Yang, Pi-Tzu

We sat down with Yang, Pi-Tzu to discuss her career so far and thoughts around music and education.

How did you get into music?

It was foresight on my mom's part that led me into the world of music. I enrolled in the Yamaha group music courses back in first grade, and because I was doing well, I prepared to study music in junior high. During sixth grade, I minored in percussion as I prepared for the junior high school entrance examinations. The effort paid off, as I was successfully admitted to Stella Matutina Girls' High School's music program, and thereafter, I advanced directly to high school. Under the recommendations of various teachers, I decided to go to Europe and explore the home of classical music. After graduation, I applied and was accepted to a Holland University of Music, and later, I was admitted to a German University of Music (Musik Hochschule Detmold), where I went on to complete my doctorate.

How did you get into the field of education?

While studying in Germany, I initially didn't give any serious thoughts about what to do after graduation.

When my Teaching Methodology professor Arabella Lorenz asked us in a psychoanalysis session, what we wanted to do after graduation, I replied, "I want to be a housewife!" That's when my teacher looked at me with her deep blue eyes for a good while, then posed the question: "Then why did you come all the way here (abroad) to study percussion?" It was this question that really got me thinking seriously about my future plans.

The learning atmosphere at the German university of music was one where professors encouraged students, nurtured progress, with teaching methods that focused on practical applications, all of which inspired my interest in education. My major professor and mentor, Professor Peter Prommel, a well-known and distinguished educator in Europe, has been my role model for teaching, focusing on people and the equality of educational opportunity for all.

How do you describe your teaching style? What is something important to you in your music class?

My teaching style is focused on four main areas: Basic Training, Methodology, Sensory Cognition, and Music Interpretation.

Percussion encompasses a wide range of instruments. Besides solo instruments for music majors, such as the marimba xylophone, the timpani, and the snare drum, there are also instruments like the jazz drum, vibraphone, tambourine, and various other orchestral instruments. On top of the basic training on controlling an instrument's intrinsic sound qualities, in my opinion, the timbre or "tone of expression" is very important!

Percussion instruments are mostly short-sounded instruments and are not as colorful and multi-faceted like that of pianos, strings, winds or vocals, which can be performed to interpret music via melody, rhythm and harmony. Therefore, percussion needs to grasp the "tone of expression," to achieve connectivity and flow between each note in rhythm and melody. Listening to vast amounts of music is the key to recognizing the different methodologies and variations of the "tone of expression."

In your music career, is a connection with other women important to you?

Women seem to be able to communicate with and understand women better, because there is a natural bond of empathy and tolerance, despite different fields and circumstances. I think it's because society imparts women with various and varying roles in life, which require persistence and tenderness at the same time, an intricate balance in terms of culture. Furthermore, in a working environment where it's mostly women, the focus is often on pertinent feedback and suggestions for improvement in efficiency. As each focus on achieving set standards, it positively influences colleagues, and in turn, elevates the value of the entire team, creating a positive cycle all around.

Have you faced any gender equality related issues in your music activities? How did you overcome these elements?

I am very observant to my environment, and I am good at finding comfort zones in which to collaborate.

In my fourth year studying in Germany, when I was applying for a professional position in an orchestra (in order to obtain a working visa after graduation), I underwent interview after interview, through which I noticed just about all the interviewees were men, and I was the only woman. During one of those interviews, one of the German interviewers asked me: "In an orchestra that's composed mostly of men (this was the beginning of the 21st Century), why would an Oriental woman like you want to work here? Why do you want to apply for the orchestra?"

To which I answered: "Greetings, I need a full-time job to support myself, to be able to live independently in Germany. I believe an orchestra's hiring standard is based on performance skills and not gender, and to that, I believe I am well qualified." And I was very fortunate to have been accepted to the orchestra!

This experience impacted me deeply and helped me throughout my professional career.

We are defined by freedom and equality. When I returned home, I have not encountered any gender issues or work-related discrimination. In all my working environments, there is gender equality.

Please give your message to the next generation.

Women have intrinsic power where we can couple strength and gentleness with ease.

The ratio disparity between male and female no longer exists in the current workplace. Therefore, everyone should maintain a mutually respectful and understanding attitude toward our individuality. Everyone has different points of view, so it is important to communicate your thoughts as well as listen to what others really want to convey, and then treat each other based on a foundation of proper mutual respect. I think these are necessary attitudes when it comes to the workplace.

My encouragement to women of the future is to maintain a healthy body, a positive attitude, and a professional skill to wield in life.