Edmonton Suzuki Piano School was established in 1975 and this year, we are celebrating 50 years of music and memories! Time does fly when you are having fun. As part of the celebration, we thought it would be fun to catch up with former students, teachers, and community members. This year, we will post a spotlight series and a fun Q&A with various people and we hope you enjoy the trip down memory lane with us.

Mark Rico-Lam

High School Student

Mark was a student of Rhonda McEachen and Heather Hindman during his time with ESPS. Mark’s patience and perseverance are skills that he fine-tuned during his time as an ESPS musician.

Q. What was a memorable moment from your Suzuki piano education?
A. My Book 7 Suzuki graduation concert was definitely an important moment in my musical career. It was a great experience to showcase all of my repertoire inside and outside of the Suzuki books solo in front of a large audience.
Q. How have the skills you learned as a Suzuki musician translated to your life now?
A. Patience and perseverance in my piano studies has definitely reinforced my values in life. Being able to practice daily and keep on doing so has built for me the discipline to stay patient and persevere.
Q. What advice do you have for our young ESPS musicians today?
A. To all Suzuki students of whatever age or level, music is really such a wonderful language to express. If you do so choose to continue with music for however long it may be, remember to not just play the notes, but to speak through the music and share its thoughts as well as yours.
Q. Any other comments you would like to share?
A. In my first recital, I was playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. In the last 9 years, I have grown so much as a musician and it's really truly wonderful to see how far I've come. Suzuki has given me many opportunities to perform, to learn, and to grow in my music studies.

Micha Oostenbrink

Q. What was a memorable moment from your Suzuki piano education?
A. My book 7 graduation - I was thrilled to be able to add my own pieces to the performance that I was very eager about learning (Chopin and Stravinsky - both of which I used for my BMus audition). It made the experience that much more valuable.
Q. How have the skills you learned as a Suzuki musician translated to your life now?
A. Self-direction and and persistence. In my job, I have to be a self-starter and constantly work through problems and come up with creative solutions. Learning piano from a young age taught me to be able to be productive on my own and not to give up when I face obstacles. The artistic side also helps me with marketing classical music concerts!
Q. What advice do you have for our young ESPS musicians today?
A. Listen to lots of piano music and find some new pieces to explore. It's very rewarding to be able to learn a piece you love once you have the skills.

Allison Nguyen

University Student

Q. What was a memorable moment from your Suzuki piano education?
A. COVID graduation recitals on Zoom & every time I got a new book (very exciting)
Q. How have the skills you learned as a Suzuki musician translated to your life now?
A. I think it helped with so many things- I can’t even think of them all! I am extremely detail oriented and I believe that’s a direct result from my piano “career”. My ability to public speak probably stems from learning to tackle nerves at recitals. I truly love and value music. Another little Suzuki thing I picked up would be related to ear- training… for example: I find I can memorize long strings of numbers after hearing it once. This can be super helpful at times!!
Q. What advice do you have for our young ESPS musicians today?
A. Don’t compare yourself to others! Enjoy what you’re currently working on and stop focusing on how fast your progress versus everyone else, because musical learning is not linear.
Q. Any other comments you would like to share?
A. I really enjoyed my final years doing Suzuki- mostly thanks to Miss Rhonda. I always had felt pressured into learning piano and honestly didn’t love it until highschool- but it definitely became an emotional outlet for me (which is when I really began to love playing piano). Rhonda always made me feel welcomed and we are still close to this day- I’m thankful for that connection through music and education.

Charisse Chan

Digital Marketing Specialist

Micha was Alla Rekhson’s student during her time with ESPS. Micha feels that her strong self-direction and persistence are skills she refined while she studied music.

Allison was a student of both Rhonda McEachen and Eleanor Tsui during her time with ESPS. She gained confidence and learned skills as a public speaker while she was a piano student.

Talent Acquisition Coordinator

ESPS teacher Eleanor Tsui taught Charisse and helped set the expectation early on that success comes from hard work and perseverance, and the process to get there is rewarding.

