TESTIMONIALS FROM FORMER STUDENTS
Ms. Huang is adept at finding the right balance for motivating individual students. She recognizes that every student is different and adjusts her lessons so that each student can reach their potential.
Eleanor Simon
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To Prospective Students and Parents of Students:
I've studied with Edna for about four years, from the beginning of middle school straight up to the point where I moved to Toronto, the summer after ninth grade. During that time, she has helped me grow immensely as a musician and a person.
Edna has been a great teacher and a great friend. She taught me not just how to pick reeds and adjust my tone, but also how to strand straight and proud for an audition and have confidence in my personal expression of a piece. She encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and go beyond. Under her tutelage, I tried out for All-County and All-State bands, competed in All-County solo and ensemble, and joined the Greater Baltimore Youth Orchestra, on top of playing at recitals. She has encouraged what I hope is a lifelong love of classical and jazz music in me.
Indirectly, she has influenced me to join my school's marching band, which to date I still hold as one of the greatest experiences, musical and social, that I have ever been a part of. Even after I moved to Toronto and couldn't find a teacher that fit well with me, I joined the Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra because it felt like the right thing to do.
I've laughed and cried at lessons. I've had days where practicing was the most tedious thing in the world and days where it was an absolute pleasure to be able to make music through my own skill. Through it all, my parents have supported me financially and emotionally. To be honest, at first, they weren't very keen on clarinet over other instruments such as violin or flute. But over time, many lessons, and constructive talks with Edna about my progress as a musician, they came to appreciate my concerts and recitals.
I really feel that playing clarinet has helped me grow, not just in technical skill, but also as a person through the social and education opportunities that come with being in a wind ensemble or orchestra. Edna has supported me immensely over the years, and I appreciate everything she's done for me as it continues to shape me as a person through the coming years.
Yue Zhao
**************************************************************************************
One of my best memories with Edna was meeting in Delaware and handpicking a clarinet together. We spent the afternoon picking up several instruments, talking about the silver plating and practicing runs to get a sense of their tone. I understood this is not the norm for all clarinet teachers and soon realized I had found an exceptional mentor and friend. Under Edna’s teaching, I made All-County every year and second chair in my high school’s highest band program. She helped me get there by pinpointing my weaknesses, which included rhythm and embouchure, and pushing me to improve upon them. Edna also understood that I was a barrier to my own success. She encouraged me to have confidence in myself and commit to whatever I was doing - two lessons that have had a lasting impact on my life.
- Christine Kim
**************************************************************************************
Being a student of Edna’s in college was a wonderful experience. Her style of teaching allowed me to focus on improving my weaknesses as a clarinet player while also highlighting my strengths. Edna is very personable, which made working with her even more of a positive experience.
Charisse Brown
**************************************************************************************
You were really great with Thomas. You have a firmness that always kept him moving forward yet there was no drill sergeant, my-way-or-the-highway about the process. Will had a (Russian) piano teacher that was very old-school, top down, you will do what I say; Thomas wouldn't have lasted a week with her. You were great working with Thomas rather than just telling, and I think he learned a lot of skills beyond playing the clarinet and the music theory you taught.
Thanks so much for all you did for us,
David
**************************************************************************************
Edna is an incredible teacher. My daughter was able to truly develop herself as a growing musician under Edna's care. My daughter had other teachers before Edna, but no one else was able to get her to the level of musicianship that Edna was able to do and my daughter is now at Baltimore School for the Arts playing clarinet because of the care she was given by Edna. I would hear the two of them playing side by side during practice, which I had never experienced before with my daughter's teachers, and it seemed to be the best way for my daughter to increase her skills. Edna is a musician and a teacher, unlike other teachers who mostly teach music but are not active musicians, I believe her love for music and playing comes through to her students and they absorb it themselves...which is the most effective way to teach and learn. We are extremely fortunate to have Edna teaching in Baltimore, she is creating a community of young musicians through her teaching and passion of music and working with the new generation. I remember hearing her tell my daughter once, "to be a musician you have to be different, almost crazy, because it takes so much time to practice to get better that most people can't do it"
-Laura
**************************************************************************************
Being a student of Edna's was definitely a rewarding experience. She is a very skilled musician who definitely yields results. While I was one of her students, I consistently made either 1st or 2nd chair clarinet on the county level, and under her guidance I was able to receive the highest marks available for the Solo/Ensemble performance competition. In addition, I was able to hold the position of 1st chair clarinet at my high school's band program.
Edna also allowed me to pursue musical interests beyond competitions and auditions. When I approached Edna with a possibility of performing a quintet piece with her other students, Edna enthusiastically organized a group to perform with me. She took time out of her busy schedule to accommodate my musical interests while teaching me valuable skills such as embouchure and fingering techniques. Edna is not only a great teacher who is not afraid to push her students to achieve their full potential, but is also a very caring individual who definitely loves her students and her music!
