Lu Meng was born into a musical family. Both her parents were music professors. She started to learn piano at 4. After getting her bachelor’s degree in piano from Beijing, she came to the US to further her study. In 1994, she received her M.M. in Piano Performance from the Florida State University under the direction of Mr. Leonadas Lipovetsky, a student of the late Madame Rosina Lhevinne.
Over the years, Lu Meng has accumulated extensive teaching experience. In LA where she lived for 8 years, she established the Lu Meng Piano Studio where she taught over 100 students. Her professional teaching experience includes 4 years in Beijing Central Conservatory, where she received an Annual Outstanding Teacher’s Award; 3 years as a teaching assistant at FSU where all her students received the highest grades each semester; 2 years at the Pasadena Conservatory; and, most recently, she has been a guest teacher in her hometown, at the Middle School Division of the Shenyang Conservatory.
In 2002, she came to NYC to study at the Juilliard School, where she was admitted and continues to study piano literature, performance, and repertoire. In New York City, she has performed a number of times at the Juilliard School, the Klavierhaus, the Steinway Hall and at Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Society.
In her teaching, Lu Meng explores how to make the students’ study more efficient. Because students never have enough time to practice, the issue of how to make them focused and more efficient in using their time becomes her primary concern. Students who do not receive good instruction will progress slowly and eventually lose their interest in music. A successful teacher needs to be a combination of a good pianist, an experienced pedagogue, and an insightful psychologist.
Lu Meng believes piano study is a process of learning and integrating concepts and ideas. For students, she believes, it is as important to grow the intellect as it is to excel in both technique and interpretation. Students must learn to make their hearts sing in their playing, and each piece should be a clear manifestation of their love of music. She also believes a sound education in music theory is necessary, for it will provide a clear idea about the direction of phrasing through harmonic progression. This will accelerate a student’s proficiency in sight reading and memorizing music. Understanding music theory also inspires students, and makes them more efficient and capable learners. Lu Meng’s strong concentration on efficiency has proven to be effective, and most of her students progress two levels in a year.
Lu Meng has recently left her faculty position at the Crestwood Music Education Center in Eastchester, NY to focus on developing her own studio. When she was a faculty member, her teaching was well received by all students as methodical and very effective.
