In her own words, Dana Marie Chan (MM ’22) discusses why she chose SFCM.

Before I came to SFCM for my master's degree in collaborative piano, I was working 40 hours per week in a music studio with 700 students. I had very little time to practice and prepare. I taught piano to 17 students in group classes. I was also the event coordinator for the four big recitals each year and coordinated group classes, exams, paperwork, and administration. So I was doing a lot of different things in this one studio. It was my full-time job and I also had a part-time job doing some marketing and social media for another business. To prepare for my audition, the only time I could practice was in the morning because I’d always be working late. Finding time to rehearse with my collaborative partners was a challenge because they also had full-time jobs. I decided to take the audition in February and I never stopped working the whole time while preparing for the audition. It paid off.

I’m so glad I came to SFCM. In my life, self-confidence has been something I have struggled with, but studying collaborative piano has been a huge help. Occasionally, my collaborative partners get nervous too. By helping to make them feel confident, I also feel better. Doing it for other people is a way of improving my own confidence.

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