REVIEWS

“Joo-Lee-Lee is an incredibly wonderful and gifted piano teacher who always makes students passionate throughout their learning journey. I was initially lack of confidence during my performance in exams and concerts so I seek Joo-Lee for help. This has changed after taking lessons with her which I have learned lots of correct practicing skills and the importance of enjoying music and necessary relaxation. Joo-Lee is not just an amazing teacher who helped me grow a lot in my piano techniques, she is also a kind mentor who improved my self-confidence in everything. Her patience, encouragement, and clear guidance have made every lesson enjoyable and motivating. So if you are exploring for a nice, supportive and talented piano teacher, she is the one.”

“I cannot recommend Joo-Lee highly enough as a piano teacher, especially for music students or anyone who has ever felt anxious or discouraged by piano lessons in the past. Before studying with Joo-Lee, I had developed a deep fear of piano practice and lessons from previous teachers who were overly critical and put me under constant pressure to be “perfect.” I would feel terrified of lessons, and I lost all joy in playing music I once loved. Working with Joo-Lee completely changed that. She is endlessly encouraging, patient, and kind, and every lesson feels like a safe, supportive space where I can learn and grow without fear of judgment. She has a wonderful way of keeping me motivated, and she taught me to focus on my own progress instead of rushing or worrying about being “good enough.” With her guidance, I learned to break pieces down into small parts, master them step by step, and celebrate every little win—this has made practice feel fun again, not stressful. As an international student living in the UK, I also struggled with adjusting to life here, and Joo-Lee has been an incredible support to me beyond just music lessons. She took the time to listen when I was feeling down, offered practical advice, and always checked in on my physical and mental health. She truly cares about her students as whole people, not just as pianists. Joo-Lee is not just a brilliant piano teacher who has helped me grow so much technically and as a musician—she’s also a kind, compassionate mentor who helped me fall in love with playing piano again and heal my relationship with music. If you’re looking for a teacher who will support you, motivate you, and make learning piano feel joyful, she is the one.”

“Before I started lessons with Joo-Lee, I was struggling with my flute playing. My tone was fluffy and strained, there was so much tension in my embouchure, and my notes were inconsistent and unreliable. I felt stuck, especially with big goals like my diploma recital and final year Music BA recital. But working with Joo-Lee has completely changed the way I play and practice-honestly, the results are better than I ever hoped.

What I love about Joo-Lee is how relaxed and supportive she is. She didn’t push tons of practice on me or set rigid expectations. Instead, she taught me how to relax while playing and how to practice efficiently-even if I only have five minutes. Things like using a mirror to fix my flappy fingers and learning why certain sections need to be played differently made such a huge difference.

Joo-Lee also never plays over me or asks me to just copy her. She guides me to think about my playing and figure things out for myself, which has made me so much more confident. It’s not just about fixing problems-it’s about understanding why I’m doing what l’m doing, which has been a game-changer.

If you’re thinking about lessons, don’t worry about “playing well”-just start. If you’re struggling or have big goals that feel out of reach, Joo-Lee will help you get there. She’s reliable, encouraging, and knows exactly how to make things click. I’m so glad I decided to take lessons with her!”

“A standout quality of Joo-Lee’s teaching is the focus on musicality and hearing what you are playing.

“Her approach to tackle easy sections first, focusing on one element at a time…reduces the stress of practice and the need for perfection, and makes a difficult five page piece infinitely more manageable.”“Before coming to Joo-Lee I was in such a slump, with considerations of giving up, now thanks to her I have fallen back in love with my instrument.”

When I first arrived in Durham last year to begin my music degree, I had been struggling with higher-difficulty repertoire, and after years of back-to-back exams, flute playing had become almost a chore or another subject to study for, as opposed to an activity I enjoyed.

Despite having 10+ years of flute experience and my Grade 8 ABRSM qualification, I came to Joo-Lee extremely unconfident in my flute playing abilities and technique. After just one lesson, Joo-Lee identified why I was struggling with difficult repertory: my basic foundational technique was lacking and my perfectionism was holding me back.

It would take time and effort in order to correct. I was simultaneously terrified and horrified at the prospect of completely changing the way I played the flute, however I was reassured by Joo-Lee that I could do it with her help and guidance, and explained the steps forward we would be taking and the plan that lay ahead.

