Anh-Thu G. Phan

New York City, NY, USA • (+1) 917 932 7905 • agp2132@tc.columbia.edu


EDUCATION

Teachers College, Columbia University New York City, USA 1/2019 – present
  • Doctor of Education in Music & Music Education
Teachers College, Columbia University New York City, USA 9/2015 – 5/2018
  • Master of Education in Music & Music Education
Orff Certificate: Level 1 New York City, USA 10/2015 – 2/2016
Teachers College, Columbia University New York City, USA 9/2013 – 5/2015
  • Master of Arts in Music & Music Education
National University of Singapore, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music Singapore 7/2003 – 6/2007
  • Bachelor of Music (Honors) in Piano Performance
  • Program in collaboration with Peabody Conservatory of Music, Johns Hopkins University
 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Teachers College, Columbia University
  Program Coordinator New York City, USA 2/2020 – present
  • Music Explorers Program
  • The program provides music instructions for children age 5 – 7 years old in keyboards and violins or ukuleles, to learn solo and ensemble repertoire with their parents/caregivers.
  • Marketing, logistical planning, website designing, and curriculum organizing.
 
  Research Assistant New York City, USA 9/2023 – present
  • A&HM 5022: Children's Musical Development.

  Teaching Assistant New York City, USA 1/2023 – present
  • A&HM 5021: Instrument Experiences with Children.

  Course Assistant New York City, USA 9/2019 – 12/2022
  • A&HM 5022: Children's Musical Development; A&HM 5021: Instrument Experiences with Children.

  Program Manager New York City, USA 8/2018
  • Artists of Tomorrow Jr. Summer chamber Music Workshop
  • Engaging young musicians (ages 6-13) in performing and understanding musical skills in duos, trios, or quartets.
  • Customizing repertoire according to individual skill levels and interests.
 
  Piano Instructor New York City, USA 1/2014 – present
  • A&HM 4350
  • Teaching graduate non-music-major students.
  • Conveying musical concepts by means of the students’ major backgrounds.
  • Crafting musical performances using interdisciplinary approaches.
 
  Pianist New York City, USA 9/2015 – present
  • Engaging young audience (aged 3-10) in actively listening and responding to live performance through multiple modalities
  • Designing and performing interactive children's themed concerts.
 
  Music Teacher  New York City, USA 9/2014 – 12/2016
  • Musical Communities at Teachers College: Music Explorers Program 
  • Taught group classes for student aged 5 – 7 years old.
  • Arranged compositions for beginners to play as ensembles (piano, ukulele, violin, and percussion).
 
  Music Teacher New York City, USA 1/2014 – 5/2014
  • The Rita Gold Early Childhood Center, Columbia University
  • Taught music to three age groups: Infants, Toddlers, Preschoolers
  • Emphasized on listening to, embodying, responding, and making music with folk songs and storytelling.
 
Teachers College Community School PS517
  Music Teacher New York City, USA 9/2020 – present
  • Classroom teacher for Grades 2, 5, 6, and 7
  • Lead Teacher for Digital Music Team.
  • Responsible for curriculum design and implementation.

Self-Employed
  Private Piano Teacher Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 3/2012 – 8/2013
  • Teaching young beginners, 18 students aged 4–6 years old, intermediate and advanced students, 14 students aged 7–13 years old.
  • Developing and implementing a piano curriculum using Gardner’s multiple-intelligences theory and Lister-Sink’s piano playing techniques.
  • Studying the Vietnamese educational market and comparing other music schools’ curricula.
 
Khuyến Nhạc Philharmonic School of Music & Arts
  Head of Piano Department Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 6/2008 – 3/2012
  • Teaching young beginners, 42 students aged 4 – 6 years old.
  • Designing the piano department’s assessment standards.
  • Conducting workshops on piano techniques and lesson planning for piano teachers.
 
Self-Employed
  Private Piano Teacher Singapore 8/2007 – 1/2008
  • Teaching for ABRSM examinations (grades 1-7).
  • Achieved a successful exam pass rate of 100%.
 

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE

Yes We Can Music, LLC
  President & CEO New York City, USA 8/2018 – present
  • Vision statement: envisioning a future where our emphasis on researching and teaching Vietnamese music and language plays a pivotal role in celebrating and preserving cultural diversity within the American context. Our organization aspires to lead in cultural studies and education, creating accessible tools that inspire appreciation and cross-cultural understanding. Our vision is of a world where cultural diversity thrives, greatly enriching American society, with Vietnamese communities at the forefront of this shared narrative, contributing to the broader tapestry of cultural understanding and unity.
  • Mission statement:To be a leading force in advancing Vietnamese music and language education, fostering connections that transcend borders and enhancing cultural diversity in the United States.
 
