Elite School Of Music Inc

“I've always loved music and started playing piano at age four,” says Angela Ho, one of the owners of Elite School of Music. She went on to earn a music degree in Hong Kong before studying vocals at Berklee College of Music.

While she began her career as a home-based classical piano teacher, she decided to open a music studio in 2010 with her brother, James Ho, and friends William Yei and Rachel Wong. The music-lovers play in a pop/jazz band together where Angela sings.

The Elite School of Music offers both group and private lessons in a variety of instruments including piano, guitar, violin and flute. There is also a choir for children to practice vocals, and ensemble sessions for more experienced students. James, William and Rachel focus more on private lessons while Angela heads up the group lessons for children as young as three years old.

"The group lessons are geared towards young children. Even though the lesson is one hour, we don't actually sit for too long. Each activity lasts about five or six minutes and then we switch,” says Angela, well-tuned to the attention spans of energetic youngsters.

The children are exposed to different instruments, including the tambourine, triangle and drums; these instruments are used to learn music theory. The emphasis in the group lessons at such a tender age is fostering a love of music — and of course, having fun.

"I feel music is important for children because it stimulates the brain. A lot of research shows that learning an instrument helps students perform better in different subjects, such as math and physics," says Angela.