For my first year with Joo-Lee, she spent a lot of time breaking old habits and rebuilding the proper technique. This included, but was not limited to: working on my embouchure, releasing tension in my mouth and face, correcting breathing techniques, and working on flexibility of my lower lip.

For a long time, my sound was fluffy and unclear, however for every lesson I stressed and got frustrated with my sound, Joo-Lee cheered me on and could hear improvement even where I couldn’t. She never expected me to be perfect, or present perfect pieces, all she asked was that I attend my lessons and trust the process.

I found it difficult to relearn habits I had built up for such a long time, but it wasn’t until I completely relaxed and trusted the process that the results really began to show. By the end of the year, we had completely transformed my sound!

Since September of 2023, we have been working on Cecile Chaminade’s flute concerto, a piece that I have dreamed of playing, however, not thought possible. Thanks to Joo-Lee, I now have the technical abilities to approach it. Before coming to Joo-Lee, I would approach a piece in large sections and aim to completely complete it to a performance ready level before moving onto the next, which would inevitably lead to frustration. Her approach to tackle easy sections first, focusing on one element at a time (whether that be accuracy, consistency, expression or dynamics) reduces the stress of practice and the need for perfection, and makes a difficult five page piece infinitely more manageable. When we would come across areas of stress and difficulty, we would simply move on for that time, until I had the skills and confidence to tackle it.

This concept of saving sections for later and learning a piece not in chronological order was so foreign to me- but it worked!!! This method of practice has even changed how I approach my university assignments and I have even seen improvement there!

A standout quality of Joo-Lee’s teaching is the focus on musicality and hearing what you are playing. I had never bothered to memorise music before, and when she first asked me to memorise as little as four notes, I practically cried! I just couldn’t do it, nor did I understand why I needed to. Now, a year and a half on, I have the ability to memorise complex bars of music, which has developed my musical ear for accuracy and intonation, and just feeling what I am playing!

Now I can hear clear differences in how I play and have more of an awareness of myself and my sound. I have never enjoyed flute playing as much as I do now under the tutelage of Joo-Lee. She has taught me so many skills and is shaping me into a well-rounded flautist and musician and provides such a stress free, warm and welcoming space to learn and enjoy the flute.

Her relaxed environment and approach to teaching is amazing for perfectionists such as myself, who may be overly critical of themselves! Before coming to Joo-Lee I was in such a slump, with considerations of giving up, now thanks to her I have fallen back in love with my instrument. I am so excited to continue learning from her and her knowledge and experience!”

“Joo-Lee is an amazing piano teacher. I would highly recommend if you are seeking lessons.

I started lessons as I felt I needed to refine my technique and for general direction moving forward following one year of being self-taught (adult, starting from scratch). I’m so glad I did as I have progressed well beyond what I could have achieved via self-learning. My interests are game, film and rock music; none of which were a problem knowing Joo-Lee specialises in classical music.

Ultimately, the themes extend beyond any genre and can be applied. Joo-Lee has shown in interest in what interests me, which has been refreshing as it allows you to learn with things that you find enjoyable, alongside technical aspects that have extended my knowledge. Joo-Lee’s approach is calm, great communication, confidence boosting and patient.”

“I initially felt insecure about my flute playing skills, comparing myself to peers and lacking confidence because I felt my technique was inadequate. This changed after taking lessons with Joo-Lee, who emphasised the importance of relaxation and not putting pressure on yourself.

Joo-Lee’s approach focused on allowing the music to flow naturally without over-analysing, which helped me avoid developing bad habits and burning out. Over two years of lessons, I gained confidence, no longer comparing myself to peers and no longer viewing flute playing as a daunting task. The focus shifted to enjoying the process and playing without the need for constant achievement, valuing mindset and joy over rigorous practice.”

“I am very pleased with my result, still can’t quite believe it. I managed to get the mark 89 in the performance. I have attached the feedback that both the examiners gave me which appears to be very fair.

This mark pulled my official degree class to a First overall, so I couldn’t be more happy with how everything turned out.

Thank you for helping me and teaching me through all of this!”

“Very professional and experienced, Joo-Lee always finds a way to improve my music skills. She creates tailored exercises depends on the time availability. She also encourages her pupils to develop their own interpretation of music. It’s a pleasure to come to her classes.”

“I am a second year at Durham University studying music. I chose to learn piano and flute with Joo-Lee after finding her website online before starting uni. Her website suggested that she focused on technique which is something I really wanted to focus on in both my instruments. I had a trial lesson with her in the summer before Durham and found her encouraging, knowledgeable and overall just really helpful.

