Client Testimonials
"Gen taught voice to my daughter, Lola (aged 9) in preparation for a school musical. Lola previously struggled with vocal performance. However, during the course of her lessons with Gen, her confidence and ability soared. Lola hit notes that I never knew were possible and ALWAYS had a smile on her face. By the day of the musical she felt prepared and confident, and performed brilliantly, but what was more remarkable was the effect on the rest of life. I can honestly say that her voice lessons with Gen changed her. It gave her the self-esteem she was previously lacking and made her approach other tasks in a more constructive and focused way. I realize it’s a bit of a voice coach cliche but I really did see my shy daughter find her voice, both literally and figuratively. Lola (and I) really took to Gen’s positive approach to learning; encouraging, patient but most of all joyful, reflecting the very special person that Gen is. Sadly, we have since moved from Brooklyn back to London, my only regret being that I didn’t take lessons with Gen myself!"
Dr Seeta Seetharaman, London, UK
Dr Seeta Seetharaman, London, UK
|
"I have been honored by her dedication, persistence and just great company in guiding me to where I am now as a piano student. I have learned different pieces, some of which I never thought I would be able to play, but Genevieve taught me that with practice and strong fundamentals I would be able to. Thank you for encouraging me all the way!”
Cynthia Lau, Brooklyn, New York |
Video Testimonial from
Amy Kennard, New Jersey |
"There are those who are gifted teachers, those who are gifted artists, and then, there are those rare persons, like Genevieve, who are gifted at both. Genevieve is a teacher who inspires love and passion for piano playing in her students through her encouragement, thoughtfulness, and joy. In each lesson, Genevieve’s love of teaching is apparent: her energy and patience shine through as she encourages and nurtures my child in her piano playing. With Genevieve as her teacher, not only has my daughter grown as a piano player, but she has also developed greater confidence in herself and her ability to tackle new challenges. As a mother, I appreciate that while Genevieve shares her art and helps her students flourish in their musical abilities, she also imparts nuggets of wisdom that can be carried over into everyday life.
My daughter began taking virtual piano lessons with Genevieve at the onset of the pandemic; any qualms we might have had about online piano lessons quickly disappeared. My daughter and Genevieve connected immediately as teacher and student. Although they might have been miles apart, Genevieve's enthusiasm and love for her art came across through the screen: it was as if she had joined us in our living room, playing her beautiful music. As the world has returned to normal, we have continued virtual lessons. When one has a teacher as good as Genevieve, virtual lessons pose no challenge. In fact, although my daughter took in-person piano lessons for two years prior to beginning lessons with Genevieve, my daughter has progressed more and grown leaps and bounds with Genevieve despite her lessons being virtual. Without a doubt, this is because of Genevieve's teaching.
Each week, when Genevieve appears on our computer screen to begin my daughter's lesson, I know my daughter is in good hands. Genevieve celebrates my daughter's piano playing victories (and life accomplishments as well) while helping my daughter with her musical mistakes. She incorporates my child into the learning process, asking her what she would like to learn while also recommending pieces that will help my daughter grow as a musician. Genevieve recognizes each student's strengths and abilities and although she encourages her students to strive for their best, she also reminds her students that mistakes are inevitable and something to be learned from. She has helped my daughter recognize
that mistakes should not be feared but cherished for all that they offer.
Finally, and most importantly, I appreciate that Genevieve has helped my daughter fall in love with piano playing again. Before Genevieve, I often had to remind my daughter to practice her piano. It had reached the point that I questioned why my daughter was continuing with lessons if I had to remind her to practice. When my daughter began lessons with Genevieve, I noticed a shift in her approach to piano playing. Now, my daughter plays because she wants to and more importantly, when she plays, she plays with joy. My daughter could not have accomplished what she has without Genevieve. We are grateful to have Genevieve in our lives
as a teacher and mentor. "
Stephanie Atkinson
Westchester, NY
My daughter began taking virtual piano lessons with Genevieve at the onset of the pandemic; any qualms we might have had about online piano lessons quickly disappeared. My daughter and Genevieve connected immediately as teacher and student. Although they might have been miles apart, Genevieve's enthusiasm and love for her art came across through the screen: it was as if she had joined us in our living room, playing her beautiful music. As the world has returned to normal, we have continued virtual lessons. When one has a teacher as good as Genevieve, virtual lessons pose no challenge. In fact, although my daughter took in-person piano lessons for two years prior to beginning lessons with Genevieve, my daughter has progressed more and grown leaps and bounds with Genevieve despite her lessons being virtual. Without a doubt, this is because of Genevieve's teaching.
