Music Lessons for All Ages

Gavin Tang
Instruments: Piano, Music Theory
Availability: Wed, Sat

Gavin started learning piano at the age of 5. By the age of 11, he had completed Level 10 piano in China before immigrating to Canada. During high school, he started teaching piano and music theory to a diverse range of students, customizing lessons to suit individual goals and skill levels. Gavin later earned his ARCT diploma in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music and a Bachelor of Science degree from Simon Fraser University.

Gavin has participated in multiple music festivals, recitals, and piano competitions both in China and in Canada. He is passionate about piano teaching and music, and he hopes to share his musical knowledge with more music lovers. Besides playing piano, he enjoyed playing the clarinet and guitar in his spare time.

As a piano teacher, he encourages his students to be expressive and creative musicians. His philosophy centers on cultivating the joy and enthusiasm for music within each student. He strives to create a supportive and inspiring environment where students can freely explore their musical passions.

Jo Yawney
Instruments: Violin
Availability: Friday

“My passion is to bring the joy of music to people of all ages!”

The 3rd generation in a family of musicians, Jo has dedicated the past 40 years to helping students become musically literate while still considering it "fun". She owes her teaching philosophy, in large part, to three renowned educators who believed that successful education stems from inner comprehension, self-confidence and co-operation: Maria Montessori, Zoltan Kodaly and Shinichi Suzuki.

While raising her family in Victoria, Jo completed courses in the Montessori and Kodaly method and had extensive violin teacher training with Professor Jaroslav Karlovsky at the University of Victoria and Suzuki training with Frona Colquhoun. She taught Kodaly classes, private violin and viola lessons, elementary chamber music and theory classes and workshops. She played in the Victoria Chamber Orchestra, the University Orchestra and was a founding member of the Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra (under Norman Nelson). She also sang in Capriccio Vocal Ensemble, (under Michael Gormley) Christ Church Cathedral Choir and Musica Eclectica and in Vancouver Voices (under Peter Butterfield).

Since moving to the mainland, Jo has taught violin and Kodaly classes privately, at community centres and preschools. For several years, she taught Kodaly Literacy at the Arbutus Music Academy in conjunction with the Suzuki violin program. Jo is an avid chamber music enthusiast. She has an M.A. from UBC, is fluent in Italian and has taught lyric diction classes. She has presented at several Kodaly workshops and conferences and at the BCMEA conferences in Vancouver. She is a retired Vice-President of the BC Kodaly Society and member of the National Board of the Kodaly Society of Canada.

In the pursuit of more stimulating and effective ways of conveying musical concepts, she has developed and published a series of resources for music teachers “Tune Travels” (www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Jo-Yawney) which are presently used in classrooms, music schools and by private teachers in Canada and internationally. Her teaching philosophy fosters self-confidence & co-operation in her students. Her biggest passion, other than her family, is teaching beginners of all ages to become musically literate and to play the violin.