Meet Soo.
Invested teacher. Dedicated artist. Suzuki mother.
Being five.
When I was 5 years old, I told my mom I would be a pianist.
We had no piano and couldn’t afford one.
Notably, there were no musicians in my family.
This was a completely foreign idea to my parents.
Still, my earliest memory is telling my mom I would play.
Believing I could, my Nana generously provided the instrument and my parents blessed me with lessons.
Years later, my studio logo portrays that first piano!
My parents chose a teacher close to our home in South Korea and I attended Bae Soon-ok Studio as a kindergartner for both lessons and practice. We weren't required to practice at home, but I did show up in the studio every single day.
Why I play.
Frankly, my memories of that experience are of discipline.
Not great memories, but something really incredible happened when I performed.
I lost myself.
Before a 5th grade recital, a fellow student asked if I was nervous. It never occurred to me to be nervous!
I’d had 6 glorious years of losing myself in music. Every time I played I was surrounded by sound, by color, by motion.
It didn’t require my perfection — only my participation.
Music was a “place” to which I could travel and the destination was new every time! Some people talk this way about books; for me, each musical composition is a journey — and who doesn’t love to travel?
Why I teach.
I came to the United States to study music education. Competitions were agonizing to me as a teenager — because everyone focused on the winning, not the music. The cultural stigma that only winners should play piano is patently false.
My formal collegiate and doctoral studies brought me back to the truth I knew in childhood: music is a mother tongue.
Music is an abstract the natural body system understands from the beginning of life. The foundation of playing piano is to understand interpretation and expression of notes on the page. The result is a transformative experience for both performer and listener.
I love music.
My teaching is a natural approach toward practice, positive public performance, and the musician finding himself or herself in their chosen genre. Early intervention is important, but it's never too late to learn! Our studio events help them build a tribe of likeminded musicians who support one another's exploration. I also encourage my students to actively seek musical experience — collaborative, voluntary, professional, ministerial — to impact their community.
Music is love in all its forms.
Community
Contribution
Migrant Education Michigan, since 2018
Teaching music to the children of North & South American migrant farmers
Livonia Area Piano Teachers Forum, since 2010
Immediate Past President, 2024 — 2026
President, 2022 — 2024
A collaborative resource for professional piano teachers, LAPTF provides education, performance, and business insights as well as scholarship and volunteer opportunities for students
Credentials
Doctor of Musical Arts, Piano Performance
University of Texas at Austin
2008
Master of Music, Music Education
University of Texas at Austin
2003
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Community Guest Lecturer
Since 2019
Sample titles include, "Exploring Music & Aural Art Through Visual Art" and "Understanding the Dalcroze Method"
Documented Study, "How Beginners Develop Musicianship Through Advanced Levels"
Since 2018
Schoolcraft College Music Faculty
since 2017
Dalcroze Method Workshop, Carnegie Melon University
2007, 2008
Suzuki Training
University of Texas at Austin
2002
Sample Accompanist Engagements
Royal Oak Suzuki Institute, since 2025
Detroit Student League, since 2021
Toledo Concerto, since 2017
Schoolcraft College, since 2017
Vocal Performance, since 2003
MMTA Concerto, since 2011
Korean Presbyterian Church of Metro Detroit, since 2010
Solo & Ensemble, since 2009
Michigan
Migrant
Education
One of the most rewarding projects for me is teaching critical humanities to Michigan's migrant children. We are pioneering this approach to the arts for children in an underserved, under-educated community. In each session we concentrate on basic rhythm, movement, and sound.
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In 2025, we launched Suzuki violin with the donation of 20 violins from KPC of Metro Detroit.
Life is full of unexpected blessings.
I hadn’t planned to teach violin to migrant kids, but God had an amazing plan for me.
I was able to help these beautiful Latin American children through my training and by observing my own kids' lessons — as a Suzuki mom!
Our inaugural class was a huge success. Some of our students had never heard the violin before, but by the end of the week, they were making their own music and asking if they might keep the violin.
A Recital
In 2022 I had the distinct pleasure of playing a duet recital with my own music teacher, Professor Sophia Gilmson. I studied under her at the Butler School of Music at UT-Austin.
It is an event I'll never forget! Please enjoy this quick video montage.
Suzuki Mother
My knowledge of the Suzuki method may be well-studied and run deep, but first, I am a parent.
I knew I could not teach others what I wasn't willing to do in my own home, with my own children. After achieving my doctorate and almost 10 years of teaching, I began a supervised study of musicianship from Beginner Level 1 in the Suzuki method. The process is academically documented with my own child's 2018 launch of a pre-Twinkle Twinkle Little Star repertoire in the cello. It sounds fancy, doesn't it? She was 7 years old and she started from scratch.
In May 2025, she competed at Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) with Édouard Lalo's Cello Concerto, first movement. She won 3rd place.
The winning isn't the point. The critical win: she is 14 years old and loves to play. Practice is the culture in our home - not because I am a music teacher, but because our children love music. There is always someone playing an instrument in our home. There is always progress, not perfection.
That 5 year old little girl from the top of this page has changed her corner of the world.
