May Siu
About
A native of Hong Kong, May has always enjoyed listening to and playing music. Her love for music developed as she recorded sounds from nature and fit them, like pieces of a puzzle, to create songs. May Siu is recently graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a Bachelor’s degree in Commercial Music Composing and Arranging. She studied commercial music with notable musicians, including J. Michael O’Neal, Tim Jaquefe, David Beatty, and Ebiut Cervantes.
As a composer, May writes and arranges music spanning across genres including symphonic works, vocal jazz, big band, trio, quartet, Afro-Brazilian styles, and medium-sized commercial ensembles. Not only was May a music theory and music technology tutor at Azusa Pacific University, but she was also a music coordinator for the Rising Church and a piano instructor. She also loves writing music for vlogs during her free time.
As a pianist, May Siu has performed with many premier music groups, including the Azusa Pacific University Jazz Ensemble, University Choir and Orchestra, Gospel Choir, and vocal jazz ensemble – East End. She performed in the Battle of the Big Band round 15, Next Generation Jazz Festival, and Fullerton College Jazz Festival, collaborating with Barbara Morrison and Justo Almario. Her piano repertoire ranges from Monteverdi to Haydn, from Beethoven to Debussy, and from Duke Ellington to Herbie Hancock.
I always tailor-made my teachings to better suit my student’s passion and musical ability. For piano beginners (whether classical, pop, or jazz), I always start with the basics techniques, which include hand position, note name, note value, etc. Once my students have a basic understanding of the piano, we will start learning different songs and scales according to their levels (there are some great adult piano book series we could use). Also, I always create attainable goals with my student together and give them weekly assignments so they can stay on track with a practice schedule. Same for music composition/production/songwriting students.