Piano Studio 33
Hello and welcome to our music studio based in St. Heliers, Auckland! We offer private piano lessons for all levels and ages.
If you are a young beginner starting from scratch, we can begin by finding the smallest sense of achievement, gradually building your knowledge and interest step by step.
If you are a busy adult, we can work together to discover a learning approach that suits your lifestyle, slowly unlocking the pieces you’ve always wanted to play—whether popular or classical.
If you already have years of playing experience and wish to progress further, or are preparing for exams, competitions, or concerts, we can explore your repertoire in depth, focusing on the techniques and musicality you need to refine your performance to the highest standard.
No matter what stage or what age you are at, lets find together the most genuine satisfaction that music gives—bringing music into life, and letting life breathe into creation. As Wagner said to Liszt, “Out of what can the artist create if he does not create out of life?”
Michael Soong - Studio Director
Michael is an active concert pianist and a passionate music teacher. His musical interests were nurtured from a young age under the long-standing mentorship of New Zealand pianist Flavio Villani. He went on to obtain a Bachelor of Music with First-Class Honours at the University of Auckland, studying with Rae de Lisle, where he received multiple Top of the Course Awards in historical performance, classical theory, and music pedagogy.
He completed his Master of Music Studies in Performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, studying under Paul Rickard-Ford, Head of the Piano Department. During which, he explored improvisation alongside classical performance and, in 2024, was awarded the highly competitive George and Margaret Henderson Scholarship.
Michael was a representative in the 2018 Rönisch Auckland Secondary Schools Piano Competition and a semi-finalist in the prestigious 2021 Lewis Eady National Piano Competition. He has performed at numerous music festivals worldwide, including the 2017 Australian International Music Festival, the 2022 Lewis Eady International Music Festival in New Zealand, and the 2025 Music at Château d’Aix in France. He has also presented recitals across New Zealand and Australia and appeared in a wide range of collaborative concert settings. Now based in Auckland, Michael is the director of Piano Studio 33.
My Teaching Philosophy
Over the past seven years, I have had the privilege of guiding students at La Accademia in Auckland and the Master Piano Institute in Sydney, working with learners of all ages, levels, and backgrounds.
I believe that the best tools for teaching are metaphors, analogies, and imagination, that is in its essence, learning through connections to past experiences, which helps the most abstract and sophisticated ideas to take shape in the mind and be realised naturally through the body.
I pay close attention to the physical mechanism of playing and always tries to address this in my teaching at the earliest stage, as it is crucial for the avoidance of injury and is the foundation that opens up to endless possibilities of colour and shaping.
There is no single “correct” way to make music, and I always value and allow creativity to flourish in my studio. When a piece of music is composed on paper, it is only half complete. It is completed only when it is played and performed, and would live as a whole only in that moment. This process is never fixed, thereby lies the beauty of music making.
I believe that listening to my students is just as important as guiding them. Every student brings a unique set of strengths, weaknesses, and needs, and I take care to tailor my teaching and plan each student’s progress according to their own journey.
Last but not least, no matter how much we delve into the details to polish every aspect of our playing, I try to never forget to find with my students the genuine joy and fun of music making. I strive to make every lesson a positive and encouraging space. My hope is that every student who walks into my studio not only grows as a musician, but also discovers a personal, lasting connection with music.
