Hi, I’m Dr. Patty Lee! I teach piano with kindness, patience, and laughter. I encourage students to be curious, to express themselves, to tell a story through the music, and to have fun because my ultimate goal is to foster a lifelong appreciation of music.
I hold three university degrees from the University of California at Santa Barbara (B.M.) and The University of Texas at Austin (M.M. and D.M.A.). I studied piano performance under the guidance of Nancy Garrett, Dr. Charles Asche, and Seung Kyo Choi. I also studied piano pedagogy with Sophia Gilmson and Martha Hilley, former Music Teachers National Association President. During my studies, I had the honor of performing in numerous master classes with Grammy Award winning artists like Murray Perahia, Emerson String Quartet, and Richard Goode and renowned artist teachers like John Perry and Anne Epperson. I have taught piano and group piano as an Assistant Instructor at UT Austin, as Assistant Professor at Texas Lutheran University, and as Adjunct Professor at University of the Incarnate Word and Concordia University Texas. During my faculty days, I performed with many artist teachers like Charles Castleman (University of Miami), Jon Whitaker (University of Alabama), and Christopher Davis (Northwestern University). In 2018, I made the decision to leave my positions in Texas and return to my home state of California to be near my husband. I became a Level III Master Teacher at Opus 1 Music Studio in the Bay Area, and also participated as a faculty member in a unique and innovative program sponsored and administrated by the Community School of Music and Arts. The Corporate Arts Program organizes workplace music study and instrumental lessons for employees of Bay Area tech corporations.
Throughout the last 15 years, I have maintained a private piano studio in addition to my previous positions and am now focused on my own piano studio and am currently accepting new students in the neighboring cities of South San Francisco, San Bruno, and Millbrae. I am happy to travel to you and give you the convenience of having lessons in your own home because I understand how busy many families are.
When I’m not teaching, you’ll find me enjoying my other passions like taking care of my two kitty cats, reading, healthy cooking, hiking, traveling, and learning to play my bucket list piano pieces one by one.