Today we’d like to introduce you to Noreen Wenjen
Hi Noreen, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My musical journey is unique and unusual. Today, I am known as an international speaker, author, entrepreneurial educator for professional music teachers. I am a 30-year veteran of the piano instruction profession at Wenjen Piano Studios and the author of Two-Year Waitlist, an Entrepreneurial Guide for Music Teachers. Unlike many music teachers, I started off as a business major in college and did not intend to be a music teacher. As a piano teacher, I witnessed how other music teachers were struggling in the business of running a professional music studio. This led me to create online courses and templates that help music teachers around the world to run their music studios as an entrepreneur and create demand by growing a two-year waitlist.
Creativity and music have been a constant pulse throughout my life. I was a competitive pianist for twenty years from age six. I have been extremely fortunate, studying piano with exceptional piano teachers. Most of my piano teachers studied with teachers whose lineage leads all the way back to famous composers such as Beethoven and Liszt!
My wonderful first piano teacher, Nancy Perry Rohr, was able to nurture and grow my love for piano performance. Nancy was an assistant to my next teacher, Joanna Hodges, who made her Carnegie Hall debut as a teenager.
I planned to study business at the University of California at Santa Barbara. However, in search of piano lessons, I unexpectedly auditioned and became a music major the first week of college. I studied with Canadian pianist Peter Yazbeck. Peter was a conservatory schoolmate of Glenn Gould, one of the most famous pianists of the 20th century. Glenn Gould encouraged Peter to teach piano after a car accident cut his concert career short. I enjoyed my piano lessons with Peter so much that I completed a piano performance degree and took interesting business courses on the side. I later studied with Jim McCormick in Los Angeles and USC professor, Dr. Stewart Gordon. The variety of teachers influenced the music I performed and still enjoy teaching today, including Bach, Beethoven, Debussy, Shubert, Rachmaninoff, and Brahms.
My first blog was entitled “The Accidental Piano Teacher,” because although I loved music, I believed it was a prudent choice to find a career outside of music. I accidentally fell into teaching piano during what was supposed to be a two-week visit with Joanna Hodges in Vancouver, Washington. Joanna was running a music summer seminar for young pianists preparing for pre-college piano at Julliard and Curtis Institute. She gave me ten students, which turned into 35 students and a four-year stay in the northwest as her teaching assistant.
I served as president of the California Association of Professional Music Teachers from 2016-2018 and as the Southwest Division Director for the Music Teacher’s National Association (MTNA) from 2022-2024. Currently, I am the Chair for the 2025 MTNA Music Teacher’s National Association Conference Planning Committee for the upcoming national conference to be held in Minneapolis, MN March 13-19, 2025. I have been nominated as MTNA VP for Membership for the upcoming election in 2025.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road to becoming a professional musician is almost always paved with bumps, obstacles, and diversions. Musicians don’t choose our profession as a fast track to financial stability and success. We choose a career in music because we cannot live without it. It is not easy to become a successful music teacher because there is not one set path ensuring success.
One of the most challenging times of my life was when I was teaching 35 piano students and 50 music theory students, writing a book and practicing 6-8 hours a day to attain an Artist Diploma. I memorized over four hours of piano music, a total 26 piano pieces, including two full piano concerti and two sonatas. My memory ram was full and about to explode. I find great fulfilment in setting and attaining short and long-term goals. One of my strengths is my ability to juggle many projects at one time. During this time, I learned how to stay mentally strong through meditation and exercise. My parents had a very strong work ethic and showed their support for my music by attending every piano competition and recital. Through piano competitions, I learned to set goals, push myself to new limits, take criticism, and not give up. There will always be someone who you will perceive as being more gifted, having better technic, and has practiced more than you. Given an uneven playing field, what can you accomplish today?
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Unlike most piano teachers, I have a background in marketing, graphic design and have worked for two Fortune 500 companies, Nissin Foods and MacTemps (now Aquent). I run my piano studios unlike other music studios and more like a startup. I am always looking for ways to improve my studio, learn new ideas and technology that will benefit my students and my business. I don’t follow the traditions of most piano teachers; I create my own templates. I have the same benefits as a piano studio owner as I had while working for a large corporation; paid vacation and sick time, planned retirement funds, a two-year waitlist, and a stable income. My expertise and unique background helped me to become a top earner for music teachers in California.
I am immensely proud of my piano students, most of whom study with me an average of ten years. We stay in touch, and they often remark how their years of piano study helped them to become successful as college students and beyond. Many have become leaders in their fields: doctors, entrepreneurs, engineers, scientists, professional musicians, and more. My former student with the most unique music career combinations is Jackie Jones Greenleaf, a college diver that studied education and now owns and operates Greenleaf Studios, a successful piano and Pilates studio near Mammoth, California!
I am also proud to have helped to set a new stage for incoming professional music teachers. I give music teachers the entrepreneurial tools needed to create a two-year waitlist for their studio. I have launched over 15 online courses and templates for professional music teachers to take the guesswork on building and managing a successful music studio.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Today’s emerging music teachers need business, marketing, technology, and financial planning for career longevity and success.
I built my first piano studio website in 1996, as an early adopter of technology. My love of marketing and technology has kept me on the cutting edge of new business developments for music teachers.
Since the onset of Covid, online teaching became mainstream, and the role of professional music teachers drastically changed. Technology became ever entwined with music lessons. This allowed teachers to connect with students and other teachers, around the world. On the plus side, it allowed music teachers to expand their business beyond their local neighborhood.
The demand for developing individual creativity is greater than ever. Students now have access to an array of online learning tools, such as YouTube videos and apps. Yet, there is still a great demand for weekly, in-person private lessons with an experienced music teacher. The use AI is growing, but it cannot replace the quality and experience of interacting with a private piano teacher.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.wenjenpiano.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/wenjenpiano
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noreenwenjen
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/wenjenpiano
- Youtube: http://youtube.com/c/wenjenpiano
- Yelp: http://www.twoyearwaitlist.com
- Soundcloud: https://open.spotify.com/album/21kvTqWiVMP8Rfv97oa8dp?si=xADqeiRXTFqsgo6J86Nvaw
- Other: https://wenjenpiano.teachable.com
Image Credits
Kevin A Gilligan, Sal Ochoa
