It seems to me the “Asian” approach to playing the piano is one of mechanical approach rather than that of artistry and truly feeling the music. I think this is a cultural thing. Although there are exceptions this stereotype seems pretty accurate. It was the same in university, why think with your own words when you can simply “memorize” the book passages to write down on one’s exam – not too popular with the Profs.

I encountered one young Chinese kid in the music store and his ego was bigger than his talent. Although he did compliment my playing I felt he could take a course in humility and how rude it was NOT to brag. But of course, we have many young little emperors being raised here. It makes the truly gifted and humble Asian kids – like with ALL RACES – stand out.

Chinese as a culture tend to be very competitive. This is NOT A RACIST COMMENT but a CULTURAL observation. I recall one women, when I was quietly trying out new piano pieces for purchase, try to catch my eye and proceed to outplay me. Yawn.

Many stereotypes about how Asian kids are raised are generally true, at least here in one of the largest Asian enclaves in North America. Kids are either neglected (some parents live abroad and leave highschool kids alone in their mega mansions -very sad) and spoiled with good and/or cash, or they are raised with an iron fist. The sweetest and most humble ones get our warmest hellos in the elevator where we live.

I remember one Asian man we were quite friendly with in our building, who wanted me to tutor his daughter, when I politely declined due to a variety of private family medical conditions/and work time, he was insulted. It didn’t seem to concern him that we had important family matters that was taking up all of our time. According to him – it’s only an hour a week. Now he avoids us. What a selfish man.

If Asian parents push their kids into music forcefully, I think it is merely a reflection of attempting to acquire what is perceived as “status”. Status to some people is more important than happiness.

What my parents did have me take however was art lessons, since I’m artistically inclined. I think I enjoyed it for the first few years, then after having been to about three places for lessons, I started to get tired of it, since I felt I wasn’t learning anything.

My parents actually encouraged participation in sports like track and basketball and the fighting arts instead of music. My mom didn’t want me to get my butt kicked by the white racists in my school.

I regret not having learned how to play the piano / keyboard.

It might be a generational and geographical trend.

as a piano student:
i lived in the generation of the movie and tv series FAME. i was a quiet little chinese girl and piano lessons saved my life bc it gave me a channel for expressing my moodiness outside of a repressive chinese family. my russian jewish piano teacher and my other piano teachers and other piano students showed me there were different people out there and i had options beyond what my parents told me.

as a piano teacher:
in high school, my orchestra teacher (where i played violin and viola) encouraged me to be a piano teacher. my piano students (kids and adults) thought it was a hoot to have a tiny teenage asian piano teacher. i retired as a piano teacher in college when i had to consolidate my work hours.

I am making my kids learn music. I didn’t give much choice in instrument (piano) to my daughter, but I let my older son choose what instrument he wanted (trumpet). My younger son will get to choose also when the time comes. One nice thing is that my daughter’s teacher lets them learn more popular music, which can stimulate their own interest and not let me nag so much to practice. It was annoying, though, after my daughter saw Titanic, she learned “My Heart Will Go On” on her own and has been playing it over and over and over…

I find it sad that people weren’t allowed or weren’t taught jazz for piano. Some of the highlights for me as a piano player was being in the school jazz band. I had to teach myself chords, although I have to say that music theory I learned is really really helpful for learning jazz. In general, playing in groups is a lot more fun then playing solo, which can be kind of depressing after a while (especially for piano players).

Like the time the DJ on KDFC announced the wrong song title to the song and I could call in and correct them and they could then announce again the mistake. “It was by Max Bruch. MAX BRUCH! How do you not know Bruch when you hear it? Idiots.”

I first thirsted for competition, to always come out first, through music. I also learned it was okay if I didn’t come out first as long as I put in my all—through music.

Finally, it breaks my heart to know the extent my parents would self-sacrifice just to provide me the best violin, the best teachers, private lessons, etc. After working insane hours all week, instead of relaxing on their weekends, they drove me frantically here and there to various symphony rehearsals, auditions, and what not, all over the state, and many times all over the east coast. That kind of parental dedication makes me wonder how I’ll ever be able to pass on the same to my own children. After a long day of work, instead of resting or spending time to himself, my father sat on the piano bench by my side helping me through etudes, patiently teaching me the right method to practice hard runs.

For parents who don’t hug and kiss and say “I love you,” music lessons were my parents’ way of showing me just how important I am to them, even at the sacrifice of their own sanity.

So the parents force the child to do piano … and they do for a number of years and actually start to take a real liking to it … but instead of doing something like becoming a concert pianist … they want to do pop or jazz and pursue it as a career. – To which they are then shown the Biology and Chemistry textbooks.