Mekong NYC (non-profit social organization)
  Artist-in-Residence / Music Teacher New York City, USA 3/2017 – present
  • Teaching Đàn Tranh Ensembles for children and adults.
  • Designing curricula with graphic representations of sounds and instruments string layouts to enhance accessibility for beginners.
 
  Artist-in-Residence New York City, USA 1/2014 – present
  • Developing activities to cultivate Southeast Asian identities in young children through music, visualization, and traditional games.
  • Designing props and conducting game stations at community events.
  • Performing Vietnamese traditional instruments with MTViet group to promote Vietnam culture throughout New York City.
 
Independent Book Publishers
  Cultural and Linguistic Consultant New York City, USA 12/2022 – 5/2023
  Linguistic Consultant and Voice-over Artist New York City, USA 7/2021
  • Nuanced Interpretation
  • 5 Volumes of Learning Vietnamese for Children
 
New-York Historical Society Museum & Library
  Linguistic Consultant and Voice-over Artist New York City, USA 10/2017 – 4/2018
  • Exhibition "The Vietnam War: 1945 – 1975"
  • Specialized in cultural consulting, emphasizing Vietnamese traditions, culstoms, and artifacts.

  Vietnamese Teacher New York City, USA 2/2018
  • Introducing Vietnamese linguistic tones and Vietnamese sound systems.
  • Designing games to teach Vietnamese pronunciation for children.
 
A Free Bird (non-profit arts education organization)
  Piano Teacher New York City, USA 1/2015 – 9/2016
  • Taught young people (aged 4-18) affected by cancer so that they can fight their cancer through the therapeutic benefits of the arts.
  • Conducted research on immunotherapy (fighting diseases by boosting natural immune systems) and cancer remission.
 
Wharton Music Center / Community Charter School in Paterson
  Teacher Assistant New Jersey, USA 9/2015 – 12/2015
  • Paterson Music Project is an El Sistema-inspired program which provides 6 hours of learning music per week for underserved children.
  • Facilitated classroom musical activities for 6 classes of students aged 7–11 years old.
 
Children Art Fiesta at Seiryo Kindergarten & Preschool
  Visiting Artist Chiba, Japan 8/2016
  • Design and build a sculpture playground for 500 children with an emphasis on promoting visual, auditory, and kinesthetic development.
  • Conduct workshops on making musical instruments from found objects.
 
The New York Philharmonic
  Activity Facilitator New York City, USA 8/2013 – 2019
  • Co-conduct pre- & post-concert activities to enhance musical concepts presented during the concerts for children:
  • — New York Philharmonic's Very Young People's Concert: ▪ Allegro and Adagio (4/2016) ▪ Forte and Piano (2/2016) ▪ Treble and Bass (11/2015) ▪ Building Blocks (3/2015) ▪ Make-Believe (2/2015) ▪ Games and Toys (11/2014) ▪ Percussion Family (4/2014) ▪ Brass Family (1/2014) ▪ Strings Family (12/2013).
  • — New York Philharmonic's Young People's Concert: New York Transformed! (1/2015).
 

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Graduate, Teachers College, Columbia University New York City, USA 8/2016 – present
Fellow, Temple University, the Center for Vietnamese Philosophy, Culture & Society Philadelphia, USA 8/2016 – present
 

HONORS / SCHOLARSHIP

  • Evalyn Edwards Milman Music Fellowship2020 – present
  • TC EdTech Innovation Award: People’s Award app. Musitation Team. 2021
  • Teachers College’s Florence K. Geffen Scholarship 2019
  • Teachers College’s K. & E. R. Knapp Endowment 2019
  • Teachers College’s International Scholarship 2019
  • Teachers College’s Provost’s Grant for Professional Development 2017,2019
  • American Folklore Society’s Gerald L. Davis Fund Travel Grant 2017
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs Vietnam’s Cultural Seed Grant 2017
  • Teachers College’s Provost’s Grant for Professional Development 2016
  • Research Fellow at Temple University, Center for Vietnamese, Culture & Society 2016
  • Artist-in-Residence at Mekong NYC 2016
  • Hadassah Sahr scholarship for pianists in music education 2015
  • Teachers College 125th Anniversary Scholarship 2014 – 2015
  • Keppel Music Scholarship: Full Scholarship to Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore 2003 – 2007
  • Theory Student of the Year, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore 2004
  • Full Scholarship to Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music, Vietnam  1992 – 2003
  • Consolation Prize – First Young Talent Piano Competition 1996
  • Young Talent Award – Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture and Information 1994
  • First Prize for Piano Solo – Vietnam’s National Music Festival 1994
  • First Prize - Junior Piano Festival, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 1992
 

