Teaching Positions
Currently as the president of FaceArt Institute of Music co-founder at ERMuLabs and piano faculty at UC Berkeley, Dr. Jenny Q Chai has earned her reputation internationally as a piano pedagogue. Dr.Chai also continues to mentor young musicians at Curtis Institute of Music.
She has been teaching piano for 20+ years in the U.S. China, France and U.K. starting with teaching her mother’s students.
After finishing her seven years long doctoral degree focusing on music education at Manhattan School of Music in New York, where she worked as a lecturer teaching one on one piano lessons, group piano lessons and piano masterclasses, Dr. Chai founded the music institute FaceArt Institute of Music (FAIM) with Juilliard graduate Polish pianist Peter Tomasz in Shanghai in 2011.
FAIM is supported by the world renown music professors including the chair of music department at Stanford University, piano and composition professors from Curtis Institute of Music, Juilliard School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, NYU, UC Berkeley and more.
FaceArt students have accumulated offers from: Stanford University,Princeton University, Juilliard School of Music, Eastman School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Boston School of Music, Royal Northern School of Music, New York University, Berklee, Chicago School of Performing Arts, Chethams School of Music,Interlochen Center for the Arts , Walnut Hill School for Arts .
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After 13 years of hard work, FAIM students have won over 500 international and national competitions, and have performed in top concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, Salzburg Mozarteum, Vienna Muskiverin, Rome Auditorium Parco della Musica, Shanghai Symphony Hall, Shanghai Oriental Arts Center and more.
Dr. Chai’s teaching style has a wholistic approach, integrating music theory and form, music literature, extended piano techniques from contemporary music, story telling and imagination/personality development , combined with meticulous and rigorous training on fundamental techniques focusing on all aspects of the physical body, from standing and sitting position to how every muscle and joint moves.
Although with high intensity, Dr. Chai always prioritizes having fun while learning. With years of knowledge in psychology, her lessons are tailored to individual student as well as their personalized interest and goals, to engage and cultivate the passion for music and piano learning, in the same time bringing out the highest musical and technical potentials in each student.
On top of her work with FAIM, Dr. Chai has been invited to many music festivals internationally, including Chetham’s International Summer School in Manchester, U.K. where her teaching received raving feedbacks from her students. She has been a jury member for many national and international competitions. In 2019, Dr. Chai gave a TEDx talk on When Technology Meets Classical Music. In 2020, Dr. Chai released 8 episodes of her online piano teaching series called Kungfu Piano in China, which were received with great enthusiasm.
A Documentary on one of FaceArt Institute of Music’s students, and her journey from Shanghai to New York to study music
World Renown Piano Pedagague Dr. Solomon Mikowsky speaks to Chinese media about Dr. Jenny Q Chai and FaceArt Institute of Music
Selected Private and FAIM Students Highlight
Testimonial from Aileen on studying with Dr. Chai
Testimonial from Aileen on studying with Dr. Chai
Admission Major: Piano (Per- college)
Admission School: The Juilliard School of Music
10-year-old student Jessie Gong was accepted with the highest score by the Juilliard School of Music in 2018
Guest on reality show 《留学吧!少年》
Email from The Juilliard School
The 11-year-old kid Jessie Gong not only was accepted by The Juilliard School pre-college, but also entered the second round audition at the Curtis Institute of Music. She has competed with all students that under 21 years old all over world in the first round. In such a fierce competition, it is really not easy to enter the second round audition.
Email from The Juilliard School
The 11-year-old kid Jessie Gong not only was accepted by The Juilliard School pre-college, but also entered the second round audition at the Curtis Institute of Music. She has competed with all students that under 21 years old all over world in the first round. In such a fierce competition, it is really not easy to enter the second round audition.
8 years old
Awards: Charleston International Music Competition 1st Prize
Golden Classic International Competition 1st Prize
Admission Major: Piano
Admission School: Interlochen Arts Academy High School(Scholarship: 1million RMB)
Manhattan School of Music B.A.
In 2016, Jarry has been admitted to Interlochen Arts Academy, the best boarding music and art high school in the United States, and received nearly 1 million scholarships. Now, under the help of Dr. Chai, he was admitted by the Manhattan School of Music, which is Dr. Chai’s alma mater.
Like many children who learn piano, Jarry practices piano every day. In order to get in the best music schools in the U.S., he traveled from Jiangxi to Shanghai to study at FaceArt every week for 2 years since he was 11 by himself. Jarry is a child from Xinyu, a small city in Jiangxi Province. Both of his parents work at factories. But they still support their son, and enrolled in FaceArt’s Study Abroad Program. To save expenses, Jarry took over night trains to Shanghai from Jiangxi every week for two years, not missing one lesson. He is always the first student arrive the school in the morning and the first student that begin to practice. When other children enjoy the cool in the hot summer, he practiced sweating in the piano room. When other children were watching TV in the warmth room in the winter, he was practicing. He cherishes such opportunity, and that is the hard-earned money of their parents. The child’s sensibility makes parents feel proud. His parents never put too much pressure on him, they just wholeheartedly trust him.
