Willow Glen Resident
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Ten-year-old pianist has earned top national rankings since age 4
By Beth Shapiro
Not all fourth-graders can boast that they've been the opening act for an exclusive Steinway Society concert or the top performer in some of the nation's most highly ranked music competitions. Alex Chien can.
The 10-year-old pianist has earned numerous first-place music awards, has appeared on television and performed at San Francisco's Le Petit Trianon with the Steinway Society last March. He was among a handful of students selected to perform in the concert.
The Harker School student has been playing since he was 6 months old, when his parents enrolled him in Kindermusik.
Music is a family tradition, says his mother, Kai Chi Zhu, who teaches piano lessons from their home studio in Almaden Valley, where Alex grew up listening to her students. Zhu's mother also teaches piano.
Alex's parents say they noticed his extraordinary talent for music when he was very young. At 2, Alex could tell the difference between his mother's playing and her students' as he listened from another room.
"We noticed that he had perfect pitch and very good sense of rhythm," Zhu says.
By age 4, Alex was taking piano lessons from his mother.
"We have instilled in his mind from very early on that music is a part of his life," Zhu says. "His music teachers are most impressed by his ability to focus and the speed with which he learns and memorizes music," Zhu says. "He can block out everything else around him. I guess one word that captures his personality is 'intense.' "
Piano playing isn't always easy, Alex says. Because he is left-handed, Alex faces an interesting challenge.
"Most composers write melodies for the right hand, so I need to constantly remind myself to work on the balance between the two hands," Alex says. "I spend much more time polishing the right- hand technique than the left hand."
Alex's hard work has paid off. He has managed to win several prestigious awards for his piano playing. He won his first competition at the age of 4, and he's placed first in many others, including the "Kids Play the Darndest Things!" Chinese Music Teachers Association of North California Youth Music competitions. He even appeared on television when he performed on "Maestro Darrell's Music Workshop" in 2003.
Alex's family remains a huge supporter of his musical endeavors. "As a family, we have all agreed on allocating time for Alex's music," says Zhu. "This means sacrificing a lot of leisure time for the whole family or rearranging other activities to ensure that Alex has enough piano practice time."
After Zhu's classes are done for the day, she helps Alex practice. Alex's father Chester, a scientist, drives Alex to concerts and competitions and gives him feedback about his playing. Before a competition, Alex can spend up to five hours a day practicing for his performance. Alex's family also devotes a lot of time to his younger brother Robert's music training.
Although Alex's piano playing is a huge part of his life, music is just one of his talents. He's a straight-A student at Harker, a college preparatory school known for its rigorous curriculum.
His other interests include sports, writing and computer games. One of his favorite after-school activities is Wall Ball, and he has been a member of several soccer and swimming teams. Alex loves writing about music as much as he likes playing it, and he has won several awards for his writing.
Alex plans to become a professional piano player, because he loves the rush of performing.
"The best thing about playing the piano is that the music can really touch a person's heart," Alex says.
