Professor Plays Major Key in Music Appreciation
Bryce Bresnahan
April 5, 2022
Professor Grace Trang knows that music is a universal language that anyone can appreciate no matter how different we might be, having met and taught music students from around the world. As an adjunct professor for Illinois Central College (ICC), she teaches Music Appreciation, Applied Piano, Enrichment Piano, and Class Piano. Many of Trang’s courses involve teaching the piano to students through regular classes or private lessons, a testament to how much she loves the instrument.
“Sometimes I don’t feel like I’m just teaching. I’m hopefully sharing my excitement about all this music that’s been written for so many years,” she said.
While she does have other hobbies such as cooking, reading and traveling, her favorite hobby is playing and practicing the piano. The piano has always been a huge part of Trang’s life, having played it since she was four years old.
Trang originally lived in Macau, China, close to Hong Kong. She traveled overseas to the United States for college, earning her Masters in Piano Pedagogy (teaching) degree as well as a Piano Performance degree. During her time at college, she also had several piano students.
After earning her degrees, Trang moved back to Hong Kong, where she continued to teach private piano lessons. Her first full-time job was with an organization that managed youth orchestras, both Chinese and Western orchestras in Hong Kong. She later started working at an international school for a few years, teaching music to students from all over the world.
“We had students from Australia, Canada, Europe, Southeast-Asia, and Japan. It was a very interesting job to meet all those students and parents,” Trang said.
Eventually, she returned to the U.S. and started a family. After having three children, Trang took time off from private piano lessons for a few years to take care of them. Once all her children were in school full time, Trang began teaching at ICC.
While Trang loves teaching all her classes, she enjoys teaching private lessons the most. When teaching, she makes sure that her students learn the right techniques to play the piano. She also wants her students to understand the music itself and the context behind it.
“If they’re learning a piece of music by Chopin, Beethoven or Bach, all the historical background and how music was written in those days, they all matter in learning a piece.” she said.
One of Trang’s favorite parts of teaching privately is being able to see each of her students learn and grow. She has had several students over the years come in with little to no piano experience move on to universities and graduate schools for music.
“It’s a joy to be able to get a student to enjoy playing the piano and to be successful,” she said.
Trang’s passion for music and teaching is reflected in her years of teaching students from around the world. Through these experiences, she shows that music is universal and has no barrier regardless of where we are.