Today we’d like to introduce you to Mandy Hong.
Mandy Hong is a Contemporary Pop/Jazz singer and keyboard player. She spent her childhood in Beijing, China and started to play classical piano at the age of three. Later on, she started her professional training in one of the most prestigious choirs in China, touring around the world and recording vocals for various commercials, movies and children’s vocal parts in the theme song of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. In 2018, she finished her Bachelor’s Degree in jazz keyboard major at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and accomplished her Master’s Degree at CalArts in 2020. She is currently enrolled at Longy School of Music, pursuing her Musical Arts in Teaching credential. Mandy has a rich experience of teaching, mainly focused on students aged K–12; she has also played gigs from areas of variety, including LA Troubadour, Santa Clarita TV, Unchained TV, etc…
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I started to play the piano at the age of three, since then music has blended into my nature and incited an urge to create. My life path changed when my choir conductor noticed my talent and advised me on learning jazz, it was a moment when a world of unknown unveiled itself to me and thus, I made the first big decision in my life. Back then, jazz culture was fairly an underdeveloped concept in my home country China, but I was lucky enough to be surrounded by great influence. I met my music and life mentor Gerard D’ Angelo. If the choir conductor was an introducer that showed me the doorsill, Gerard was the one who paved my professional path—more importantly, not only did he nourish me with professional knowledge, he also revealed to me the importance of being an influential educator. Through constant encouragement from Gerard, I eventually grew into a person of strong confidence and firm determination to carry out further study of jazz piano in California.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
Back in New York, after my mentor Gerard learnt about jazz development in China, he immediately decided to conduct a series of online courses with me to popularize jazz keyboard techniques to Chinese jazz students. Under his influence, I have gained my confidence as a professional jazz pianist and carried out further study of jazz piano in California. Apart from playing in different bands for gigs, I started to consider how education has changed my life and the possibility to combine all those benevolences I once received to my own interpretation of music. Thus I emerged with the wish to become an educator myself to pass on such a gift and began to teach students five years ago. I found out that the more I contributed to my students, the more I was incited by them. From their achievements, I’ve gained a great sense of accomplishment that meant everything to me, and seeing them falling for music was like mirroring myself, reminding me of the little happy girl that sang and played so freely. All the past experiences shaped my notion toward music, and now I’ve never been more affirmed about becoming an educator.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, I don’t think I would have done anything differently. I have lived and made my decisions by my authentic self; And I do believe that “Failure is the mother of success”. No one is able to live their lives without making any mistakes, and I’ll embrace my failure and conquer it, everything exists for a reason to make me better. I am a lucky person that always has someone being there for me, and it is those who supported me that gave me the courage to overcome any obstacles.
Pricing:
- Private piano lesson $50/hour
- Self comping for singing $50/hour
Contact Info:
- Website: https://soundcloud.com/mandy-hong-549572618
- Phone: 646-662-5931
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mandy_share_music/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004420128160
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