TESTIMONIALS
We do not solicit testimonies, as we are ever so proud of our many high achieving students. Many have grown into outstanding individuals. Beyond achieving that Grade 8 and/or piano diplomas, they have developed and continued to contribute to society in so many wonderful ways. This page features some of our former students who have written in, often to our surprise, to share their after thoughts .... if you would just wish to know where some of them have arrived!
Elijah Chew
Elijah started from Grade 4 at JKPA , completed both DipABRSM and LRSM with distinction and was invited to perform at the ABRSM High Scorers' concert in Hong Kong. He graduated from JKPA with Fellowship Diploma in 2018 and achieved top scores at the 2019 GCE 'A' levels examinations, including Music. He subdequently obtained scholarship to study Mathematics at Oxford University. Read about his passion with music in the news of Raffles Institution. https://rafflespress.com/2019/02/24/a-level-2019-student-feature-discipline-and-passion/?fbclid=IwAR2ioOsLCG9UH5xNzvReFjNt99xuOuW-zLco3QXfphOZbBlUoFDt_d2x_ZE
Elijah started from Grade 4 at JKPA , completed both DipABRSM and LRSM with distinction and was invited to perform at the ABRSM High Scorers' concert in Hong Kong. He graduated from JKPA with Fellowship Diploma in 2018 and achieved top scores at the 2019 GCE 'A' levels examinations, including Music. He subdequently obtained scholarship to study Mathematics at Oxford University. Read about his passion with music in the news of Raffles Institution. https://rafflespress.com/2019/02/24/a-level-2019-student-feature-discipline-and-passion/?fbclid=IwAR2ioOsLCG9UH5xNzvReFjNt99xuOuW-zLco3QXfphOZbBlUoFDt_d2x_ZE
David Tao Cheng Ming
A professional choir director, private flute teacher and bass vocalist with the Singapore Symphony Chorus. David attended music theory at JKPA as a SAF musician in 2012. Years later, he wrote on Facebook on 30th July 2018
A professional choir director, private flute teacher and bass vocalist with the Singapore Symphony Chorus. David attended music theory at JKPA as a SAF musician in 2012. Years later, he wrote on Facebook on 30th July 2018
I would like to thank Ms Josephine Koh for helping and preparing me for my Grade 8 theory exam and also giving me the chance to work with her NUS Harmonica Orchestra in a couple of concerts. I think I am the worst and slowest of all her students when it comes to learning capabilities. Haha, but still, we managed to push through the exams within a relatively short period of time. (Luckily she did not give up on me ! 😝) Most importantly I felt very fortunate and thankful to have known her; as to me, she is what I call ‘Superwoman’.
You will understand why so if you know her personally. The amount of things she achieved as a Mother, Musician, Pianist, Teacher, Educator, Boss, publisher and the list goes on and on....
I am just speechlessly inspired by her, as an Asian Woman from Singapore, who achieved so much more then most men could only dream of.
She is definitely one of the persons I would think of for advice should I ever need it.
Thank You Teacher ! 🙏🙇
* David was not slow. All students essentially start from some point with great difficulties.
You will understand why so if you know her personally. The amount of things she achieved as a Mother, Musician, Pianist, Teacher, Educator, Boss, publisher and the list goes on and on....
I am just speechlessly inspired by her, as an Asian Woman from Singapore, who achieved so much more then most men could only dream of.
She is definitely one of the persons I would think of for advice should I ever need it.
Thank You Teacher ! 🙏🙇
* David was not slow. All students essentially start from some point with great difficulties.
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Stephanie Choo
Graduated from Columbia University (USA). Works at Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Formerly from Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy and International Rescue Committee 18th September 2015, in celebration of national piano month, Stephanie who studied at JKPA from 2002-2005 and attained FRSM and LRSM (Dist), posted on Facebook:
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The piano has been a huge part of my life, especially for my first 25 years. It was more than just practising the keyboard, attending lessons, performing at recitals, and taking nerve-wrecking exams, but about developing the attitude of putting your heart, soul and mind into something in order to reach your dreams. And the person most crucial in this music journey has been my mentor and former piano teacher, Ms Josephine Koh, who demonstrated by example to my teenage self what passion, conviction and commitment meant, and who taught me to focus on honing my own skills and not be limited by what others could or could not attain when pursuing my goals. Never mind there might have been an unspoken quota on the number of people passing the LRSM annually. Never mind no one had yet passed the FRSM/piano in SG back in 2005.
While I am not actively playing the piano today (resources in YGN are limited), my experiences with the piano still deeply influence my professional and personal attitudes. It reminds me that in this development world that I'm committed to, with the multiplicity of agencies and partners promoting an array of programmes and activities, focusing on enhancing the technical relevance and responsiveness of our work is the sustainable, value-adding way forward.
Juliet Tye Studied diploma piano at JKPA for a year before going on to study Medical Science at Edinburgh University (UK). She wrote on Facebook on 29th September 2015.
I never forgot how I was first introduced to this piece, and it has never left the music box in my head. Ms Josephine Koh thank you. (Arthur Rubinstein's rendition of Brahms' Intermezzo No. 2 in A major, Op. 118).
Carmen Lee Graduated from Law School of University College London (UK).
A corporate lawyer by profession, she finished Grade 8 at JKPA and studied diploma piano till 2005.
She wrote an email to JKPA on 6th Oct 2013:
A corporate lawyer by profession, she finished Grade 8 at JKPA and studied diploma piano till 2005.
She wrote an email to JKPA on 6th Oct 2013:
Dear Ms Koh,
I would like to take the opportunity to thank you very much for the excellent piano lessons and musical influence you exercised when I was studying under you. It had a great impact on me as I grew to appreciate classical music and attended many concerts while living in the UK and now back in Singapore. My husband also incidentally had the same background - studied piano, went to UK and also enjoys going to classical concerts - we share a love for classical and jazz and served together in church music ministry. We just went to watch Stephen Hough when he was in S'pore (he played this super, super beautiful nocturne by Paderewski for his encore) and enjoyed a spectacular Mahler symphony by the LPO in London some weeks back.
So thank you very much for instilling this affinity for classical music in me, I still fondly remember the pieces you taught - the Beethoven variations, Liszt's La Campanella, the Chopin nocturnes etc - and the confidence you had in your students. Thank you for being a passionate and encouraging teacher.