“I get as much from the students as they do from me”
Young and ready to learn, Remi Ha is a recent graduate from the University of California, San Diego and is the newest piano teacher here at Villa Musica! A San Diego local, Remi has been a part of the classical music community in the area since she was a kid. Read more about Remi’s background and accomplishments on her faculty page https://villamusica.org/product/remi-ha-piano/ .
Remi began her musical career playing chamber music and studying classical music from local musicians while playing in ensembles and competing before attending UCSD to study piano. Now that Remi has graduated, and has completed this part of her music education, she has now turned to teaching students herself. The students she teaches are often younger, which she says she loves because, “I am basically a kid myself.”
More than that, however, Remi says that she loves to find common ground between herself and her students so that they can go through the learning process together. “I don’t want my teaching style to be just me passing along information to my students,
I want it to be collaborative.” Because of this, Remi has always known that music should be something social, that it is something to be shared.
For Remi, learning alongside her students is one of her favorite things about being a teacher. She tells me, “It’s kind of cheesy, but the thing I love the most [about teaching] is being reminded how people ask questions and how curious people can be. It makes me step back and ask myself questions, and reevaluate things. I get as much from the students as they do from me.”
And Remi’s students are clearly in store for a lot of amazing things learning with her. She tells me that while working with her young students especially, she can see the roots of music taking place in their growth. “Music is great for the kids and it really helps them develop good concentration skills. It also helps give them a headspace where they can listen to not only the music but to themselves.”
Now that Remi is teaching with Villa Musica, she is excited to use this opportunity to share and learn with our community. She is also very excited to engage with Villa Musica to meet new people and maybe even work in our Access Initiative Programs. “I love what Villa Musica is doing out in the community, because it really opens the window for so many people. I love that [Villa Musica] is broadening the access of music education to so many people.”
Villa Musica is excited to have Remi here with us and we can not wait for all of the things we might learn from each other. Take a moment to say hello to her the next time she is in the lobby, or maybe even ask her about her cat, Toulouse, named after a character in the Aristocats. If you are ready to learn, share, and grow alongside Remi, sign up for an initial lesson with her here https://villamusica.org/private-lessons/
A scene from the Aristocats, (Toulouse is the orange kitty with paint on his paws)