FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
The books I provide for the first month and the introductory lesson tuition are fully covered by my Steinway and AHME Music Ed Grant.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
Welcome to the Piano Studio of Dr. Ali – Currently in the Bay Area Dr. Ali’s piano studio welcomes students of all ages, levels, experiences, special abilities, backgrounds, and goals. Her lessons incorporate theory, history, technique, ear-training, improvisation, sight-reading, ensemble skills, composition, entrepreneurship, and more. She runs monthly studio classes, tri-annual studio performances, panel discussions, and community outreach programs with her students. Whether your goal is to play piano for pleasure, fulfillment, or to pursue a professional career, you will have the greatest joy of music-making with Dr. Ali. Awards/Recognition Founder, The Relief Mission for the Beirut Port Explosion 2020 – 2021 The Egyptian Premiere of LVB’s own transcription of the Violin concerto for Piano 2020 Winner of the iphiGenia Gender Design Award – Category Revolution 2019 The Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) – Awarded grant 2019 The Egyptian Premier of Samuel Barber Piano Concerto 2018 Steinway & Sons Teaching Artist 2015 – Present Winner of Ackerman Chamber Music Competition, Stony Brook University 2012 Winner of The Judges Special Award – Sarasota Piano Competition 2011 Winner of Lynn University Concerto Competition 2010 Soloist with The Redlands Symphony Orchestra, Redlands 2010 Winner of Ars Flores Concerto Competition, West Palm Beach 2009 Winner of Cairo Conservatory Concerto Competition 2007 Winner of Cairo Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition 2005 Winner of The Raising Artist Award – The Ministry of Culture 2004 Guest Artist/Competition Judge/Participating Faculty Member of the Editorial Board – Center for Didactics of Art and Interdisciplinary Education 2021 Guest Lecturer – Bits & Bites 2 The University of Applied Arts in Vienna 2021 Teaching Artist – Tunisia88 2020 – Present Guest Artist – Les Jeunesses Musicales du Liban – United in Music 2020 – Present Fulbright Alumni Association of Lebanon (FAAL) 2017 – Present Participating Piano Faculty: ABRSM 2016 – Present Teaching and Performing Artist – Chamber Music Silicon Valley 2014 – Present Adjudicator: New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) 2014 – 2016 Participating Piano Faculty: The Royal School of Music (RCM) 2013 – Present Participating Piano Faculty: The American College of Musicians GUILD 2013 – Present Guest Artist: WQXR: NYC, NY 2012 Competition Adjudicator: West Palm Beach Concerto Competition 2010 Current Research and Projects Founder of the Postpartum Project 2021 The effects of COVID-19 on the music industry around the world ‘In Progress’ The Music of the 21st Century: Femininity, Masculinity, and Everything in Between 2020 The Female Entrepreneurs in the Arab World and the West ‘In Progress’ The Sensory-Friendly Concerts in Lebanon and their impact on our community 2018 The Technical and Historical Analysis of The Goldberg Variations 2016 Teaching Philosophy My philosophy of teaching is derived from the influences of my mentors, former teachers, and professional experiences. Throughout my twenty-seven years of studying in the Middle East and the United States, I have been fortunate to have wonderfully committed mentors, and I am proud and honored to carry on their strongly embedded message. My ideal classroom maintains an accepting environment where students feel comfortable sharing laughter, expressing themselves individually, engaging in debate and discussion, and as a result be inspired by each other. I endeavor to make the classroom a place that stimulates motivation and pursuit, where courage and dedication are also rewarded and individuality is encouraged. Founded upon principles of commitment and mutual trust, the classroom is a place where I encourage students to create goals and fearlessly reach them. My passion for community engagement has been a motivating factor in moving back to the Arab Region in 2016 until the Fall of 2021. In the past years, I have launched and directed the Imagine Initiative; a series of events coordinating concerts, workshops, panel discussions, outreach, and education programs. In this series alone, I have invited a number of internationally distinctive artists from varying artistic disciplines, including performance and composition, to join forces in stimulating and supporting an endeavor rooted in an appreciation for the performing arts and their elements. Fully affected by the vastly diverse makeup of the student body of each institution I have worked in, I encourage each student to achieve his or her personal best by nurturing strengths, strengthening weaknesses, and striving for excellence with high expectations for dedication and artistry. I also draw inspiration from my students, and I am attracted to places where I can grow as a teacher while continuing to create a welcoming and positive teaching environment. I am a dedicated educator who is committed to the development of both the artist and the art-appreciator within my students.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Education: Doctor of Musical Arts, Stony Brook University Master of Music, Stony Brook University Professional Performance Certificate, Lynn University Bachelor of Music, Cairo Conservatory Teaching and Leadership experience: Assistant Professor of Music: Lebanese American University 2018 – 2022 Founder and Director, The Imagine Initiative 2016 – Present Chamber Music Coach, Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music 2019 – Present American Voices: The YES Academy 2017 – Present Professor of music: Long Island Conservatory of Music (LICM) 2014 – 2016 Music Faculty: The Music Academy of Long Island 2013 – 2016 Head, Piano Faculty: Appel Farm Arts and Music Camp 2013 Pre-College Division Chamber Music Coach: Stony Brook University 2013 – 2016 Undergraduate Faculty: Stony Brook University 2013 – 2014 Teaching Assistant: Stony Brook University 2012 – 2013 Preparatory School of Music: Lynn Conservatory of Music 2009 - 2011 The Educational Development Centre for artistic talents – Cairo Opera House 2007 – 2009 Founder, The Piano Studio of Seba Ali 2006 – Present Cairo Conservatory