When Jarry was 13, he achieved his dream, receiving almost 1 million RMB of financial support from Interlochen Arts Academy. Now, he is following the footsteps of Dr. Chai and majoring piano in the prestigious Manhattan School of Music in the United States.
Like many children who learn piano, Jarry practices piano every day. In order to get in the best music schools in the U.S., he traveled from Jiangxi to Shanghai to study at FaceArt every week for 2 years since he was 11 by himself. Jarry is a child from Xinyu, a small city in Jiangxi Province. Both of his parents work at factories. But they still support their son, and enrolled in FaceArt’s Study Abroad Program. To save expenses, Jarry took over night trains to Shanghai from Jiangxi every week for two years, not missing one lesson. He is always the first student arrive the school in the morning and the first student that begin to practice. When other children enjoy the cool in the hot summer, he practiced sweating in the piano room. When other children were watching TV in the warmth room in the winter, he was practicing. He cherishes such opportunity, and that is the hard-earned money of their parents. The child’s sensibility makes parents feel proud. His parents never put too much pressure on him, they just wholeheartedly trust him.
When Jarry was 13, he achieved his dream, receiving almost 1 million RMB of financial support from Interlochen Arts Academy. Now, he is following the footsteps of Dr. Chai and majoring piano in the prestigious Manhattan School of Music in the United States.
Admission major: Piano
Admission School: Boston conservatory of Music(Scholarship: 1million RMB )
A letter from Junji Chen:
In mid-March, I have been accepted by the Boston Conservatory of Music, and got nearly 1 million RMB of scholarship.
When I heard that the Boston Conservatory of Music audition will be held At FaceArt Institute of Music (FAIM) in Shanghai, I was so happy the audition is in China and I didn’t need to go to the United States for the audition and interview. (As we all know, we have to fly to the United States to audition and play in person for the famous music conservatories in the United States ); But I still worried if I could pass the audition? Can I really be accepted and get a scholarship?
When I heard that the Boston Conservatory of Music audition will be held At FaceArt Institute of Music (FAIM) in Shanghai, I was so happy the audition is in China and I didn’t need to go to the United States for the audition and interview. (As we all know, we have to fly to the United States to audition and play in person for the famous music conservatories in the United States ); But I still worried if I could pass the audition? Can I really be accepted and get a scholarship?
Admission Major: Piano
Admission School: Boston conservatory of Music(with scholarships)
Naodan Zhang is 18 years old. When everyone is preparing for the college entrance examination, she has already received the offer from the Boston Conservatory of Music with a generous scholarship.
Two years ago, Naodan came FaceArt Institute of Music. Although she had studied piano for more than ten years, she was still full of self-doubt and stopped open when she tried to play pieces through.
With the two years of intense Study Abroad Program training at FAIM, her progress had been amazing. She took three piano lessons, two music theory lessons and an English lesson every week for two years. In addition to these courses, she also had to practice piano every day, and attended the TOEFL course. The learning atmosphere of a school affects students’ learning attitude. Naodan is not a very self-conscious student, but the positive attitude of the teachers had been affecting her. She began to practice the piano proactively and studied English every day, and participated in FAIM’s month student recitals. She also participated in the Italian music festival and worked with an ensemble to play chamber music.
With the two years of intense Study Abroad Program training at FAIM, her progress had been amazing. She took three piano lessons, two music theory lessons and an English lesson every week for two years. In addition to these courses, she also had to practice piano every day, and attended the TOEFL course. The learning atmosphere of a school affects students’ learning attitude. Naodan is not a very self-conscious student, but the positive attitude of the teachers had been affecting her. She began to practice the piano proactively and studied English every day, and participated in FAIM’s month student recitals. She also participated in the Italian music festival and worked with an ensemble to play chamber music.
Admission Major: Composition
Admission School:
Royal Academy of Music(scholarship: 860,000 RMB)
The Juilliard School(scholarship: 800,000 RMB)
Oberlin College(scholarship: Rmb 800,000 RMB)
Rice University-Shepherd School of Music
Admission Major: Piano
Admission School: Interlochen Arts Academy(Scholarship: 500,000RMB)
Admission Major: Piano
Admission School: Manhattan School of Music
(Recipient of the “Principal Scholarship”)
He received numerous competition awards including the first place in the “Modern Piano Open”modern romantic group, the “Asian Music Competition” Gold Award (cross-age group), the first prize in the“Liszt Memorial Award” in Hong Kong International Piano Competition, the Shanghai Starlight Program Outstanding Student Award, Shanghai Excellent Art Talent Award, the New York International Music Festival Piano Competition , the 2nd place (1st vacancy) of the 4th Licht-Irina International Piano Competition in Tokyo, Japan, the second prize of the Shanghai Spring International Music Festival “Strauss Cup” Award, and the first prize of the 73rd Steinway International Youth Piano Competition.
Admission Major: Composition
Admission School: Walnut Hill Art High School Interlochen Arts Academy
Admission Major: Piano
Admission School: Pre-college of Manhattan School of Music
Smith College (accepted for her piano performance ability)