-David Song
Ms. Huang is adept at finding the right balance for motivating individual students. She recognizes that every student is different and adjusts her lessons so that each student can reach their potential.
Eleanor Simon
**************************************************************************************
To Prospective Students and Parents of Students:
I've studied with Edna for about four years, from the beginning of middle school straight up to the point where I moved to Toronto, the summer after ninth grade. During that time, she has helped me grow immensely as a musician and a person.
Edna has been a great teacher and a great friend. She taught me not just how to pick reeds and adjust my tone, but also how to strand straight and proud for an audition and have confidence in my personal expression of a piece. She encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and go beyond. Under her tutelage, I tried out for All-County and All-State bands, competed in All-County solo and ensemble, and joined the Greater Baltimore Youth Orchestra, on top of playing at recitals. She has encouraged what I hope is a lifelong love of classical and jazz music in me.
Indirectly, she has influenced me to join my school's marching band, which to date I still hold as one of the greatest experiences, musical and social, that I have ever been a part of. Even after I moved to Toronto and couldn't find a teacher that fit well with me, I joined the Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra because it felt like the right thing to do.
I've laughed and cried at lessons. I've had days where practicing was the most tedious thing in the world and days where it was an absolute pleasure to be able to make music through my own skill. Through it all, my parents have supported me financially and emotionally. To be honest, at first, they weren't very keen on clarinet over other instruments such as violin or flute. But over time, many lessons, and constructive talks with Edna about my progress as a musician, they came to appreciate my concerts and recitals.
I really feel that playing clarinet has helped me grow, not just in technical skill, but also as a person through the social and education opportunities that come with being in a wind ensemble or orchestra. Edna has supported me immensely over the years, and I appreciate everything she's done for me as it continues to shape me as a person through the coming years.
Yue Zhao
**************************************************************************************
One of my best memories with Edna was meeting in Delaware and handpicking a clarinet together. We spent the afternoon picking up several instruments, talking about the silver plating and practicing runs to get a sense of their tone. I understood this is not the norm for all clarinet teachers and soon realized I had found an exceptional mentor and friend. Under Edna’s teaching, I made All-County every year and second chair in my high school’s highest band program. She helped me get there by pinpointing my weaknesses, which included rhythm and embouchure, and pushing me to improve upon them. Edna also understood that I was a barrier to my own success. She encouraged me to have confidence in myself and commit to whatever I was doing - two lessons that have had a lasting impact on my life.
- Christine Kim
**************************************************************************************
Being a student of Edna’s in college was a wonderful experience. Her style of teaching allowed me to focus on improving my weaknesses as a clarinet player while also highlighting my strengths. Edna is very personable, which made working with her even more of a positive experience.
Charisse Brown
**************************************************************************************
You were really great with Thomas. You have a firmness that always kept him moving forward yet there was no drill sergeant, my-way-or-the-highway about the process. Will had a (Russian) piano teacher that was very old-school, top down, you will do what I say; Thomas wouldn't have lasted a week with her. You were great working with Thomas rather than just telling, and I think he learned a lot of skills beyond playing the clarinet and the music theory you taught.
Thanks so much for all you did for us,
David
**************************************************************************************
Edna is an incredible teacher. My daughter was able to truly develop herself as a growing musician under Edna's care. My daughter had other teachers before Edna, but no one else was able to get her to the level of musicianship that Edna was able to do and my daughter is now at Baltimore School for the Arts playing clarinet because of the care she was given by Edna. I would hear the two of them playing side by side during practice, which I had never experienced before with my daughter's teachers, and it seemed to be the best way for my daughter to increase her skills. Edna is a musician and a teacher, unlike other teachers who mostly teach music but are not active musicians, I believe her love for music and playing comes through to her students and they absorb it themselves...which is the most effective way to teach and learn. We are extremely fortunate to have Edna teaching in Baltimore, she is creating a community of young musicians through her teaching and passion of music and working with the new generation. I remember hearing her tell my daughter once, "to be a musician you have to be different, almost crazy, because it takes so much time to practice to get better that most people can't do it"
-Laura
**************************************************************************************
Being a student of Edna's was definitely a rewarding experience. She is a very skilled musician who definitely yields results. While I was one of her students, I consistently made either 1st or 2nd chair clarinet on the county level, and under her guidance I was able to receive the highest marks available for the Solo/Ensemble performance competition. In addition, I was able to hold the position of 1st chair clarinet at my high school's band program.
Edna also allowed me to pursue musical interests beyond competitions and auditions. When I approached Edna with a possibility of performing a quintet piece with her other students, Edna enthusiastically organized a group to perform with me. She took time out of her busy schedule to accommodate my musical interests while teaching me valuable skills such as embouchure and fingering techniques. Edna is not only a great teacher who is not afraid to push her students to achieve their full potential, but is also a very caring individual who definitely loves her students and her music!
-David Song
