TUTOR SPOTLIGHT: JOYCE LEE
Talented piano teacher, influencer, and now dog mum! Joyce Lee has been teaching piano and keyboard at Lewis Eady Music School since 2017.
We caught up with Joyce over the summer break to find out what inspires her to teach music.
LEMS: Let's start from the beginning!
JOYCE: I grew up playing the piano since the age of five and started taking it seriously in high school. Inspired by pianists such as Matteo Napoli, Evgeny Kissin and Martha Argerich, I entered the Piano Concerto Competition at Diocesan School for Girls. After winning first place, I decided to pursue classical piano performance at the University of Auckland.
LEMS: WHY DID YOU GET INTO TEACHING?
Joyce studied piano performance and pedagogy at The University of Auckland.
JOYCE: I absolutely love performing and teaching. It wasn't until later in my university life that I realised I loved teaching so much, so I went ahead with a Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy with Dr Rae de Lisle to become a better teacher! I loved how specialised the degree was.
My favourite thing about teaching is seeing students’ progress and their journey - knowing that you help build them into the musicians they are and that you're on the journey together!
LEMS: WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU'RE NOT TEACHING?
JOYCE: I love spending time with my dogs and taking them to the dog park. I got a small black Pomeranian puppy during the first lockdown, and I have been a bit of a mum taking care of her! I think dogs - or any pet - make people's lives better and happier, just like music does!
LEMS: You have an avid following on Instagram. Tell us more about that…
Alongside music, beauty pageants is another one of Joyce’s passions.
JOYCE: I guess I'm sort of a 'piano influencer'! From 2017, I started filming and posting piano videos and now have around 48k followers on Instagram. Before that, when I was 18, I signed with a talent agency and had lead roles in music videos.
I absolutely love creating content and sharing my passions with followers, not just piano but also modelling, acting and beauty pageants. I decided to try out for Miss Chinese New Zealand in 2015 and Miss Universe New Zealand in 2018 since they were 'once in a lifetime' opportunities. I placed second runner-up in the former and Miss Photogenic in the latter.
LEMS: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
My world was turned upside down in December after being diagnosed with Giant Cell Tumour of the Bone, a tumour that starts eating away your bones. I will be on medication until they stop getting worse and are ready for operation. I will still need to be monitored for years afterwards to make sure the disease does not come back. So, my number one goal is to heal first!
Learn a musical instrument from friendly, motivated, and committed musicians, like Joyce.
Enrol for music lessons with Lewis Eady Music School today.