BIO

Welcome to Helen Chu's webpage!

"Music is a universal language through which people can express their emotions and their thoughts.
It has also been proven that music can enhance memories, abstract reasoning skills, cognitive development and logical
thinking skills."
Music for Young Children(MYC) is an exciting, all-rounded music program that has been among the world’'s leading music-learning systems.  The classes are highly structured and include rhythm ensembles, singing, ear-training, sight-reading, note-reading, theory and composing techniques.
“The Music for Young Children program has to be counted as the dominant force in the musical training of young children in Canada today, Marc Widner, Chief Examiner emeritus, Royal Conservatory Music Examinations.
MYC classes are group lessons make up of 4-6 students accompanied by their parents. Children can develop their social skills while playing and working with each other.
Their self-esteem can also be enhanced as their creativity through games and compositions are being encouraged.  The classes also allow the parents to bond with their children in a fun, educational way.

I had been a private piano teacher since 22 years ago and some of my students had received distinctions in their RCM piano exams and received awards at Peel Music Festival.  I had also been a children choir’ conductor preparing children for annual performances. I had been a high school Mathematics and Science teacher for over 10 years and had been appointed as the school's Music team member looking after the school's choir and orchestra for 4 years. I was thrilled when I learned about MYC and its exciting program 11 years ago and I am privileged to become a MYC teacher.

MYC is definitely an ideal music program for your beloved little one and I am looking forward to leading your child into the miraculous journey of music!

For more information about the program and my schedule, please contact me at (905)232-1668 or email me at helenchchu@gmail.com

Testimonials:

1. Our daughter started off her musical journey by picking up a music book and being unable to read music notes. Therefore, she asked to take some music lessons at the age of 5. We were so fortunate to find Ms. Helen Chu, a teacher from MYC who has the same first name as our daughter and that was the first criteria why our daughter was so attached to her at the beginning.

Over the time, Ms.Helen demonstrates outstanding technical skills, vast experience and love for music make her a highly qualified piano teacher. Her passion in teaching music is second to none. She has provided a lot of patience and inspiration to our daughter since day 1. As the result of all these years following Ms.Helen's remarkable teaching, our daughter has accomplished many amazing achievements, such as First Class Honours with Distinction on both her RCM theory and practical exams, and most importantly, she was awarded RCM Level 3 Piano Gold Medal, the highest score in Ontario. We're honored that our daughter developed consistent  and enthusiastic learning for music up to today. She is hoping towards Piano Grade 10 (practice and theory) next year. She is also looking forward for another gold medal in the future with Ms.Helen's constant guidance. We were so thrilled by all of our daughter's accomplishments over the years and can't thanks Ms.Helen enough.

We highly recommended Ms.Helen, because of her encouraging attitude, excellent instructions, and tremendous musical knowledge. We truly believe that Ms.Helen holds the key to unlocking the musical mind in every child.
Thank You Ms.Helen!

Kind Regards,
Kim Pham

2. We consider ourselves fortunate to have found Ms. Helen. She gave my two children an excellent music foundation through the MYC program. Now that they are in private and semi-private lessons, she continues to provide outstanding instruction and inspiration by tailoring her approach and strategies to the individual learner.

Not only is Ms.Helen's musical knowledge topnotch, she also has this wonderful ability to impart that knowledge and creatively teach techniques in piano playing. She doles out encouragement and correction in equal and effective measure that her students are kept motivated.

Kind regards,
Evangeline Ramos

Student Achievements 2023

Students continue to do well in RCM practical and online exams, either in-person or online, all through the year!

As Peel Music Festival is back to in-person, 2 of my students had participated in the event. Congratulations to Ian for achieving Level 2 Etudes First Place and Level 2 List C Second Place! Congratulations to Seraphina for achieving Level 8 List D Third Place!

Students Achievements 2022

All 5 Level 7 Theory Students had received First Class Honours with Distinction, with 2 students receiving 99! One of the students have also received First Class Honours with Distinction for her Level 7 Practical exam! 3 Moonbeams 3 Graduates have also got Distinction for their RCM Level 1 Practical exam! Feeling very proud of the effort, conscientiousness and discipline of the students in their practice and exam preparation!

Students Achievements 2021

4 of my students had completed RCM Level 6 to Level 8 Online Theory exams this year. All of them had received First Class Honours  or First Class Honours with Distinction. One of them had even received 99 marks! A few other students had taken their Level 7 and Level 5 practical exams. Most of them have received First Class Honours. Though all of them have been learning via online this year, they all strive their very best regardless of any situation that laid ahead of them! Very proud of their hard work and determination!

