We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tai Shan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tai, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

When I was 7 years old, I started piano lessons. My teacher was a spindly, middle-aged man with wire-rim glasses named Kurt Whipple. One day, he pulled my dad aside and said, “If you really want her to practice, put the piano in a room where the door closes.”

That one suggestion changed the course of my life.

My dad moved the piano from the living room to the back bedroom. And just like that, I had a door—a door I could close to shut out the world and be alone with my thoughts. I could practice without feeling like anyone was listening.

You see, I love to perform. But I need hours and hours of practice where no one hears me—where I’ve given myself permission to mess up, to explore, to play.

Now, as a songwriting teacher with students all over the world, I make sure they get homework that invites that same freedom. Assignments that let them mess up. That let them play. That remind them they’re not performing—they’re discovering.

And funny enough, that same piano recently made the journey across the country to Nashville, where I live now. I play it every day in the home I bought with the money I made as a musician.

Tai, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Since I was five, I knew I wanted to be a singer-songwriter.
I followed a passion that led me through a composition degree at Cornish College of the Arts and eventually to Nashville, TN.

Twenty-three years ago, I started performing and touring. Now, with seven albums released and a thriving private teaching practice, I continue to teach, tour, and write professionally.

As an online teacher, I’m available from the comfort of your own home. I offer group Songwriting Intensives, Music Theory for Songwriters, and private one-on-one lessons in guitar, voice, songwriting, and ukulele.

People love learning from a real Nashville songwriter—someone active in the industry. As a teacher, I help my students discover their identity through music. I’m an award-winning music educator known for my personable, supportive approach. My students have performed on stages across the U.S., signed record label deals, released over twenty CDs, won Songwriter of the Year (IMTA), Best Song of the Year (John Lennon Songwriting Contest), and attended schools like Oberlin Conservatory, USC, and Berklee College of Music.

I’m proud of the fact that I’m not just a teacher—I’m constantly creating, writing, performing, and touring, all while maintaining my teaching schedule. Many of my students go on to study career development with me—learning how to book tours, record and release music, and avoid the common pitfalls of the industry.

This year, I’m honored to be a 2025 New Folk Finalist, a Rocky Mountain Songwriting Festival Finalist, and a John Cirillo Songwriting Scholarship winner. Working with an active artist means you have someone who’s been there to show you the ropes.

I teach everyone—from beginners learning to hold their first guitar and strum their first chords, to pros preparing to book their first tour.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I’m going to get very specific with resources—these are the items I keep in my gear bag every day.

Performance Gear Bag:
Gaff tape – You’ll use it for everything.

Harmony Singer 2 pedal – To beef up my live sound.

Deep cut octave drop box – Adds low end to fingerpicking songs.

Loquat syrup – Helps you sing when you’re sick or hoarse.

Wellness Herbal Resistance Liquid – Great on longer tours to help prevent getting sick.

Extra picks – Tortex are my favorite.

Extra strings – I use Martin Extended Play strings.

Merch – Shakers, vinyl, and a few CDs.

Songwriter Resources:
Songwriting Without Boundaries by Pat Pattison

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

Podcasts:

Song Exploder

Songwriter Connection

Songwriter Soup

A journal for writing

An iPad

And the last resource? Confidence.
I’ve achieved so much by working on my confidence and my willingness to take risks. It’s just as essential as any piece of gear or book on this list.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

There’s an epidemic going on—we call it doomscrolling.
It’s so easy to fall into, and studies have shown it robs us of our time and happiness.

But we can combat this cycle—with music.

Picking up a guitar, singing, writing a song, or learning a new instrument are all healthy ways to break out of the loop. There’s a moment in creativity where we lose track of time. We become time travelers—lost in the music.
That’s the magic, and it’s all around us.

As a teacher, I help my students create healthy goals that allow them to grow and rediscover the joy of being a beginner—playing in that sense of wonder that music brings.

My students get to learn their favorite songs while building the fundamentals they’ll need to grow into confident, capable musicians—whether they’re playing for joy or aiming to go pro.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://taishanmusic.com/ Teaching Website: https://taishanmusicschool.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taishanmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taishanmusic
• Twitter: @taishanmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@taishanmusic
• Soundcloud: [email protected]
• Other: https://maps.app.goo.gl/5JR9Bq4hm3LaxqMj8

  Bandcamp: https://fanlink.tv/vW8n

  Teaching Website: https://taishanmusicschool.com/

Image Credits

Daniel Shippey