Name: Chin Hong · Nickname: Cellobear
Musically Inspired Cellist - Educator - Entrepreneur
If there is ONE thing that has stayed constant in my life, regardless of the different things which I have done so far, it is simply this... that I have never stopped teaching or playing the cello. But what I strive to do is to be more than just sharing stuff on how to play the cello. Over my varied and storied stints as a educator, technologist, marketer, I have always used cello teaching or education as a means to integrate all of my life experiences into a unique take on the learning of the cello.
Therefore, it is my sincere wish that whoever has connected with me as a student past, present and future, will be able to gain from what I know to be not just a better cellist, but a better person who understands themselves and the world around them. This is the unique gift which I know I can share with my students.
If I have to choose one profession in which you give the most for the least it is probably teaching – if you take it seriously. You have to have the temperament for it to coax, to stimulate, to cajole, to discipline a young mind into good habits. You must have an aptitude.
Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore Founding Father
Background
A brief history of myself
It feels strange to have to introduce or ‘talk about’ myself online because I am by nature and nurture relatively private. If you want to box me in a time-period, let’s just say my values are aligned to what many called a Generation-X. But there is a caveat - because I spent many years interacting with those who are younger than me, I cross generation-gaps relatively easily.
How it started
- ·Started learning the piano (yes not the cello) when I was 8 years old. By local standards in the 1970s, its still considered relatively young.
- ·Started on the cello when I was 13 - by a strange twist of fate.
- ·Started playing with a chinese orchestra at 14.
- ·Started playing for commercial events and gigs at 17.
- ·Started teaching cello at 18
Along the way, I had the blessings of
- ·Participating at performance tours with orchestras to China, Malaysia etc
- ·Playing with a Cantonese Opera Troupe at Germany
- ·Participating in a few masterclasses - one of which is conducted by Yo-Yo Ma
- ·Serving in 2 churches within the worship ministry - leading one for about 10 years
- ·Auditioned and taken part in Asean Music Workshop (Thailand)
- ·Setting up a string ensemble (and serving as cello coach) for Republic Polytechnic
- ·Serving as the cello sectional coach at NTU String Orchestra and still going on.
- ·Started one of the earliest string quartet groups in Singapore - performed in countless profit and non-profit events (www.gracenotes.sg)
- ·Taken part in a few opera and musical performances such as Chang & Eng, West Side Story etc
- ·Usually served as principal cellist at a few orchestras and string ensembles.
There are probably a few things I may have missed, but this gives you a fair picture of my musical background. What I have found is that working through a wide range of challenges on the cello has given me a clear understanding of how misconceptions and even harmful teaching habits can quietly take root. I have had to unpack and reset many of these in myself, and that experience shapes how I approach every student I teach.
At this stage of my life (with family commitments and all), I am content to take a step back and just focus on more selective engagements and keeping a manageable teaching studio.
I also have a rich and varied professional life outside of cello playing, across education, marketing, and technology. That range of experience is not incidental. It shapes how I think about learning, how people are taught, and what actually helps someone grow. The sum of all those parts is what I bring into each lesson, and it is what allows me to offer something that goes well beyond what a conventional music teacher can provide.
Philosophy
My Teaching Philosophy
I believe that educating and training the musician of tomorrow is no longer just about spending 8 hours a days on solitary practice. The modern musician has to embrace the deep awareness of sound, mind and body in life, coupled with with multiple interest and passions that serve as a feedback loop into their music making expression.
That is how one can really play better with age, just like a fine string instrument or fine wine which has aged well.
These have grown out of:
- ·A rich experience in the education industry, grounded firmly in a problem-based, student-centered approach
- ·My ever patient teachers and mentors of the past who have generously imparted their skills, strategies with me
- ·Books, videos and not forgetting, my personal love story with the cello over the many years with fellow students, cellists and musicians
Testimonials
“If you were someone like me without any music training background yet fascinated with the unique beauty of cello music and wish to pick up the instrument, Chin Hong is a good teacher to start with your cello journey. He is very patient and encouraging...”
En Chao
“The first time I met Chin Hong, he came across as a no-nonsense person. I was right. When I eventually took lessons under him, he was really serious about teaching Cello and doing a good job at it. Yet I was wrong, he is warm and passionate about his work, and that made Cello lessons fruitful and enjoyable...”
Lisa Ong
“I simply love the way how Chin Hong explains the physics of cello playing. Music playing is about expressing emotion. But in order to achieve the skills to express the sound accurately, one has to understand how the instrument works and master the craft of music playing...”
Huiying
Thinking of getting in touch?
WhatsApp is the fastest way to reach me. I am happy to answer questions about lessons, my approach, or your situation.
WhatsApp Chin Hong