Our Practice Coaches
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What is a Practice Coach?
Your practice coach is there to guide and encourage your child during practice much like their regular teacher but will do so by closely following the assignments given by their regular instructor. This practice session can be once or several times per week. Coaching sessions are currently held in-studio at both of our locations. A practice coach is a “Teacher’s Assistant” who has recently completed or is in the final stages of completing either a B.Mus, A.R.C.T. or equivalent and is accumulating hands-on teaching experience under the direction of a more experienced teacher.

Why should I hire a practice coach for my child?
Parents are sometimes frustrated by a lack of progress due to their own limited knowledge of music for at-home coaching, or due to a lack of time to consistently assist their child in practice. If this describes you, please consider this valuable resource and try it out now.
Alia Xu
Practice Coach
Alia has acquired both the Elementary and Intermediate RCM Teaching Certificates along with the ARCT and Licentiate Diplomas in Piano Performance. She is an IB Diploma Candidate whose extracurricular activities include jazz band and theatre. Alia is fluent in Mandarin and English.
Terry Guo
Practice Coach
In 2021, Terry graduated from Schulich School of Music, McGill University, where he studies with Professor Sara Laimon. He was also a recipient of the Bruneau Prize, and the Student Excellence Award. In addition to his piano activities, Terry shows his passion in music theory. During his music studies at McGill University, he received outstanding achievements in all of his theory courses.
As an active and inspiring performer, Terry has appeared in many different concert halls in China, North America and Europe. In February 2019, he was giving a solo piano performance at the Theater Maisonneuve at Places-des-Arts, Montreal. As a collaborative pianist, Terry had participated to many summer music festivals in the United States and Germany. He enjoys playing chamber music and art song. Some of the influential music coaches and masterclass teachers include Kyoko Hashimoto, Ronan O’Hara, Matt Haimovitz, and others.
Hamilton Lau
Practice Coach
He received the British Columbia Registered Music Teacher’s Association Excellence Award in 2015, and in 2016, he obtained the Associate Diploma of the Royal Conservatory of Music (ARCT), Piano Performance. From 2016 to 2020, he was enrolled in the Young Artist Collegiate Program at the Vancouver Academy of Music, where he studied piano, theory, history, and composition.
Have Questions? Want to book a Practice Coach?
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“The instructors at Showcase Academy are not only kind and passionate, but also extremely experienced in their respective fields. This is definitely the place to go no matter private or group lessons. The school is clean, run well and offers free trial lessons to anyone who needs convincing.” –LB (5-Star Google Review)