PIANO PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCE

Producing Music Videos with multiple camera angles: one-person production
Recitals:
  • Interactive Children's Concert (for Preschool-Age Students), Teachers College, Columbia University 5/2015
  • Interactive Children's Concert (for Elementary-Age Students), Teachers College, Columbia University 5/2015
  • Senior Recital, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore 4/2007
  • Piano Recital, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 3/2007
  • Junior Recital, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore 3/2006
 
Solo Performances:
  • Primarily Piano: A Solo Piano Showcase, Victoria Concert Hall, Singapore
    — Carl Vine: Five Bagatelles (1994)
10/2005
  • Primarily Piano: A Solo Piano Showcase, Victoria Concert Hall, Singapore
    — Franz Joseph Haydn: Sonata in E flat Major, Hob. XV I:49
11/2004
  • Thursday Noon Recital, University Cultural Centre, National University of Singapore
    — Frédéric Chopin: Nocturne No. 14 in F sharp Minor, Op. 48
4/2004
  • Primarily Piano: Inaugural Concert, University Cultural Centre, National University of Singapore
    — Béla Bartók: Fourteen Bagatelles, Op. 6
11/2003
 
Ensemble Performances:
  • Five-Theme Chant & Lý Con Sáo three regional "Songs of the Starling," Mekong 5th Anniversary, Judson Memorial Church, NYC 3/2016
  • Camille Saint-Saëns: The Carnival of the Animals, for 2 Pianos and Chamber Ensemble, Singapore / Hanoi 9/2011 – 10/2011
  • Camille Saint-Saëns: Septet in E-flat major, Op. 65, for trumpet, piano, string quartet, and double bass, Singapore / Hanoi 9/2011 – 10/2011
  • Edward Gregson: The Sword and The Crown, Singapore 3/2007
  • Maurice Ravel: Rapsodie Espagnole for 2 Pianos, Singapore 12/2006
  • Halsey Stevens: Sonata for Trumpet and Piano, Singapore 9/2005
  • Domenico Dragonetti: Double Bass Concerto in G Major, D. 290, Singapore 3/2005
 
Festivals & Broadcasts:
  • Tunghai University Music Festival, Taiwan 7/2005
  • Vietnam’s National Music Festival 10/1994
  • Nationwide Piano Performance Series, Vietnam 8/1993
  • Television Broadcasts on Vietnam’s National Channels 1992 – 1996
  • Junior Piano Festival, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 3/1992
 

OTHER INSTRUMENT PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCE

Multi-media and multi-instruments
  • Soulful Vietnam Tourism Roadshow, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Washington D.C., USA 9/2018
  • Vietnam: Of Mythical Tales and Songs, Charles B. Wang Center, SUNY Stony Brook, New York, USA
    — a multi-media performance of Vietnamese folk music, mythical tales and poetry
    — with Ngô Thanh Nhàn
2/2018
  • 9th Annual Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration: One World, Many Cultures,
    SUNY Stony Brook Charles B. Wang Theater
5/2017
 
Drum Set
  • Musical Serenades, Milbank Chapel, New York City, USA
    — Sam Stept, Lew Brown, & Charles Tobias: Comes Love
5/2014
 
Vietnamese Monochord Đàn bầu
  • NYC Councilman Daniel Dromm's Lunar New Year Celebration, St. James Church, Elmhurst, NY 2/2019
  • NYC Councilman Daniel Dromm's Lunar New Year Celebration, St. James Church, Elmhurst, NY 2/2018
  • Mekong Lunar New Year 2017 Celebration, with Mekong Arts & Music Ensemble (MẮM), St. James Recreation Center, Bronx 2/2017
  • 37th Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Festival, Chinatown at Mott & Canal, NY 5/2016
  • Mekong 4th Anniversary. Assembly Hall of Judson Memorial Church, Thompson Street, NY 3/2016
  • NYC Councilman Daniel Dromm's Lunar New Year Celebration, St. James Church, Elmhurst, NY 2/2016
  • Mekong Lunar New Year 2016 Celebration, Gymnasium of St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church, Bronx 2/2016
  • Mekong Youth Community Event, Fordham Bedford Garden, 2751 Grand Concourse, Bronx 8/2015
  • 6th Annual Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration, Suffolk County Asian American Advisory Board 5/2014
  • New York City's Multicultural Festival − Celebrate Diversity, Celebrate You, 5th Anniversary, NY African Chorus Ensemble Inc. 5/2014
 
Vietnamese Moon-shaped Lute Đàn nguyệt
  • 38th Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Festival, Chinatown at Mott & Canal, New York 5/2017
  • 7th Annual Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration, Suffolk County Asian American Advisory Board, NY 5/2015
  • Cambodian New Year Celebration, Mekong NYC, New York 4/2015