ABOUT KARSTEN
Hailing from Hong Kong, Karsten was first inducted into the music scene at five, when she started learning the piano. This subtle interest grew and developed over time into a passion-driven career path. Karsten was later accepted as a music diploma student by Hong Kong Baptist University, followed by a three-year Bachelor of Music degree. She also had the pleasure of studying under one of the most versatile pianists in Hong Kong, Nancy Loo, a scholarship alumnus of the Juilliard School with 40 years of international teaching experience. Karsten participated in numerous piano competitions and performances since she was seven and was one of the frequent prize winners. She is also a recipient of a Licentiate diploma with distinction in piano performance (LTCL) from Trinity College London.
Besides being a pianist, Karsten has 21 years of choral experience consisting of singing in acappella and madrigal. Her performance background entails representing Hong Kong by singing in places like Beijing, Europe, Australia, and England as a choir concert tour and at competitive platforms such as the World Choir Games and International Youth Choir Competition, among others. Later, she was selected to be a member of the Opera Hong Kong Chorus, which provided her with a platform to perform in operas such as Carmen and Don Carlo. She was often selected to be a soloist in various singing performances.
Karsten moved to Australia in 2012 and resided in Central Coast, NSW, in 2015. She worked as an early childhood music teacher at Central Coast Conservatorium in 2019. She has participated in pedagogical workshops and musical teaching forums like the Orff Schulwerk International Symposium, the Australia Piano Pedagogy Conference, and Kodály Music Workshops to refine her craft while at the same time sharing and connecting with fellow music lovers. Determined to invest in continued self-development and growth, Karsten recently received an Associate Teaching diploma from St Cecilia School of Music in 2023. She is currently studying Master of Music Therapy at Melbourne University in pursuant of her desire to use music to improve people’s mental health, functioning and well-being.
Karsten is also known for enabling her students to achieve outstanding results in piano exams. Her adept understanding of the AMEB/ABRSM/SCSM piano exam syllabus has been instrumental to the success of her students. Beyond that, she is also keen on helping her students with their HSC assessments and other exams/auditions. Her seamless ability to connect with her students has generated success for her online piano classes, with students efficiently learning from across the globe, from Asia to Australia.
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
Karsten’s teaching philosophy is infused with a desire to empower, encourage, and enlighten both her students to achieve positive wholesome results. Her teaching is strongly based on whole body learning which combines both the Orff Schulwerk and Kodály teaching approach with her own teaching style to include play, singing, improvisation, and creativity among other movements. What matters most to her is to be able to tailor each learning experience to match individual needs and expectations through personalised solutions so that they may attain independence in their musical journey.