Students Achievements 2020

Although classes had started to go online since March due to Covid 19 pandemic, students had continue to learn well and work hard! All the students who had done RCM Theory 5 or Theory 6 exams have achieved wonderful results! All the students doing Theory 6 exams have achieved First Class Honours with Distinction. All the students doing Theory 5 exams have achieved First Class Honours or with Distinction. So proud of you all!

Students Achievements 2019

Moonbeams 3 students and higher level students again achieved First Class Honours/with Distinctions in their RCM practical/theory exams! Well done! So proud of all of you!!

Students Achievements 2018

All Moonbeams 3 students have achieved wonderful results this year!

Out of the 8 graduates, 5 students have achieved First Class Honours with Distinction for their RCM Level 1 pracitcal as well as their Level 5 Theory exam!

The other 3 students have achieved First Class Honours! You have all been diligent and attentive! Well done and congratulations!!

Students Achievements 2017

Helen received RCM Level 3 Piano Gold Medal, Ontario (Highest score among all examinees in Ontario)

Mayumi and Jonathan received RCM Level 8 Theory First Class Honours with Distinction, Helen received RCM Level 3 Piano First Class Honours with Distinction, and many others with First Class Honours and Honours. Well done, students!

Seraphina, Dia and Janice received Honourable Mention for MB2 at MYC composition festival! Keep writing and making music, students!

My music/teaching background

- Teacher of Recognition (Royal Conservatory of Music, RCM)

-RCM Certified Teacher, Elementary Specialist, Intermediate Specialist, Piano

-Grade 8 Piano (The Associated Board of The Royal Schools of Music, ABRSM)-Grade 8 Vocal (ABRSM) (ABRSM Grade 8 is equivalent to RCM Level 10)
-Ontario Certified Teacher (OCT)
-Children's Choir Conductor, Adult Choir Conductor, Pianist, Mississauga Chinese Baptist Church

-Soprano soloist, Chinese Artists Society of Toronto, Centenary Fundraising Concert for TCUC, Joyful Singers Concert

Articles:
1. Musicianship??

The RCM (Royal Conservatory of Music) has revised the piano syllabus, and has reorganized the ear tests and sight reading components of the exams under the heading "Musicianship". According to the definition the exam board provides, ear tests include melody clapback,
melody playback and harmonization, identification of intervals, chords and chord progressions, whereas sight reading consists of tapping the rhythm and sight playing of short passages.

This is exciting to me as a MYC teacher as this is exactly what is offered by the MYC curriculum. Children are trained into this all-round musicianship starting at age 4. Through interesting, well-designed curriculum, children are picking up and building up those big concepts on a weekly basis.

Looking forward to sharing this exciting curriculum with you!

2. Witnessing exciting growth of Music knowledge and passion

It’s the end of the instruction year.  I took photos of my students at different levels holding up their certificates during their last classes and emailed the photos to their parents. One of the parents replied saying that “It's amazing how my daughter went from zero to how she plays the
piano now.  I'm really impressed with her achievement.”
Truly, a lot has been covered during the year, even in the first year!  Students learn how to read notes on the grand staff, how to count the rhythm, and apply dynamics and music knowledge to how they play the piano/keyboard independently during the process.
I also recall another student, after a second scale had been introduced to her, told me that she had tried out all the scales of other keys over the week, and she demonstrated her skill to me. One other student, after his fifth lesson in the year, composed his own song by drawing critters
on plain paper and was teaching and explaining what he had learned in class to his friend during playtime.
Why can MYC students do that? That’s because they are all trained and educated under a well-written, comprehensive, goal-directed music curriculum by the Music for Young Children. It is not merely Music lessons but an ENABLING PROCESS!! The students understand fully what they are doing and have ownership of their accomplishments!

3. Truly Amazing

On the day when my Sunshine 2 class started this year, a student came in and said to me, "Ms Helen, I have been away for the whole summer, I don't remember a thing from last year."
We started the class with the opening song, and we did some review games and played some songs on the keyboards. The boy answered most of the questions, his fingers were moving well and his hands nicely shaped.

I don't think the boy has made up a story. He had just turned 5 in the summer. The reality is the MYC concepts and skills are like seeds that have been planted in his heart and in his mind, and the seeds are just growing in him without him noticing.

The other Sunshine 2 students were all showing similar progress. The most amazing growth is their understanding of note value and rhythm. They  can write rhythm stories with almost no parental help, even better and faster than my Sunbeams 2 and Moonbeams 2 students.

It is truly amazing that the MYC program and curriculum can help children of very young age to develop such a good understanding and firm foundation in Music learning.
Invest and empower your child in the Music journey by enrolling him/her in the program, learn and make Music alongside with your child!