Meet Teresa Wong | Entrepreneur, musician, teacher, author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Teresa Wong and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Teresa, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Before I started my private music teaching studio, I was working on my phD in historical musicology and teaching music history course at the university, while at the same time working as professional pianist performing with orchestras and ensembles.

I was working on this paper about piano teaching, and in the process of doing that, I suddenly realized, instead of writing about it, I wanted to actually do something about it. I wanted to be actively pursuing this instead of doing it academically. So I quit my PhD program, and even stopped performing for a while, to focus on building my own private music teaching studio. I believed that in order to be successful, I had to burn the bridge. There was no return to what I was doing before.

At first, I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t know how to build my business, after all I was trained as a musician. I had no financial and marketing background. But I started learning everything I needed to know. I am a very diligent and consistent person. I’m not afraid of doing hard work. I put my heart and soul into building the studio day in and day out, 24/7. Because I knew in my heart, it was something I was very passionate about, piano teaching, be the teacher that I never had for my students. I knew I had knowledge and skills to do so. Quickly I put up a website, set up a YouTube channel, wrote articles and filmed videos every single day, even when I was on vacation. And I set a deadline for myself that, by the end of that year, I had to achieve certain numbers. And I made it way before my deadline. Because I am that kind of person, a straight A student through and through.

Nowadays I have not only a private music teaching studio, I have actually rebuilt it three times in two different countries, all by myself. I also have an online consultation company helping other change their dreams and fulfill their purposes.

What should our readers know about your business?
I’m very passionate about my work, my business, that definitely sets me apart from those who only work for money or stability. I believe I pick my purpose and my passion. I work hard, and I don’t take no for an answer. If this way doesn’t work, I’ll find another way to make it work. I always pull through. And there are always signs to tell me to not give up.

In my business, I don’t just teach private piano lessons. I also wrote my own course books and recorded CDs that are specifically for piano beginners. I have written six books so far, four beginner coursebooks, one piano technique exercise book, the other is a book on piano playing, it’s called “Piano Freedom”. I provide one-to-one consultation, helping piano teachers and pianists with their teaching, performance and professional exam qualifications. I also have an online teaching platform where I have courses on music studio business, piano teacher and performance training.

I have recently got back to performing, and right now I do perform under a different name, Ala Gialla, just because I wanted to do different kind of music. I released my first full piano album in late 2022. It is called “A New Beginning”. Last year we did a series of concert funded by the Boulder city Council. It was to promote diversity and equality in the community with our music programs and performers .

This year I decided to start expanding my brand. My consultation company Music on Wings is a conglomerate that provides everything from book and music publishing, to professional development and consultation all under one roof. My hope is to impact more people, to help and inspire more people around the globe, with music and education.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There is a lot to offer living in the front range in Colorado. I will definitely take my friend to the Rocky Mountain National Park – in the summer we can go for a hike, in the winter we can go snowshoeing. We will probably stop by Estes Park for some lunch and shopping.

We have a lot of live music happening all the time, in the summer we can enjoy some outdoor music performances and have a cold beer from one of the many local breweries, or we can enjoy delicious wine at some local vineyards. Personally I love the Blue Mountain Vineyards in Berthoud and the Sweetheart Winery in Loveland. We can also go to the Garden of Gods in Colorado Springs and stay at the resort there. We might also spend a night in Denver and enjoy the variety of cuisines offered in town, and do some shopping downtown.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First, I like to dedicate my shout out to my late Father, who just passed away recently. He was the one who taught me to be strong and resilient, to be hardworking, and not giving up on what I have started. He was the one who worked hard for his family, to provide me with all the piano lessons and music education that I needed to be successful. I won’t be here today without his support.

I’d like to also thank my Mother for standing up for me. I was never someone who did things traditionally, and especially growing up in a more traditional culture, she defied a lot of rules that were set for me. She let me be the person I wanted to be, and even fought for me fiercely quite a few times, which turned out to be very definitive moments in my life. For that I’m very thankful.

There is a third person I want to thank, and she was my very first real piano teacher. She’s not someone just did her job. She did way beyond what she was required to do, and she was a Teacher (teacher with a capital T) I aspired to be- a humanistic teacher, who genuinely cared for her students and with adequate music and piano knowledge to guide and inspire. I wish I had contact with her, she was my teacher when I was very young, and I couldn’t find her anywhere, I really hope one day, if she’s still around, I would get to tell her in person how grateful I am for her.

Website: www.teresawongpiano.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/musiconwings

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeresaWongPiano?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@musiconwingcc?feature=shared

Other: Local piano lessons in Longmont, CO: www.longmont-piano-lessons.com Consultation website: www.musiconwings.com