Jiacheng Xiong

Jiacheng Xiong is an experienced pianist who has studied at some of the world's leading institutions: the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, the Curtis Institute of Music, and The Juilliard School. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree at Northwestern University. His performances have been featured at many of the most prestigious international piano competitions. Jiacheng has served as a secondary piano assistant at Juilliard and as a piano teacher in the P.A.L.S. program at the Aspen Music Festival and School for seven years. Since 2018, he has maintained a private piano studio in Philadelphia for eight years. He also has experience teaching both online and in-person lessons. Jiacheng is passionate about teaching piano performance, music theory, ear training, and performance coaching to students of all ages—from 4 to 78.

I'm very interested in knowing each student and finding what interests them, to connect them with piano playing better. For example, younger students are usually interested in painting, some are into sports. Connecting similar key points of their hobbies increases interest in piano and leads to much faster understanding. This also applies to adults and more skilled students as well. I like to find the best communication way possible to help students play and enjoy music. I keep an open mind when it comes to students, working with different levels and personalities. I'm very interested in exploring different music with you and helping with any questions you might have on your piano learning journey. There was a time when I had tons of questions about piano playing, and also times when I just wanted to sit back and listen to what my teacher was playing and saying. I think both are great for us — as long as you're enjoying the music and expressing it with love and joy, we'll be a great team! I would also like to focus on some fundamental training (posture, sight reading, memorizing piano music, etc.) to help you strengthen your movability and stability, because I find these very important for long-term piano playing.