Life
As an active violinist and pianist in numerous competitions, orchestra concerts, chamber music concerts, and recitals, Yi-Wei (Amy) Huang has won the hearts of many through her talents.
Candlelight was initially conceived as a classical music series with concerts featuring works by renowned composers, such as Vivaldi, Mozart, and Chopin. Now, the ever-growing list of programs includes a wide variety of themes and genres, including tributes to contemporary artists like Queen, ABBA and more. This innovative format provides a unique live musical experience, offering a variety of programs to meet all tastes,
Throughout the experiences of being a professional music therapist, Yi-Wei’s clinical experiences with children with multiple disabilities have helped her become a much more effective musician who may communicate with audience beyond identified mental and physical boundaries, as well to facilitate the improvement of their quality of life via the aesthetics and functionalities of musical experiences.
To delve into a musical journey, spoke to Yi-Wei, on her journey began on what led her to choose this career path.
Talk us through your background and career.
I was born in Taiwan. I started my classical music training at age 6. After completing my violin performance degree in Taiwan, I began a different journey in studying music therapy in the United States. I have played in different types of chamber music, such as string quartet, piano trio, and piano quintet, since age 12. I integrated music therapy concepts into music teaching and performance. I like being active in not only music teaching but also music performance. So, playing the violin as part of the Strings, fulfilled my musical life in the UAE.
Where do you get the discipline and motivation to be consistent and are there any practices which have helped you with this?
As a music therapist and violist, I use the violin to regulate my emotions. I incorporate mindfulness concepts in my warm-up routine to ground myself and achieve consistency.
What role has mentorship played in your career?
One of my most important mentors is my professor, Sophia Lee. She showed me how music can change and improve each individual’s life quality. Also, she is the best example of balancing her life with teaching, performing, and practising music therapy. She is the person I would call when I feel upset and lost in life.
Are there any milestones you are most proud of?
One of the milestones I am proud of in the UAE would be the moment we performed our first Hans Zimmer Candlelight concert. We spent so much time working closely together and finally shared our music with the audience. It is amazing to communicate and connect with the audience through music universally.
How important is music in creating the perfect ambience – how does this add to the experience?
Imagine there is no sound when you watch a horror movie. You might not feel scared that much. That is the power of music. Music creates a unique atmosphere. For example, the songs from the Hans Zimmer program provide a variety of styles to make each movie more unforgettable. People can still remember how it feels like when they recall the movies. Music plays an important role in that.
What is the most important to you when you are on the stage performing?
Enjoying the moment is the most important to me while performing on the stage. Even though there are a lot of uncertainties during the live performance, being at the moment and embracing the uncertainties is the beauty of live performance.
Your philosophy is to help students build connections with music and express their emotions – how do you do so?
When I teach, I let my students express their feelings about the pieces they are learning and discuss the reason behind these feelings and emotions. Also, I give examples that they could relate to understand the emotions and connect them with techniques. So it helps them practice and improve techniques with emotional expression better.
As an educator, your interest lies in brain development and music therapy – why is this important?
The two main things I would apply from my music therapy background in my teaching would be the task analysis and how different everyone could be. Every individual has their strengths and weaknesses, so being flexible to meet every student’s needs and providing the best method of instrument practice would be vital and practical in my teaching.
