PRIVATE LESSON POLICIES

TEACHING LOCATIONS

New York Lessons take place at Steinway Hall at 1133 6th Ave, New York, NY 10036
Vancouver Lessons take place at the UBC School of Music (Office 309) at 6361 Memorial Rd, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2

FEES AND CANCELATIONS

  • The rate for 2024 is $300USD per hour.

  • Changes or cancelations within 48 hours of your assigned lesson time will be billed.

GENERAL POLICIES

  • Parents are encouraged to attend all lessons. Students under 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult (parent or teacher) for the duration of the lesson. Lessons will not commence unless an adult is present.

  • Students should warm up before their scheduled lesson time if possible.   

  • As a courtesy, always let Mr. Fung know when you are planning on:

    1. Entering any competition.

    2. Participating in festivals or masterclasses.

    3. Playing for other teachers.

  • Private students of Mr. Fung will not receive preferential treatment in auditions or competitions where he is an evaluator.

  • Students should warm up before their scheduled lesson time if possible.   

  • Students must wash their hands thoroughly with warm soapy water directly before and after lessons. 

SCores

  • Edition You should aim to use the best available edition for the repertoire you are performing. Typically, this means an urtext edition:

    1. Henle or Bärenreiter for Bach and the composers of the First Viennese School (Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert) and some Romantic composers (Brahms and Schumann)

    2. Durand for French composers (Debussy and Ravel)

    3. Ekier or Padarewski editions for Chopin

    4. Sikorski for Shostakovich etc.

  • Be aware which markings are editorial or original to the composer. In many editions, editorial markings are usually in smaller print or parentheses.

  • Measure numbers If your edition doesn’t have measure numbers (or rehearsal letters), mark them. Typically, you should mark a measure number for the first measure of every line of music. This allows for more efficient lessons.

LESSONS

  • Students are encouraged to record their lessons. Any recordings of lessons are for private use only. Posting or sharing lesson recordings online or via chat (to individuals or groups) is not permitted.

  • Students are encouraged to observe their colleagues’ lessons. The door to the classroom is always unlocked when lessons take place, and please enter and exit quietly if you plan to observe lessons. *Please inform Mr. Fung if you do not feel comfortable with your colleagues observing your lessons.  

  • Students are expected identify at least 3 reference recordings of each work they are performing.

    1. At least one of the reference recordings should be from before 1970. Though this is not a complete list, “Great Pianists of the 20th Century” (Philips Records) is a good starting point for exploration: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pianists_of_the_20th_Century

    2. Students will be asked to articulate their observations for each of these recordings. What did you like? What did you dislike? Do you have a preference for a particular interpretation? If so, why? (Be specific with regards to interpretive parameters: phrasing, timing/rubato, dynamics, shaping, tone, voicing, articulation, technique if visible in video recordings, to mention a few.)

PERFORMANCES

  • All performed repertoire (exams, auditions, competitions, studio recitals) must be comfortably memorized at least 3 weeks before performance date. If the repertoire isn’t memorized, you will be encouraged to postpone your performance.

  • Students must give 3 memorized run-throughs of their program (for at least one audience member) ahead of their performance date. Please record all run-throughs for your own reference. Recordings elucidate self-awareness. When you listen back to your recording, did your performance reflect what you intended to produce? 

LESSON PREPARATION

  • Markings This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are some examples of what should be marked.

    1. Fingerings and alternate fingerings. Fingerings should be selected on the basis of technical ease, consistency, and musical decisions (color or line).

    2. Pedaling

    3. Articulations

  • Historical context If you don’t have a good understanding of the composer or the historical context of the piece you are performing, you are less likely to understand the interpretational considerations at play. You should be able to answer the following questions about the work you are studying:

    1. When and where did the composer live?

    2. Why did the composer write this piece?

    3. What were the world events during the composer’s life? What influenced the composer when he wrote the work?

    4. What other artistic movements (visual arts, theater, or literature) were occurring at the time the piece was composed? Can you draw comparisons and lines between these artistic movements and the piece you are performing?

    5. What style is the work? Can you describe the stylistic elements?

    6. Who influenced the composer? What is the composer’s legacy?

  • Metronome Be familiar with the tempi throughout the movement or piece. Ask yourself the following questions when you listen to recordings:

    1. Do the larger sections of the work (e.g. first subject vs second subject), have slightly different tempi? Chances are, they do!

    2. Consider the pacing of each phrase within these larger sections. Do the phrases “close” with a slightly slower tempo, or do they push forward to the next phrase?

    3. Mark the average tempi or range of tempi (e.g. quarter note = 72, or quarter note = 68-75) in your score for each section or phrase where significant. You can download a free metronome app (EUMLab is a good free option) on your phone, and use the “Tap” feature to help gauge the tempo of the section.

    4. How do these tempi differ to the composer’s metronome marking (if indicated)? Some of Schumann and Beethoven’s metronome markings are notoriously fast. What can this tell us about the character and mood?

    5. Sometimes, tempo is more about dance-forms, character, and mood more than an arbitrary metronome marking. For instance, mazurkas or Viennese waltzes are idiomatically un-metronomic. Pro tip: The composer’s descriptive tempo marking (allegro con brio or innig) can indicate mood as much as tempo.

  • Basic analysis

    1. Structure What is the form of the work?

    2. Phrasing Where do the phrases begin and where to they end? Is this indicated by a cadence? Are there sub-phrases? Is there a modulation? What is the shape of the phrase? Is there a notable destination in the phrase, and can some harmonic analysis help you with that?

    3. Harmony Note interesting harmonic features (augmented sixth chords, deceptions, evasions) and non-harmonic tones (suspensions, appoggiaturas etc.). In other words, note areas of harmonic tension and resolution at both micro and macro levels.

    4. Modulations/Key Areas Is there a hierarchy among these key areas?

    5. Know the key themes, motives, or subjects.