Ethan Nguyen
OWNER & INSTRUCTOR
Ethan Nguyen is a pianist and educator based in Palm Beach County, FL. As a teacher, he values curiosity, patience, determination, and, above all, discovering the joy in music making. He empowers his students to think independently and uses an adaptable approach to prepare them for wherever their musical journey may lead. Ethan holds a Bachelor of Music in piano performance and a Master of Music in jazz studies. In addition, he is a member of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) and the Piano Technicians Guild (PTG).
Five years old during one of my first lessons
I started playing the piano like a lot of kids: against my will. As per tradition, my mom signed my older brothers and me up for lessons as soon as we each turned five. Things quickly changed when our teacher retired and sent us to study with jazz pianist Irwin Solomon. While I was learning the basics, I would sit in on my brother’s lessons and hear rich, colorful jazz harmonies that sounded nothing like the music in my books. I didn’t realize it then, but those sounds stuck with me.
As a preteen, motivation was harder to come by. I practiced less, Mr. Solomon repeated himself more, and eventually I showed up to a lesson having not touched the piano in over a month. That was when he called my mom to pick me up before our lesson even started and told her not to bring me back. “Maybe this isn’t for him. Don’t mention anything about piano, and we’ll see what he does after a few months.”
Senior year Dreyfoos high school jazz band concert
At first, it was incredible—no pressure, no guilt, no metronome. But after a while, something felt like it was missing, and I found my way back to a piano bench. Once I stopped seeing music as a weekly chore, I discovered just how much fun it could be. Practicing for a few minutes easily turned into hours, and the progress I heard kept me coming back. When I finally returned to lessons, Mr. Solomon was shocked. I was shocked. The piano was shocked.
That renewed spark for music carried into high school, where I attended Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, FL, as a piano major. For the first time, I was surrounded by people my age who were just as passionate about music, which motivated me even further. I became immersed in everything from solo piano to big band, splitting my time between classical and jazz.
University of Florida junior recital
When college rolled around, I decided to follow in my brother’s footsteps and apply for mechanical engineering at the University of Florida. But after accidentally missing a submission deadline, I auditioned as a double major in piano performance in hopes of improving my odds. It paid off, and I spent the next three years balancing engineering, classical piano, and jazz band before realizing music had completely taken over. I dropped engineering, won UF’s highest music award, and finally took a leap I’d been considering for years: applying to the University of North Texas’s world-renowned jazz program.
University of North Texas masters recital
At UNT, I studied with Dave Meder and had the opportunity to share the stage with artists like Miguel Zenón, Andre Hayward, Mark Walker, Lynn Seaton, and Quincy Davis. I also performed at venues including the Midwest Clinic, Jazz Showcase, Parker Jazz Club, JEN Conference, and TMEA Convention. The experience was challenging, to say the least, but it grew me in more ways than I ever thought possible. I owe much of that to the faculty, my peers, and the musical foundation Mr. Solomon gave me all those years ago.
My longtime mentor Irwin Solomon
Post-graduation, I began teaching and performing full time and quickly discovered a strong passion for education. Soon after, I moved back to Florida to be closer to family, built my own teaching studio, and am currently training in piano tuning and repair—an unexpected, full-circle return to my problem-solving engineering side. Today, I teach, service pianos, perform, and still visit Mr. Solomon, who has remained a mentor throughout my life. My goal now is to meet my students where they are, guide them through their own musical paths, and help them find a lasting love for the piano.