Heart Strings Mandarin (HSM) was "birthed" in 2013 in Chapel Hill, NC. Back then, when my children were little, I searched for Mandarin singalongs and story times but could not find any. I was already working as a music teacher at a Chinese Immersion Preschool and witnessed firsthand how students quickly grasped the language through singing songs.
As a music educator and a music therapist, I decided to teach these classes myself. I developed the curriculum and wrote songs. The objective of these classes is to expose children to Mandarin (including tones of the language) and teach "useful language" (i.e. commonly used vocabulary and phrases). In group classes, I teach in blocks where we focus on a theme. In this way, the repetition of words and phrases over several classes reinforces the learning. Classes may be tailored for individuals or small groups.
My family and I relocated to the Pacific NW in 2016 and for a few years, I put HSM aside and taught piano from my home studio while raising my children. With the coronavirus pandemic and all of us "stuck" at home, I decided it was a good time to bring HSM back. I want to make these classes accessible and affordable to everyone.
A little bit about myself:
- I love playing the piano and composing music
- I love playing the guitar and writing songs to sing
- I love collaborating with other musicians
- I love teaching
- I love creating and sharing...
Sharon Gan