Each week, when Genevieve appears on our computer screen to begin my daughter's lesson, I know my daughter is in good hands. Genevieve celebrates my daughter's piano playing victories (and life accomplishments as well) while helping my daughter with her musical mistakes. She incorporates my child into the learning process, asking her what she would like to learn while also recommending pieces that will help my daughter grow as a musician. Genevieve recognizes each student's strengths and abilities and although she encourages her students to strive for their best, she also reminds her students that mistakes are inevitable and something to be learned from. She has helped my daughter recognize
that mistakes should not be feared but cherished for all that they offer.
Finally, and most importantly, I appreciate that Genevieve has helped my daughter fall in love with piano playing again. Before Genevieve, I often had to remind my daughter to practice her piano. It had reached the point that I questioned why my daughter was continuing with lessons if I had to remind her to practice. When my daughter began lessons with Genevieve, I noticed a shift in her approach to piano playing. Now, my daughter plays because she wants to and more importantly, when she plays, she plays with joy. My daughter could not have accomplished what she has without Genevieve. We are grateful to have Genevieve in our lives
as a teacher and mentor. "
Stephanie Atkinson
Westchester, NY
“I started vocal lessons with Genevieve in order to prepare for an audition that was to be submitted online. Although I am not a very experienced singer, Genevieve took me under her wing and began coaching me. She would always incorporate fun, engaging and challenging vocal exercises in my warm-up to ensure that I was thoroughly prepared for my lesson. When we worked on the song I was singing for my audition Genevieve was incredibly supportive and she provided me with constructive criticism, helpful feedback and tips to make my audition the best it could possibly be. Genevieve also helped me record, film and construct the content of my video audition. When I first saw the final video I was overwhelmed with joy. The quality and professionalism of the video was absolutely amazing and I was so proud of my progress. I found myself being able to hit certain notes I didn’t know I could and I learned various ways to control my breath as well as my vocal registration. I learned something new every single week and I was always excited to see what I could improve next. Although my lessons occurred over a short period of time, Genevive truly helped me improve my vocal ability and she helped me become more confident in myself as a singer and as a person. I enjoyed every single second I had with her and I am very thankful that I had the ability to work with her.”
Isabel Gonzalez
Brooklyn, NY
"We hired Genevieve Toh to give our son voice lessons in advance of a school audition. She came armed with a multitude of skills that one doesn’t usually affiliate with a simple vocal coach: a two-fisted facility at the piano, with any type of music; a genial sense of humor that put our son at ease, a grasp of all sorts of genres from classical to show tunes to what’s on the radio this exact moment; an ability to bring analogies to the lesson to make it come alive for any student; a kindness with mistakes and a passion for yanking a strong, nuanced performance out of seemingly anyone – even a reticent 14-year-old boy. The results were amazing. Not only did our son have the confidence to successfully tackle his audition, but his confidence has risen across the board – both musically and in any situation where he needs to be heard in public. I recommend Genevieve wholeheartedly to all who might benefit from her unique blend of talents."
Carolina Chia
Brooklyn, New York
Carolina Chia
Brooklyn, New York
"I first came to know Genevieve through her directorship of a Liturgy of the Word and children’s choir at our Church. As an individual, I found myself attracted to Genevieve’s beautiful spirit, her kind manner with children and adults and her passion for music.
When our teenage daughter needed to prepare for a filmed vocal audition, I immediately turned to Genevieve. What stands out for me is the way in which Gen worked. She asked me for all the details about the audition and then both she and our daughter worked out the particulars from there. Gen, I must say, met our daughter on our daughter’s musical level. She was most thoughtful about the parameters of time and what she could realistically teach her in that framework.
