Leona Chen, 16, Piano

Years of Experience: 11

Musical Experience: 

• 2nd Place - Pittsburgh International Piano Competition (2022)
  
• 2nd Place - Carmel Klavier International Piano Competition, Contemporary Category (2021)
  
• Pittsburgh Concert Society Young Artist Competition (2021)
  
• 1st Place - UIUC High School Competition, Music Performance (2021)
  
• Honorable Mention - Streator Smith Memorial Competition (2021)
  
• 1st Place - PFMC Memorial Award (2019)
  
• Steinway Society Young Artist (2017-2022)

​Video Platforms I Can Use:

• Zoom

Reviews:

Review from Qin Shen
Leona is very helpful and detailed.  She is patient to correct Stella's mistakes and gives good tips and suggestions during class.  After each lesson, she sent summary notes about the lesson.  Leona is a diligent and professional tutor.  I'm happy that Stella is taking her lessons.

Tutor Availability:

Days marked with a dot indicate tutor availability on that day. Click on it to find the specific time the tutor is available at.
​​​NOTE: If the calendar is empty, please email thedoremiproject@gmail.com and we'll contact the tutor! Or, try looking at one of our other tutors!

Parent/Student Reviews for Leona Chen

"I am writing to share the wonderful experience we have had with the DoReMi Project, working with Leona Chen. My daughter Sophie recently turned 13. She has loved playing around on our digital piano but has never had any formal lessons. I saw the posting about Leona offering lessons (I saw through her mother on Facebook) and jumped at the chance. Leona is an award-winning player and if nothing else I hoped my daughter would be inspired to see someone just a couple of years older than her have such confidence with the piano. Leona has far surpassed our expectations! She has an approach that is both kind and thorough. She has taught Sophie so many things to use to improve her practice, even drafting exercises and wrap-up notes for Sophie to reflect on ahead of the next lesson.  I was worried my daughter would be nervous during the session but she is not at all because Leona is an exceptionally kind and encouraging teacher. After just the first lesson my daughter was begging to sign up for more. After the second one she hopped up and said "I LOVE PIANO!" It is such a tremendous thing to see this kind of joy! Leona has a keen eye and ear, noticing every aspect of hand placement, speed, volume, etc, and providing just the right level of encouraging feedback. We are so appreciative of this project- we were not sure if piano lessons could be offered via Zoom especially with such a novice player, but this has been fantastic! We will take as many lessons as we can and plan to donate to the project to keep this wonderful effort going for more families."
​- Ms. Sarah B.

"My daughter had just completed first piano class with Leona, and she enjoyed the class. Leona is very patient, and she makes the lesson fun and interesting for my daughter. We will continue the lesson with Leona. Thank you Leona for taking time to teach my daughter and other kids.
Thank you Do Re Mi for providing this platform to connect these wonderful teenagers to share their skills with younger kids."
​- Mr. Raymond L. 

"​My 7-years-old son Jason has been taking piano classes with Leona, which he really enjoys. Leona is an excellent and talented teacher. She is very patient, encouraging, and truly caring for her students! She tailors her instructions to fit my son’s learning needs, which I found super helpful. During each class, Leona does not only work through routine practicing, but also teaches specific performing techniques. After each class, she also provides detailed follow-up notes and suggestions to further improve my son’s playing. The teaching has been so effective that I can clearly tell from my son’s weekly improvement particularly on his hand posture and overall musicality. The learning experience has been superb, and we definitely will continue the piano classes with Leona! We want to say a big “THANK YOU” to Leona! We also would like to thank Do Re Mi for providing the wonderful platform for young music learners!"
-Ms. Grace L.

"My daughter, Emily Gu, had to stop her piano lessons since the start of COVID-19. After more than a year, Emily took her first piano lesson with Leona Chen from the Do Re Mi project today. Emily has really enjoyed her lesson. Leona was very clear and to the point with her instructions. She was also very patient and encouraging to Emily. Thanks very much to Leona and the project organizer for offering these free lessons! I've donated to the project hoping more people could benefit from it!"

"I'd like to share how wonderful a job Leona has been doing by teaching my daughter, Emily, for the past three months. She has been so encouraging and patient while helping Emily strive for high music craftsmanship. Emily has learned an entire new repertoire from Leona, in addition to learning techniques, and it has become Emily's favorite piece! Thank you for helping Emily get back her love for piano, Leona!"

- Ms. Ally L.