Project Description
She is a certified “Specialist in Advanced Piano & Theory Designations” by RCM and currently works as the Centre Representative for RCM Examinations for Richmond South. Since 2008, Shantha has been residing in Vancouver, preparing students for RCM, ABRSM and BCCM examinations and music festivals. Her students have excelled in their exams scoring Distinction and Honours level results. Shantha regularly participates in professional development seminars, workshops and training sessions to sharpen her knowledge and stay up to date.
Shantha Gunasekera is a Sri Lankan born Canadian based in Vancouver. Her father was the first Esraj player at radio Ceylon and her mother was a pianist. Shantha Started learning music at the age of 6. She excelled through graded exams of the Trinity College of Music and won a full scholarship to study Music in St Petersburg, Russia where she completed her MMusic, Major in Piano and MphilMus in Piano Pedagogy.
Upon completion of her Postgraduate Studies, she moved to Bangladesh where she worked tirelessly to promote Western music in her home piano and theory studio. Her dedication to her profession made her the first Founder Country-Representative for ABRSM Examinations in Bangladesh, the largest Examinations Board Worldwide. She creatively coordinated visiting examiners, teachers and candidates. She taught large numbers of students that not only included native Bangladeshis but also children of expatriate communities which helped her accumulate years of diverse experience. Some of her students today are great musicians, singers and composers in Dhaka and around the world.
Shantha has worked as a classroom Music Teacher and conducted two school choirs at St Xavier International School for two decades. She has given solo recitals at Goethe Institute and various venues in Dhaka and BTV, organized Dhaka Music & Art Festival, and accompanied world renown musicians, including Opera singer Monica Yunus.
Since 2008, Shantha has been residing in Vancouver, preparing students for RCM, ABRSM and BCCM examinations and music festivals. Her students have excelled in their exams scoring Distinction and Honours level results. Shantha regularly participates in professional development seminars, workshops and training sessions to sharpen her knowledge and stay up to date. She is a certified “Specialist in Advanced Piano & Theory Designations” by RCM and currently works as the Centre Representative for RCM Examinations for Richmond South.
As a music educator, Shantha strives to inspire her students and provide well prepared, quality instructions to help them realize their own potential and abilities. She has a patient, individual needs-based approach and makes learning more motivating. Her attitude is professional and caring.
She holds solid interpersonal and communication skills with a dynamic sense of humour which always puts people at ease and creates a fun atmosphere. She is dedicated to instill love of learning in children and her goal is to teach everyone “The Art of Teaching Thyself”.
I have been a piano student under Shantha Gunasekera for the past ten years, and she has guided me from a near total beginner through to an intermediate level pianist, where I continue to progress. Being older, I have been known to be at times a somewhat difficult student, by frequently asking questions that don’t have simple answers. But thanks to her extraordinary education, Shantha is able to answer all my queries in a way I can understand, often giving explanations from alternate viewpoints.
She has proven to be flexible in tailoring her curriculum to my own individual needs. At the start of my studies with her, we began with a thorough grounding in basic techniques in the well known works of Hanon and Czerny. Then she began guiding me through the RCM curriculum at level 6. When she found I had little patience for the theory aspect of RCM, we set it aside and are now moving forward in a more individualized fashion, based on my own taste. This is how we have discovered my preference for the compositions of Dmitry Kabalevsky.
Shantha’s excepionally broad training and experience makes her an ideal teacher for piano students of every kind, whether young or mature, beginner or expert, even those with challenges. Her style is challenging but cheerful and positive as she encourages her me to not only learn the techniques, but how to analyze the music and learn how to teach myself. I look forward to several more years under her tutelage, knowing that my own musical ability will never exceed her ability to teach.
Shantha has been my twelve-year-old son’s piano educator for two years now.
We originally chose Shantha due to her extensive credentials such as a PHD in ethno-musicology from Russia, other degrees and being a Royal Conservatory of Music Advanced specialist and adjudicator for this and other music programs.
She has led my son, Vincent, to achieve very high exam results of First-class honours with distinction in Level 8 and 9 RCM practical piano and theory.
Shantha is meticulous in teaching all the finer points for reaching a virtuoso performance. Very caring and dedicated, regimented with details and a good sense of humour.I am very happy with Shantha and plan to have her help Vincent to progress further.
I have been learning piano with Shantha since august 2021. As I did some piano while I was in elementary school, Shantha helped me review the basics, and adjust the content based on my goal and levels using the pieces and songs as well as the etudes from Hanon and Czerny. Music theory is introduced along with the pieces to supplement my music knowledge.
Last year I moved to Switzerland for a Master’s studies in physics. Even though the university is already challenging, I still choose to learn piano with Shantha via online classes because I already make steady progress. As I am learning harder pieces, Shantha always supports me and guides me through the pieces patiently, explaining the fingerings and harmonies to make the piece not as intimidating as it looks. She not only combines techniques and music analysis in the lesson, but also encourages me to develop analyzing skills and make connections outside of music. Her encouragement helps me build my confidence in piano, and leaves positive impacts on my physics studies as well.
I will keep taking lessons from Shantha, and continue my music adventures with her.