As I watched the process unfold, I was amazed what Gen was able to teach in so little time and in such an enriching atmosphere. From the very first lesson, I witnessed our daughter sing her heart out with confidence and poise.Gen was able to dig deep, so to speak, to meet our daughter where she was on an emotional and professional level. She was creative, industrious, honest and encouraging, as when one approach didn’t bring out what she sought as a teacher, she went through another avenue and voila, results! When it came time to film our daughter’s audition, she was more than ready and Gen was also able to direct and film the audition as well, so we were doubly enriched and blessed.
I found Gen to be a teacher of high integrity with her musical knowledge and expertise. What is most important to me as a parent who seeks a teacher for a child, is that Genevieve is trustworthy, dependable, honest, talented, humorous and a beautiful being of light and song. I only wish I could send the whole family in for lessons as music is only one of the many things you will learn studying with Gen.
I guarantee her work and that you will not be the same person as when you started your musical journey: this I can say with complete and utter confidence!”
Jackie Bernard
Brooklyn, New York
"Genevieve is a great teacher because she is incredibly kind and patient. She never condemns you for making a mistake. Indeed, she reminds you that a mistake is not bad but is, in fact, a great opportunity to learn more and go over something again.
Genevieve is always encouraging and always there to help. She constantly reminds me that I should not judge myself about the mistakes that I make as a piano player.I love having Genevieve as my piano teacher!!"
Arabella P.
Westchester, New York
Genevieve is always encouraging and always there to help. She constantly reminds me that I should not judge myself about the mistakes that I make as a piano player.I love having Genevieve as my piano teacher!!"
Arabella P.
Westchester, New York
“Genevieve is an incredible teacher. My 13-year old son had been studying piano for about seven years. His musical instincts are sharp and he had been playing some high level pieces, but he had auditions coming up and there were gaps in his skill and knowledge. I hired Genevieve to tackle the less-than-fun pieces with him when his teacher was out of town last summer. He needed to work on scales, arpeggios, musicianship, sight reading, audition technique and theory, and I fully expected him to feel tortured by it. Well, his skills grew by leaps and bounds and much to my surprise, he loved his lessons. In fact, he enjoyed them so much that even after our main teacher returned, I had Genevieve continue her work with my son. She brings 200% of herself to every lesson, exhibiting exceptional energy. She is impeccably professional, extremely talented, and a pleasure to have in the home. She aims to understand the goals of her students and she cares very much about helping her students achieve them. She’s a well-trained pianist and is extremely knowledgeable musically and she’s also a wonderful teacher (the two don’t always go together). For the life of me, I will never understand how she made sitting up straight and practicing sight reading excerpts and tonal exercises fun. I can say that some days, there was even a football involved! She gave my son clear techniques and broke large, overwhelming concepts into usable steps he could start to employ on his own. I feel so lucky that we had Genevieve as part of our team. Because of the limited scope of our goals at the time, my son did not get to work with her on longer pieces. But we got to hear her play and discuss music, and she heard my son play jazz, which he adores. She’s encouraging and inspiring at helping students bring not only technique but life and soul to their music. I reached out to Genevieve recently to let her know the audition results (my son was accepted to LaGuardia on piano) and her words of congratulations as well as her advice were true-to-form: wise, grounded and encouraging."
Leah W.
Manhattan, New York
Leah W.
Manhattan, New York
"As an adult wanting to learn the piano and sight-reading for the first time, I was quite apprehensive and nervous about taking my first lesson.
Genevieve not only put me at ease from the moment I sat at the piano but also encouraged me through the lesson. I came away feeling like I had achieved progress within one hour and was a lot less daunted by the prospect of learning a new instrument from scratch.
As we went through our lessons she ensured that she kept sight of my goals as a voice teacher and ensured I was armed with what I needed at the end of every class for the voice lessons I was conducting. She taught concepts and logic over memorisation which was immensely helpful especially as an adult learner. Genevieve was also available for questions between classes which made practice at home more productive.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my lessons with Genevieve and learned a lot over a very short period of time."
Samyukta Ranganathan
Singer & Voice Teacher
Queens, New York
Genevieve not only put me at ease from the moment I sat at the piano but also encouraged me through the lesson. I came away feeling like I had achieved progress within one hour and was a lot less daunted by the prospect of learning a new instrument from scratch.
