"Music might be defined as a system of proportions in the service of a spiritual impulse." George Crumb

Teasing out Crumb's description, my intent as a teacher is first to nurture my students' "spiritual impulses" and then to help them realize and satisfy those expressive cravings. This process—translating imagined sounds into piano performance—involves the development of both intellectual and physical fluency. The mind deals with the language of music (and its system of proportions), and the body negotiates the act of piano playing. My students build healthy, strong, and flexible techniques for one purpose: ease of expression. Musical meaning should never be lost in mechanics. To convey the infinitely nuanced and evocative nature of music, I hold metaphor at the core of my teaching. I also emphasize the importance of exploration and play in the creative experience. As with anything worth loving, the journey of learning piano is fun, challenging, humbling, and deeply rewarding.

A passionate and multi-faceted teacher, April completed graduate studies in both collaborative and solo piano, with a pedagogy certificate, at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she is currently a doctoral candidate. Her own mentors have included Daniel Shapiro, Anita Pontremoli, Paul Barnes, and members of the Chiara and Cleveland quartets. April has given groups lessons, private lessons, and chamber music coachings, to students of all levels in schools, studios, music festivals, and fine arts centers. She also co-manages Music for Food, a non-profit organization that uses music to generate funds for food pantries.

Boston-based pianist April Sun's imaginative, heartfelt, and spontaneous musicianship has brought her to various corners of the world. In New England, she performs with numerous chamber ensembles including the Meadowlark Trio, Phoenix: The Orchestra Reborn, and the Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra. April has also collaborated with members of the Chiara Quartet, Escher Quartet, Cleveland Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Her many wonderful mentors include Daniel Shapiro, Anita Pontremoli, Paul Barnes, Peter Salaff, Sharon Robinson, Hyeyung Yoon, Kim Kashkashian, Francesca Brittan, and Susan McClary. April received a DMA in collaborative piano, MM in piano performance, and a certificate in piano pedagogy from the Cleveland Institute of Music, which honored her the 2018 Bennett Levine Chamber Music Award.

B.A. Music, with minors in Art History and English, University of Nebraska; M.M. Piano Performance, Graduate Pedagogy Certificate, D.M.A. Collaborative Piano, Cleveland Institute of Music