Major medias like NBC, FOX, BBC etc.

She has been devoted herself into the community as an active volunteer shortly after she arrived in United States in 1995. Her enthusiasm has been recognized from the community, collogues, parents and students. She is currently the President of the Connecticut State Music Teachers Association as well as the board member and representatives of several non-profit educational organizations. She is the founder of All Talent Academy and founder advisor of Piano Village Foundation and Music Theory Express to provide effective theory learning through keyboard theory to understand music and develop the good learning habits and abilities.

She has diagnosed the old piano method or note by note learning which could not provide the effective and efficient results! and students has learned in painful ways and quit during the learning journey. She has set her mind to research and development a good effective structured method. Her hard work, passion and dedication paid off, she found the root cause and learning growth stumbling block.

She created and established her innovative 3EFM teaching method based on her theory in 5 cores (Eyes-Ears-Mind-Fingers-Feelings) training that works effectively and provides significant results with short period of time from her students among all ages and levels. Her method books CLEF (Core Literacy Education Fundamental) Series and Music Theory Express series have been helped students and parents to play the music with joyfulness and confidence. During the pandemic time, the CLEF series have been taught via online which helps many students internationally. To learn piano with ease become possible and accessible!

Her unique sight-reading method receives remarkable results from her student as young as 3 years old. Every year, many of her students win numerous international competitions and awards and pass the RCM exams with high marks. She has also been awarded numerous prestigious international piano education awards for her outstanding teaching. Her name was included in the Hall of Fame Piano Guild USA in 2006 as well as the Marquis Who’s Who of American Women 2000/2001. She was nominated as Teacher of Year 2019 by the Connecticut State Music Teacher Association and received the “2020 Teacher of Distinction” award from Royal Conservatory of Music, Steinway & Son Top Teacher Award 2021. She is an active adjudicator and often gives lectures, workshops, and master classes internationally.

Now, she has spent time to train and guide young teachers to teach well. She also teaches students Etiquette, Mindfulness, music and academic, life connection as well as life skills and transformation.

Youth leaders Board:

Clara Tu

Co-Founder and Executive Youth Leader Club President

Born and raised in Connecticut, Clara Tu is a multi-instrumental (piano, oboe, violin, flute, ukulele, organ) musician and music educator. She co-founded Piano Village during her study at Phillips Academy and continue to follow her heart to contribute her skills and experiences during her college study at UC Berkeley . She has been featured in renowned news platforms like the NBC Today Show, Fox News Connecticut, and other major publications due to her growing accomplishments in music at such a young age, having performed multiple times on stages like Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Beijing Concert Hall, Madison Square Garden, etc. Beginning her training as a classical pianist under the instruction of renowned music educator Felicia Feng Zhang, she has since expanded her skills to practice in styles like jazz, playing in chamber music and vocal accompaniment, and learning conducting during her studies at Manhattan School of Music Precollege as a Piano Major. Clara is now one of the youngest students to earn her Associate Diploma (ARCT) with Gold Medal Award in Performing and Piano Pedagogy Intermediate Teaching in both Practical and Teaching Theory.

Having played piano since she was 3, music is a powerful part of her life. As she states, “Music is my form of communication when emotions are too powerful to convey in words, becoming my outlet for stress and frustration. To me, music is an art—lyrical, harmonic, melodic, rhythmic, something that lasts throughout time. As something that can be understood between cultures, music is a connection from my heart to the world and my body is the form of communication between the two.” Wishing to share her love and passion for music, she founded the Piano Village Foundation to provide a platform for accessible and valuable music education, wishing to provide opportunities to find their own voices through their musical journey.

Alexander Tu

Co-Founder and Executive Youth Leader Club Technical Manager

Alexander Tu with his sister Clara co-founded Piano Village Executive Youth Leadership Club since 15-year-old in his rising sophomore year. He is very excited to contribute his skills and time to the community. He thinks if his skills and achievements can bring benefits to the society, inspire and help more people, that skills and achievements become more valuable and meaningful. He has been learning piano since he was 5. He has played in Carnegie Hall several times and has also being a event host every year since 2019. He has passed level 8 in the Royal Conservatory of Music Theory Exam with honors. At school, He has been High Honor Roll in Greenwich High School in consecutive years. He is also an award member of National Honor Society, He also actively participating and lead projects in school club, make efforts and time to participate many volunteer works. In 2021, He received silver medal from the President’s Volunteer Service Award. He also plays clarinet in his high school’s Concert Band. He has set his regular weekly schedule to help young kids to improve skills through piano and math as well as computer learning. During the pandemic time in 2020, He proposed offer online free music classes to the community, and he taught one group of students in two levels. The online program has helped more than 100 students to know how to play piano, the program is still going on as current. The Greenwich News wrote a story about their heartful contribution to the community during those special time.