As we went through our lessons she ensured that she kept sight of my goals as a voice teacher and ensured I was armed with what I needed at the end of every class for the voice lessons I was conducting. She taught concepts and logic over memorisation which was immensely helpful especially as an adult learner. Genevieve was also available for questions between classes which made practice at home more productive.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my lessons with Genevieve and learned a lot over a very short period of time."
Samyukta Ranganathan
Singer & Voice Teacher
Queens, New York
“I started piano lessons with Ms. Gen when I was 8 and continued until I finished high school. Piano lessons offered a source of much needed variety from school life and Ms. Gen’s passion for music helped me cultivate an interest in piano which I have maintained even though I am no longer having lessons.
A fantastic aspect of Ms. Gen’s lessons is that she understands that students’ aims and goals differ and she adapts the lessons according to what the individual needs out of the lessons. For example, although I was never one of her more talented or serious students, I found myself developing a real interest in music under her supporting and nurturing tutelege.
Ms Gen created a positive and stimulating environment that was very helpful in developing my confidence as a child. She was extremely patient with me and never displayed any signs of frustration despite my repeated mistakes. She employed a variety of strategies especially when I was younger in order to keep the lessons interesting and fun. She exposed me to a wide array of different piano pieces ranging across literally centuries. I can say that I take some pride in developing as a pianist who was only able to play Mary had a Little Lamb one-handed to being able to play a complete Mozart Sonata.
All in all, there are few teachers that I have encountered in my life as supportive, patient and capable as Ms Gen.”
Matthew Hui , Singapore
A fantastic aspect of Ms. Gen’s lessons is that she understands that students’ aims and goals differ and she adapts the lessons according to what the individual needs out of the lessons. For example, although I was never one of her more talented or serious students, I found myself developing a real interest in music under her supporting and nurturing tutelege.
Ms Gen created a positive and stimulating environment that was very helpful in developing my confidence as a child. She was extremely patient with me and never displayed any signs of frustration despite my repeated mistakes. She employed a variety of strategies especially when I was younger in order to keep the lessons interesting and fun. She exposed me to a wide array of different piano pieces ranging across literally centuries. I can say that I take some pride in developing as a pianist who was only able to play Mary had a Little Lamb one-handed to being able to play a complete Mozart Sonata.
All in all, there are few teachers that I have encountered in my life as supportive, patient and capable as Ms Gen.”
Matthew Hui , Singapore
“When I first approached Genevieve in September 2013, I was at my wits’ end with 6-year old Cayla’s piano practices. I had asked Genevieve if there were “unteachable kids” when it comes to learning a musical instrument and she said most definitely not! At that time, Cayla learnt piano from a Montessori trained teacher using the Suzuki Method. After many weeks of seeing the frustration on the teacher’s face, I stopped the lessons but practiced with Cayla at home with a Chinese song that she liked. When we first came to Genevieve, she pointed out frankly that it was a difficult piece for a beginner learner. She had the foresight to know that the Suzuki Method was not a suitable way of learning for Cayla. Also, Genevieve spelt out the aim clearly – that Cayla will practise on her own without me having to sit or nag at her. Cayla looked forward to EVERY lesson with Genevieve. As a teacher, she has the fortitude to take students where they are and nurture them to have a love for playing the piano. Cayla comes home singing and practising the piano on her own. It was Magical! Thank YOU Genevieve not just for the piano lessons but also for believing in Cayla and showing me how every child should be taught gently and our expectations tailored to their potential.”
Jeanne Hsi , Singapore
Jeanne Hsi , Singapore
"I had the privilege of attending a vocal masterclass Genevieve conducted. Using her supremely keen observation and deep sensitivity to her students, she rapidly teased remarkable sounds out of each of them. What was especially striking was her joy in conducting the exercises. Her students quickly forget they are being stretched, they simply begin rising up to meet each gleeful demand. I'd never have considered investing in vocal lessons. But watching Genevieve polish each individual's sound, I've come to understand how valuable a great instructor's sustained guidance can be. A passionate singer seeking to develop his or her sound would do very well to work with Genevieve!"
Jonathan T.
church cantor/musician
Singapore
Jonathan T.
church cantor/musician
Singapore