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Testimonies
Jane Lee
Owner and Director of Hills Academy Music, Art & Dance
Torrance, CA
"I’ve had the pleasure of working with Yumemi for the last 2 years at the Hills Academy. As the director, I’ve had to be in close contact with the 30 faculty members and Yumemi has always been a stand out teacher and person. As a teacher, she is like a chameleon. She adapts to the student and always blends in with them to ensure that the student feels safe and comfortable during the lesson. The progression and success of all her students is a testament to the relationship she builds with each of them. Her students have consistently scored the highest in the national examinations. She is a teacher who pays attention to details and never lets a student perform under their potential. As a co-worker, she is like the class clown. She makes every meeting, every situation a delight. She gets everyone laughing with her which is such a necessity in any workplace. From the students, to the parents, to all office staff and faculty, Yumemi is loved by all. We are all saddened that she is not with us. Texas is lucky to have her for the next few years!"
Gen-na Park
Student's Mother
Torrance, CA
"My daughter has been taking piano lessons from other teachers for two years prior to meeting Ms. Mimi. We were about to end lessons due to the struggles and challenges my daughter was having with piano which was impacting her confidence. Within the first couple of lessons with Ms. Mimi, she identified the root cause of the problem was my daughter could not read music notes well. She takes the time to build a safe, comfortable and trusting relationship with my child and me. My daughter blossomed under her instructions and learned to love playing the piano which she detested before. Ms. Mimi has the ability to identify strengths, areas to develop which she diligently works together with my daughter and me, and provide appropriate motivation. Most importantly, she genuinely cares and takes pride in my daughter’s development in music. She takes the time to share with me my daughter’s progress after each lesson. I appreciate her honesty and trust her opinion. Our family will miss her dearly but completely support her future endeavors."
Hong Messina
Student's Parent
Houston, TX
"My daughter had piano lessons with Ms. Yumemi for almost 18 months. She started lessons 3 years prior but we felt she wasn’t playing to her potential. After one month with Ms. Yumemi, we noticed a tremendous improvement in her technical skills. Ms. Yumemi challenged my daughter and she continued to excel under Ms. Yumemi’s direction. I regret not finding Ms. Yumemi sooner and am very sad that Ms. Yumemi is no longer in Houston. Even after moving, she worked remotely to help prepare my daughter for the music program at our local college. Ms. Yumemi is a dedicated and loving teacher and we highly recommend her. Any student would be fortunate to have her as their teacher!"
Ayako Onishi
Owner & Director of Moosic School
Houston, TX
"We were so lucky to have Ms. Yumemi Masui for the past two years at the Moosic School. She is definitely one of the best teachers we have ever had. Because of her excellent teaching and dedication, her students were always well prepared and performed very musically at our recitals. Also she is one of the few teachers who can teach any types of students because of her flexibility and charisma. We assure that whoever studies with her will reach their full potential under her guidance."
Tracy Gastelum
Student's Parent
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
My son, Chris (11 yrs old), has been working with Ms. Yumemi (aka Ms. Mimi) for nearly 6 years. Ms. Mimi is a very talented musician and teacher. She has a unique ability to adapt to differing personalities and finding the most effective way to teach her students to play the piano. She is the perfect balance of being humorous and strict. My son absolutely loves working with Ms. Mimi and has grown as a musician in ways that have gone beyond my expectations! She is patient and nurturing and holds her students to a high standard, challenging them to play difficult pieces with proper technique and musicality. Moreover, she has worked with my daughter who plays cello. She has even composed music for her and my son to play a cello-piano duet. She is an incredibly versatile and gifted musician and teacher!
Her husband, Ben, has also been an asset to my son's growth as a musician. Ben is a very talented musician and teacher as well. He teaches both piano and guitar. Together, they are a powerful team! Every other month, they bring their students together in small groups to learn theory. They make it so much fun for their students, they don't even realize they are learning! During these group lessons, the students bond and learn from other students. They learn about performance etiquette and how to effectively prepare for competitions and Certificate of Merit testing.
In addition to introducing their students to music competitions, CM testing and local recitals, their studio hosts at least two recitals a year. During these recitals, their students are exposed to varying genres of music and hear from different instrumentalists, like cellists, vocalists, and guitarists. More importantly, their recitals feel like a cozy family holiday. They break the recitals down into small groups of performers so that families don't have to sit through hours of performances. After each recital, they host a small reception during which families can mingle while enjoying appetizers and beverages.
Ms. Mimi and Mr. Ben's students have formed lasting friendships and their students' families have bonded. We feel so blessed to have Ms. Mimi and Mr. Ben in our son's life! I could not imagine a better piano teacher for my son. If I could give them 100 STARS, I would!!! LOVE!!! LOVE!!! LOVE THEM!!!
Margarette Cornwell
Student's Parent
Los Angeles, CA
My daughter has been taking lessons with Ms. Mimi for almost a year and studying guitar with Mr. Ben as well. My husband and I have noticed a significant improvement in her playing. She is eager to practice more and she now refers to herself as a musician which she never did before. We couldn't be more happy with their program!!
Sarah Shields
Student
Los Angeles, CA
Learning the piano is something I have wanted to do my whole life. However, as an adult learner, I had a lot of apprehension about beginning piano lessons (I wouldn't be able to learn, that I would be too slow, etc). However, upon meeting with Yumemi and finding out about the studio (her experience, credentials, etc), I decided to take the leap and try it. I'm so happy I did! She is a wonderful teacher and is able to customize a learning plan so you really feel like you're making progress. I walk away from each lesson feeling super productive and excited about what I have learned. I highly recommend her! It's so fun to start playing a lot of the pieces that I have loved listening to my whole life.
Also, I feel like I would be remiss if I didn't address her problem-solving skills. This has been most invaluable to me. Learning the piano is not for the weak of heart, but her patience, kindness and best of all, her ability to understand the way you think and best how to troubleshoot your difficulties is HUGE. I am never frustrated for long and I think that is why I have been able to be so successful!
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