Q. What was a memorable moment from your Suzuki piano education?
A. A memorable moment for me was my final recital for finishing Book 7! It was a big moment of accomplishment after lots of preparation and practice.
Q. How have the skills you learned as a Suzuki musician translated to your life now?
A. The perseverance I learned from doing piano translates into every new thing I learn or try now as an adult.
Learning to play piano taught me to put in the work and that things are not always going to come easily.
Q. What advice do you have for our young ESPS musicians today?
A. Practice more! Enjoy the learning process and keep working hard

Selma Hammad

Middle & High School Teacher

Alla Rekhson taught Selma. The music she was immersed in then stays with her to this day. She explores other genres now, and you can find her songs on Spotify and Apple Music!

Q. What was a memorable moment from your Suzuki piano education?
A. I remember feeling so nervous and grateful at the same time at my Book 7 graduation. So much work had gone into preparing for the concert, since myself and another student were performing for an entire hour! After it was over, it was a bittersweet moment. Alla was a supportive presence in my life from the age of 4, so it felt like something was missing when I had finished all the Suzuki Piano books.
Q. How have the skills you learned as a Suzuki musician translated to your life now?
A. I learned so much about self discipline, setting achievable goals, and using art as an outlet. I still make music now, but of a different genre. Currently, I am focusing on vocals, and I've been making music with a family friend. Listen to our song: Soft Revenge by Selma & Carpe Dien on Spotify and Apple Music!
Q. What advice do you have for our young ESPS musicians today?
A. Persevere, be patient, and don't be too hard on yourself. It will all be worth it in the end, as long as you put in the work.

Quinn Sweetzir

Air Traffic Controller

Quinn studied with Tim Eckert. Along with piano instruction came lessons in resiliency and patience that have helped Quinn throughout his life and career.

Q. What was a memorable moment from your Suzuki piano education?
A. I attended a summer institute in Brandon, Manitoba where I was exposed to new strategies for learning, made new friends, and received valuable feedback from new instructors.
Q. How have the skills you learned as a Suzuki musician translated to your life now?
A. They have helped me to stay patient and resilient as I progress through my life and my career.
Q. What advice do you have for our young ESPS musicians today?
A. Progress isn’t going to look the same every week, so try to set achievable short term goals to keep moving forward even when it feels like you’re staying still.

Micah Truong

University Student

Instructed by Tess Brown, the discipline required for piano helped create great study habits that Micah currently applies working toward her BSc at the University of Alberta.

Q. What was a memorable moment from your Suzuki piano education?
A. Group lessons were some of my favourite memories from Suzuki piano education. Making music with peers was so much fun and an experience like no other.
Q. How have the skills you learned as a Suzuki musician translated to your life now?
A. Practicing piano helped me learn discipline that I now apply to studying in university. Growing up as a musician also gave me a special appreciation for the classical genre and artistic expression through music.
Q. What advice do you have for our young ESPS musicians today?
A. Don't stop doing something just because you feel like you're not good at it! Failure is an opportunity to learn and grow.

Kristina Kastelan-Sikora

Music teacher & professor

Q. What was a memorable moment from your Suzuki piano education?
A. Back in my day, Suzuki Piano went to Book 6. I vividly remember Nancy playing her trombone with me at my Book 6 piano
graduation. What I have enjoyed experiencing is being a student of Nancy, and now she is my own daughter, Ella's, piano
teacher. We have journeyed together through many decades of music.
Q. How have the skills you learned as a Suzuki musician translated to your life now?
A. Having been trained by ear at an early age, I have been easily able to transfer my musical skills to learning other instruments,
such as the flute and harp. I was inspired to share my skills and became a junior high band teacher for many years, which
eventually led me to obtaining my Master's degree in music and eventually my PhD. I enjoy teaching and sharing the gift of
music with others at many different levels. I feel that music is so important and I am grateful that I am able to continue using
my skills through playing in various capacities, both solo and in different group settings. Most importantly, I am glad we are
able to play together as a family!
Q. What advice do you have for our young ESPS musicians today?
A. Keep playing! Listen to different genres to appreciate the many different styles of music out there. Attend concerts and find
other music that you enjoy and can learn outside of your repertoire. Most importantly, go out there and share your gift
with others and seek other musicians to play with. Music is meant to be shared!

Dr. Kristina Kastelan-Sikora was taught piano by ESPS teacher Nancy Thornhill. She now has the pleasure of watching her daughter learn from Nancy as well!