Eva Zhang

PVF Secretary general and Program Manager

Eva Zhang has been with Piano Village Foundation since its founding. I thoroughly enjoy teaching and tutoring with Ms. Felicia’s Follow, Focus, Flow (3F) methods, and seeing how quickly the students’ progress in every aspect. I love combining music theory teaching with math to help students think more critically. Eva Zhang is a highly analytical, self-motivated, and multifaceted student studying Operations Research Engineering at Cornell University. She attended Greens Farms Academy and graduated with high honors and head of school distinction. From a young age, Eva was drawn to math because she found joy in problem solving. This leads her to compete in math and science Olympiads, become the high school robotics team captain, and complete an independent research project in materials science, on the degradation rate of magnesium for Biomedical Engineering applications. She received top awards in high school such as Excellence in Mathematics & amp, Science Award by Fairfield University and Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation. Alongside STEM, piano has been a huge part of Eva’s life. She has passed the Shanghai Conservatory of Music Level 10 exam at age 13, and the Royal Conservatory of Music Level 9 practical and history exams. Under the guidance of Ms. Felicia Feng Zhang, she has also received various awards such as Elite International Music Competition First Place Winner and the Sonatina Medal, and even performed at Carnegie Hall. Furthermore, she has started teaching piano in high school, to both adults and children, using Ms. Zhang’s involving and efficient 3EFM method. She has been working hard to participate the music theory team in the Piano Village Foundation in order to devise a more systematic way of piano teaching.

Currently, I am studying at Stanford Management Science & Engineering for my MS degree. In the future, I hope to continue working with PVF and grow with the organization, as well as to teach professionally in academia.

Serena Arnold

Youth Leader of the Southbury Division

My name is Serena Arnold and I am 16 years old. I am from Southbury, CT, and am a rising junior at Pomperaug High School. I have taken piano lessons from Felicia for almost four years, and since then I have been given the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall three times. Within the past couple of years, I have started to see my true love for piano and music as a whole.

I have decided to join the Piano Village Foundation as I wanted to give back to the community doing something that I love doing. Music has always been a huge part of my life, and I would love to share my passion for music and piano to everyone. After learning PVF’s goal and why the organization was created, I immediately wanted to join it and make a difference to those around me.

Cary Wang

Cary Wang, 6^th grader from Horace Mann School as well as Precollege student at Manhattan School of Music, has been invited to perform in Carnegie Hall twelves times, Vienna’s prestigious Ehrbar Hall and Mozarthaus, London Royal Albert Hall and Yamaha Artist Piano Concert Series with Yamaha Artist Mr. Jose Ramon Mendez, etc. He has won many local and international piano competitions since age of six.

Cary began his piano learning at the age of six with top national piano educator Ms. Felicia Zhang of Greenwich, CT. Currently he majors in Piano under Prof. Jeffrey Cohen at Precollege Division of Manhattan School of Music with GPA 4.1(A+) and on Dean’s List during 2018-21 school year. His dedication to piano and passion for music is remarkable for his young age. He plays with a rare combination of focus, energy and maturity beyond his young age.

December 2019, he won the very competitive Manhattan School of Music Annual Concerto Competition as the youngest performer in age group of 10-13 with his vibrant performance of Mozart’s Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467, 3rd movement and made his orchestral debut with New York CONCERTI SINFONIETTA in January 2020 – https://youtu.be/XOgpRZdB7V0.

At age of 9, he accomplished Piano Level 10 Assessment of Royal Conservatory Music Development Program with First Honor and Music Theory Level 8 with First Honor, one of the youngest to accomplish the highest level.

Summer 2018, he took First prize in age category of 8-18 at Connecticut popular talent competition – Darien’s Got Talent show with his brilliant performance of Chopin’s Valse Brillante, Op. 34, No.3. The show attracted many performers and musicians from around New York and southern Connecticut.

Besides piano, Cary also plays cello, as part of Norwalk Youth Symphony, and enjoys football, sailing, golf, tennis, and swimming.