Ａ　Ｄｅｖｏｔｅｄ　Ｍｕｓｉｃ　Ｅｄｕｃａｔｏｒ.docVIP

Ａ　Ｄｅｖｏｔｅｄ　Ｍｕｓｉｃ　Ｅｄｕｃａｔｏｒ 　　 　　While famous concert pianists gain widespread recognition and public accolades, equally talented musicians who dedicate their lives to music education often remain largely unknown outside a small circle of students. Zhang Jin is one such educator. Since graduating from China’s Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM) in 1987 with a piano major, Zhang has been engaged in music education work at the affiliated secondary school of CCOM. He is presently head of piano teaching and research. 　　Many of Zhang’s students have been admitted to noted overseas music institutions like the Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music in the U.S., and the Liszt School of Music in Germany. His favorite pupils, Hu Bo and Jin Wenbin, are studying with full scholarships at the Juilliard School and Yale University respectively. World-renowned pianist Lang Lang is also among Zhang’s former pupils. Among his current students, 17-year-old Wang Chun won first place in the Villa-Lobos International Piano Competition and fifth place in the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition, while 14-year-old Huang Nansong is the champion of the Seiler International Piano Competition. 　　 　　China Today: Mr. Zhang, could you briefly tell us how you settled on music as a career? 　　Zhang Jin: I was born in Qingdao, Shandong Province. As my mother, Sui Wenju, is a piano teacher, I started to learn piano when I was five. She taught me fingering and scales even when she was doing the housework. As you know, starting to learn the piano is very dull, and I felt rather bored in the initial stages. Luckily, I was a well-behaved boy who heeded my parents’ will, so I kept practicing. Thanks to the various black gramophone records in my home, I got the chance to enjoy plenty of top-ranking classical music. Moreover, my mother sometimes invited her students and friends to play small concerts in our home. Admiring their splendid playing, I made up my mind to practice diligently.