Connect
To Top

Meet Candice Hakimfar Tahour of My Musical Candy in Beverly Hills

Today we’d like to introduce you to Candice Hakimfar Tahour.

Candice, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Piano and music was destined for me, because I always thought of it as a hobby and never anticipated it becoming a career. At the age of six, I started taking piano lessons. Piano quickly became an outlet of expression. Learning music taught me that the outcome of my performance is solely based on my efforts. For whatever I put into it, came out of it. This was a valuable lesson that is still engrained in my head.

At the age of fifteen, my life took a pivotal turn. My father, who is an art dealer, had a potential client for a red Yamaha piano that once belonged to famed singer and pianist Elton John. The shiny piano was displayed in the window of his antique shop in Brentwood. The client fell in love with the piano, but she faced one major concern- finding an instructor to teach her kids. My father assured her that he has the perfect instructor for her kids. The following Saturday, I went to work with my father and noticed that the piano was no longer in his store. At 11 A.M. my father told me that at noon he would be dropping me off at his client’s home and told me I will be teaching piano. I had no idea where to start. The fact that I had to simplify everything for a child to understand music encouraged me to deeply comprehend music even more. I had to teach rhythm, beats, sight reading, and musical dynamics. It was a foreign language to them and my role was to be their translator. Teaching music gave my students confidence, built their self-esteem, and gave my students lives movement. It enabled them to achieve aspirations outside of music and witnessing all of these extraordinary things build my confidence. I eventually began getting many referrals and I could never deny a student because of the immense happiness teaching music brought me. Teaching music gave me countless opportunities of getting to know people I wouldn’t have otherwise gotten to know. One of my most memorable students was a fine 87-years old woman and was born without a left hand. She had no prior experience and simply had a burning passion to learn music. Her persistence and determination to learn an instrument at the ripe age of 87 showed me that it is never too late to do anything! It is students like her that drive me to continue to teach music.

Has it been a smooth road?
Everything comes with its own set of obstacles. I fought with the idea of staying a piano teacher for many years. Being that I started teaching at the age of 15, I believed that teaching would be something that has an expiration date and I needed to find a real job once I ‘grow up’. Broadcast journalism was a hobby I picked up in my teenage years and it led me to work at places such as NBC’s Today Show, E! News, and Extra TV. As I gained more work experience in journalism, I realized that it wasn’t a suitable lifestyle for me. It took me many years and several inner battles to realize that teaching music can be a career and is my ‘permanent’ calling. It enables me to connect with people one-on-one and it brings me the pleasure of teaching, listening to, and performing music.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
My Musical Candy (MMC) is an in-home music instruction company that believes that learning should be fun and exciting!

We teach all instruments from piano, guitar, violin, drums, voice, and much more…

Every individual should have the opportunity to receive an excellent music and academic education, whether a student is learning as a hobby or aspires to pursue something professionally.

Students learn one-on-one, in a group setting, or virtually with dedicated instructors on a personalized curriculum that is tailored to meet their needs.

MMC caters to most areas in the Greater Los Angeles Region.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Absolutely!

LA is so fast paced that our society needs something that removes us from technology and makes us take a step back and learn something step by step. Learning music teaches students that everything is not instant and great things take time and effort to learn.

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in