Golden Key Paino School’s July 2025 Newsletter

Dear Manhattan Piano Academy Community,

As we step into a new month, we’re excited to share highlights from the past month and give you a glimpse of the exciting opportunities ahead this month!

1. Summer Package

Summer is a great time to catch up with your piano practice and make it your focus. We are running a summer program to help the students improve their stature and focus.

The packages are;

In Person Lessons

• Two piano lessons per week.
• Duration of class is 60 minutes.
• Monthly “polish up” short lesson with headteacher.
• $800 per month.

Online Lessons

• Two piano lessons per week.
• Duration of class is 60 minutes.
• Monthly “polish up” short lesson with headteacher.
• $700 per month.

Space is limited. Please reply to this email to register.

2. NEW In- Person Monthly Performance Day

We are excited to announce the kickoff of our in-person informal performance days that have now moved from Zoom meeting to the fabulous Piano Piano studio. We would like you to make a plan to join us as we will be sharing more information on the dates and times of these performance days so be on the lookout for that soon!

3. Teacher News

Welcoming Teacher Ina

Ina Jun is a pianist and educator specializing in solo, chamber, and collaborative performance. Certified in a few traditional piano pedagogy programs and trained in our school’s teaching method Ina taught at the Hartt Community Division’s Preparatory Program, coaching chamber music and preparing students for competitions and examinations. Her students have won major regional and national prizes. She also serves as an adjudicator and emphasizes strong technical foundations and expressive individuality.

Ina has appeared in series including Puerto Piano & Strings, Festival of New American Music, Music at Noon, Renaissance Society Concerts, Saturday Musical Club, and Pacific Institute of Music Faculty Concert. In 2021, she won the Moshe Paranov Concerto Competition at the Hartt School with Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2.

Her chamber duo was featured at the Beethoven Institute at Mannes College. She also received first prizes in the Watson and Hartt Chamber Music Competitions. As a collaborative pianist, she has worked with the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, Camellia Symphony, Sacramento State Opera, and Sacramento Contemporary Dance Theatre.

Awards include first prizes in the Fresno Musical Club, Sekwang Piano, and Fine Arts Scholarship Competitions, along with scholarships from the Hartford Musical Club, Sacramento Saturday Musical Club, Hartt Performing Arts, and W.M. Vincent funds.

Originally from South Korea, she began piano at age four and trained at Fine Arts middle and high schools. She earned a BM (summa cum laude) from the Hartt School, MM from CSU Sacramento, and a DMA from the Hartt School under Paul Rutman. Her principal teachers include Richard Cionco, David Westfall, and Joo-yi Yoo.

She joins the collaborative piano program at The Juilliard School in Fall 2025 and we are thrilled to have her join our Manhattan Piano Academy teacher’s team starting fall 2025.

Welcoming Teacher Andrew

Pianist Andrew J. Wilson committed to creating a supportive and engaging environment where students of all ages can build strong technical skills, learn to express themselves musically, and develop a lifelong love of music. His teaching approach blends structure with creativity, aiming to meet each student where they are and guide them toward meaningful musical growth.

Andrew has performed as a soloist and collaborative pianist in Puerto Rico, Poland, and across the United States. His wide-ranging repertoire spans from Bach and Mozart to contemporary composers, and his performance career includes winning first prize in the Kansas State University Concerto Competition and making his orchestral debut with the KSU Symphony Orchestra in 2022.

He holds a Master’s degree in Piano Performance and an Advanced Certificate in Piano Pedagogy from New York University, where he also taught as an adjunct instructor in keyboard studies. Andrew is currently on faculty at both New York Piano School and Manhattan Piano Academy. He believes that teaching and performing music can transcend cultural boundaries and bring people together in meaningful ways.

We are delighted and excited to have teacher Andrew start with us at Manhattan Piano Academy in Fall 2025.

4. Follow Our Blog

We update our blog with a new post every week, where we post useful insights, advice, and more.

Check the blog here:

Making The Most of Your Summer Piano Practice