Felicia Feng Zhang of Greenwich has received the 2020 Teacher Distinction Award from The Royal Conservatory of Music.
More than 50% of students quit music lessons in public school, but Zhang with students as young as 3, has her own unique quick sight-reading method, which helps students build confidence from the very first lesson.
Born in Qingdao, Shandong, China, Zhang was raised in a household of professional music educators. Her mother, Professor Wenju Sui, and her brother, Professor Jin Zhang, are both well-known piano educators in China. Zhang”™s daughter, Clara, played piano at Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden at the age of 6. And her young son, Alexander, has also played at Carnegie Hall and other venues.
Now a resident of Greenwich, Zhang founded The All Talent Academy, which focuses students on a holistic education that goes far beyond what traditional music schools offer. She believes in training the whole mind while developing multi-intelligent skills, building confidence and fostering good habits. In 2016, 26 of her students won international piano competitions with first- and second-prize awards and were invited to perform in Carnegie Hall.
Zhang studied at Beijing Normal University, receiving a bachelor”™s degree with honors in fine arts in music education with a major in piano pedagogy. She was the first graduate student in China to receive a master”™s degree in music education. After graduating, she became a full-time piano faculty member in Beijing Normal University, teaching applied piano to undergraduate students.
