We were lucky to catch up with Quynh Le recently and have shared our conversation below.
Quynh, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
Pursuing music professionally is the riskiest thing anyone can do, but add a new business on top of that, it’s almost career suicide. If I hadn’t taken those risks in my life, I would not be where I am today, a music educator, business owner, and pianist.
Deciding to risk a normal 9-5 job, to pursue a career as a pianist was not something I grew up knowing. I lived in a suburban bubble, where you follow a certain path and most kids don’t stray away from it. You become a Doctor, Lawyer or Dentist, and that was the normal path. Being an Asian American, pursuing music was not an option. I remember having conversations with my extended family, and they did not understand why I would take such a big risk. I was fortunate enough to have a strong support system, where they supported my talents and passion. My parents and siblings have always pushed me to pursue music and see where my talents as a pianist would take me.
To do something so risky was liberating, since I knew I had to work harder than everyone around me to pursue my passion and dreams. I did not have a plan b, I just dove in head first. I finished Conservatory, and set out to pursue my Doctorates in Piano Performance. I performed all over the world, but I later learned, my passion laid in teaching, and I knew I wanted to open a Music Academy.
Being a young minority female business owner has many obstacles and challenges as well. It’s extremely risky to be an entrepreneur, with no safety net. As young Asian female owners, we are constantly trying to prove our worth and gain respect from our customers and peers. When we first opened our business, Moonlight Music Academy, my sister and I had to work multiple jobs, not taking any income from the music school, to keep it afloat. It wasn’t easy, but it was our saving grace when the pandemic hit. The income we didn’t take saved our business when the Pandemic hit in 2020.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Like every other little asian kid, my parents enrolled me into my first music lesson at the age of 4. The first few lessons sparked a new fire in me. The foundation that was created for me at a young age, really cultivated what I was going to do in the future. The first piano lesson with my dear teacher, Ms. Anne Bader, led to winning competitions at the young age of 9, which led to more opportunities to attend the prestigious Colburn School of Music in DTLA before entering college. The connections and amazing teachers in my life helped me grow into the musician and teacher I am today. For college, I was able to attend the amazing music conservatory, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and study with the world renown teacher, Dr. Daniel Shapiro.
During my college years, I was able to travel and play around the world in France, Italy, Costa Rica, and many other countries. I saw classical music differently. As I traveled and learned from different teachers around the world, I knew I wanted to become a teacher. With all the knowledge that shaped me as a musician, I knew I needed to share what I learned. I later decided to obtain my Ph.D. at the Claremont Graduate University studying with Dr. Jenny Kim & Dr. Grace Fong. I am the musician and teacher I am today, with the support of everyone in my life.
The riskiest thing I could’ve done for myself was create my own Music Academy with my sister, Lam Le. I knew I wanted to teach, but in my own way and create a community of teachers that shared the same philosophy as me. My mission was to create a holistic positive environment for learning music but at a high technical level. Balancing the foundation of classical music, but making it fun for our students. We wanted them to have a deeper connection with music.
Moonlight Music Academy is a music school/business that my sister and I started together. It was our passion project and dream to build a school. We teach lessons for different types of instruments (Strings, Brass, Woodwinds, Piano, Voice, Beginner Keyboard Group Classes). Our school hires professional/conservatory-level musicians to provide tutelage to our students. We offer beginner and introductory group courses that help young students starting at the age of 3.5 to become more exposed to a music learning environment. We offer a variety of lessons to students at any age, from 3.5 to newly retired adults. Our school also offers instruments for rent and purchase for students’ band and orchestral needs.
What sets us apart is our background and passion for our students. We try our best to empathize and think as if we were the student or parent. We draw from our own past experiences and try to improve to create the best learning environment. Because we were so supported and had such an amazing relationship with our music teachers when we were younger, we wanted to create the same positive environment for other students. Moonlight fosters the community to love, to explore, and to play music at an artistic level. We believe that learning music should be an inspiring, supportive, and rewarding experience. By providing people with the tools for music creation, we want to support music making for many generations.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist, and teacher is sharing the music to an audience and students. Seeing the expression and emotions of people who’ve listened to my music is the most rewarding feeling. Behind each performance, I try to portray a story or message, so it’s rewarding to see anyone who comes to my performance and tries to connect with the music. As a teacher, seeing the connection that my students have with music and building their own artistry and creativity is the most rewarding part of my job. They may not all be musicians in the future, but I hope that they take away something artistically and meaningful in each lesson.
I know with some artists and creatives, they may see the $ as the rewarding aspect, but I would have to disagree. With the success of our business and music career, I have to pinpoint that I’ve focused more on the connection and relationship with my students and audience than the monetary reward. Of course in business you will need money to continue, but the connections we’ve built at Moonlight Music Academy have helped become a successful music school.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
I believe the number one thing that many people struggle to understand with my journey is WHY. Why did I take this risk, and why did I pursue music. The best answer is why not. Why not tap into different fields that many others have not tried. Why did I choose this path? I knew if I was passionate about music, I could make a career and create a successful business out of it. The passion in my art and teaching, gave me more confidence to take risks and big leaps.
What I hope others can take away from my own journey is that there will always be a community of people that will help you on your path, whether you take the creative route or not. Don’t be afraid to connect and network with others, because you never know who you’ll meet. Now as a business owner and teacher, I want to give back what I’ve learned, and create a network and community at Moonlight Music Academy.
Without the community that we created at Moonlight Music Academy; we would not have the success we had today. We have a community of amazing teachers, students, and parents that have supported us since the day we first opened. It’s not just a school but a community that supports each other. That community helped us connect with the surrounding schools in North Orange County, and those students in turn, came to our Moonlight for lessons. We are truly blessed for what has been fostered in the past 4 years, and our success has given us a 2nd location this past year.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.moonlightma.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moonlightmusicacademy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MoonlightMusicAcademy
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/moonlight-music-academy/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@moonlightmusic2274
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/moonlight-music-academy-brea
Image Credits
Tami Nguyen