I have had lessons with Joo-Lee now for over a year and my progress has been incredible. My sound on flute has changed from sounding like a beginner (though I achieved grade 8 before I started) to sounding like a diploma student (which I am hoping to do at the end of this year). Similarly, in piano, I have grown in confidence as my technique has been improved and corrected. I would honestly recommend Joo-Lee to anyone who wants to progress in their technique.

Our lessons are fun, relaxing and productive. You have to be willing to be patient but embracing Joo-Lee‘s method is extremely rewarding in the long run. She doesn’t only teach you how to improve but how to practice and even how to organise your life!”

“I started studying with Miss Joo-Lee since I was first year and next week I am graduating from Durham University BA- Music. Before studying with Miss Joo-Lee it was really intense back in Hong Kong as every lesson is precious and there’s no time to lose, every lesson was stressful and had to learn different pieces within 3 months time.

My techniques weren’t that strong and I always have trouble learning new pieces really quick, when it comes to technical pieces or fast pieces I always mess up my fingering or the piece. After studying with Miss Joo-Lee I’ve learned the techniques for practicing piano at home, and also how to relax myself whenever I play the piano, there’s no need to stress and also different stages of learning the piece will definitely help with learning the piece quicker.

My learning has gotten quicker over these three years and also whenever I play the piano I don’t feel so intense anymore and I’ve definitely improved my skills and changed my bad habits that I’ve gotten over the past 10 years. Attitude-wise I have definitely learned how to manage my anxiety when it comes to practicing or even performing.”

“Joo-Lee is honestly an inspirational teacher! From my first lesson I knew how much she had to teach me and I was right. When I first started having lessons I had had the same flute teacher since I was 8 and so I had a lot of technique to improve on even though I had just done my ATCL diploma! I am now preparing for my LTCL diploma, and I am so excited by all my playing! I have learnt so much technique and am so pleased with the tone and colour I am able to play with. Zoom lessons and in person lessons are always my favourite part of the week.”

“I am about to begin my second Head of Music job, and looking back, I know that the flute lessons I took during my music degree with Joo-Lee not only developed the skills and taught me the techniques I needed as a musician (and future teacher!), but also inspired me to be confident and enjoy every bar of music I was learning – even the tricky bits of the diploma repertoire! Joo-Lee made a real effort to get to know me on a personal level, and always offered endless encouragement. I would highly recommend anyone to take music lessons with Joo-Lee – you will never want to leave! Thank you Joo-Lee for the impact you have had!”

“Your approach to teaching is unique because there is never any pressure to get something right. You are always patient and are always looking for an underlying reason as to why something/a passage is particularly challenging and will make it as easy as possible instead of trying hard to get it right.

You highlight the fact that trying hard causes problems and mistakes – making something as easy as possible helps to relax the mind allowing me to reach my potential (it’s usually all in the mind). My wishes included to be more confident, to be able to play fast/virtuosic passages, be able to double tongue with ease, achieve a 1st in performance at university and take my DipABRSM exam in flute performance.

Over the three years you made every one of these a reality. I have never been as prepared for an exam as I was for my DipARSM. Through lessons with you I decided to read ‘The Inner Game of Music’ which I was also able to use in a written exam for performance studies — I was able to understand the methods shown in the book as I had experienced most of them first hand in lessons with you, making the written exam easier. I have become more confident as you taught me that worries are only there because we have questions that need to be answered or we are not prepared — so go out and ask questions and plan ahead to avoid pressure and worry. What’s the worst that can happen? Usually not a lot! Having no pressure to get something right. Knowing that if something is particularly difficult there’s usually an under lying reason/problem with the foundation – not because I am not working hard enough. I really enjoy flute lessons with Joo-Lee and I have achieved more in three years with Joo-Lee than I did throughout high school. Definitely try lessons with Joo-lee because her methods apply to life and not just the flute.”

“I had flute and piano lessons with Joo-lee for 9 and 1/2 years and I have recently done my ARSM Diploma flute exam marking the end of my lessons with Joo-Lee as I am moving away. My goal was to reach the highest standard I could and enjoy it along the way. Joo-lee has helped me achieve this with her patience and constant support. Music lessons were always fun and enjoyable and every time I left I felt like I had achieved something. I would definitely recommend Joo-lee to anyone looking for a flute or piano teacher!.”