SIM Staff Teaching Experience
The Institute has over 450
students and 40 qualified and experienced teachers. Almost half of our teaching staff have
more than a decade of teaching experience:
SIM Staff Teaching Experience
This high level of experience and qualifications is reflected in the consistently excellent performance of SIM students in the ABRSM London examinations.
Curriculum Vitae of the Principal
Dr. Tan Tat Chin, J.S.M.
Honorary Degree of Doctor of Musical Arts
Summit University of Lousianna, USA.
Tan Tat-Chin received her early musical training in Kuala Lumpur where she obtained her Associated Board of The Royal School of Music Grade 8 Pianoforte performance Certificate. She later enrolled in the Teacher's Training College and graduated with high honors in 1954. Upon graduation, she served as a music instructor in numerous public schools in the Greater Klang Valley District. During her twenty-five years tenure as a public school music instructor, she also served as music director of numerous school's marching bands, choir groups and percussion ensembles. She was later appointed by the Selangor State Education Board as a committee member of its Music Department. Besides being actively involved in educational projects, she is also an accomplished vocal and choir accompanist, and have performed extensively in numerous music festivals and recitals.
In 1977, she succeeded as the principal of the prestigious Selangor Institute of Music (S.I.M.), and has remained in this position till today. Under her guidance and intense commitment in enhancing the music standard in Malaysia, S.I.M. has successfully started another branch and increased its student body by almost six fold to the remarkable figure of more than 450 currently. Her success in upgrading the level of musical knowledge has attracted students of various age groups ranging from newborns to sixty-five years old. In this connection, the teacher staff force has also more than quadruple to the present number of forty five teachers. In order to further uplift the level of music education, she has recruited numerous promising and enthusiastic from USA and Australia to join its expanding faculty body. Her constant stress on the quality of music education has contributed to an amazing and remarkable achievement by S.I.M. for over 2 decades where S.I.M. has achieved an astonishingly high passing rate of 98% to 100% in all aspects of The Associated Board of the Royal School of Music Examinations, an achievement that has been difficult for any other music schools in Malaysia to match. Today, S.I.M. offers one of the most comprehensive music course in the country. (Other highly commendable contribution to the music field include organizing numerous seminars/workshops on children music education specifically for Kindergarden Music Instructors throughout Malaysia). In 1994, she was the coordinator of highly successful 3-day S.I.M. National Music Camp held in Kuala Lumpur which was attended by almost two hundred music enthusiast from various part of Malaysia.
Regarded by many as a cultural promoter, she has sponsored and organized numerous concerts and recitals involving foreign artists from USA, Europe, England, China, Taiwan, Australia and Singapore. Some of these include the eminent double-bassist Gary Karr, the internationally acclaimed Central Beijing Philharmonic Orchestra which performed in the Putra World Trade Centre to a maximum capacity crowd of a total of five thousand audiences for two performances. Due to the overwhelming response by the public, an additional matinee show was also organized within twenty four hours.
In 1995, she founded the Akademi music S.I.M., a pioneer institution designed for high quality advanced and tertiary music training. The S.I.M. Academy of Music currently offers a twining program in music with the University of Western Australia. It is also perhaps the only organization today in the Asia-Pacific region to conduct a yearly Taubman Piano Symposium. As a founder of this new school, she has also designed a curriculum for intensive chamber music training, another first in Malaysia's music education history.
In additional to her active involvement in music projects, she is also very dedicated in social works. For thirteen years, she has been the President of the Kuen Cheng Girls High School Alumni Association and also serves on the Board of Directors of this prestigious high school. Currently she is the Vice President, Board of Directors of the school. She is also on the Board of Directors of the Selangor State Chinese Assembly Hall and The Federation of Chinese Assembly Halls in Malaysia for past 15 years. Regarded as one of Malaysia's foremost women activist, she also served as the president of the Women Section of the two above founder mentioned non-governmental organizations, and actively involved in numerous women's rights movements. For over a decade, she has been actively serving another non-governmental organization - the Malaysia Wai Tang Kong Association (a form of ancient Chinese exercise). She was the Kuala Lumpur Wai Tang Kong Association president for four years, and is also the president of the Malaysian Wai Tang Kong Association for about nine years. Under her leadership and her active promotion the association attracted over 20,000 enthusiastic people.
In 1994, she was conferred one of the highest title in the country, the honorable title "Johan Setia Mahkota" (JSM) by the tenth King of Malaysia, Yang DI Pertuan Agong Tuanku Ja'afar for her commitment, dedication and contribution in music, women's rights, and all aspects of social works.
Curriculum Vitae of the Vice-Principal
YEOH SHEAU IONG
Bachelor of Music Education
Majoring in Piano
The University of Western Australia (1992).
Studied piano with such eminent pedagogue like Brian Michell and Cathie Travers. Additional intensive studies with the renowned American pianist Barry Synder (Winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition).
First Prize Winner and recipient of The Waveney Wansbrough Memorial Prize in Duo Performance (1989). Participated in the 2 days Music Festival performances in York in 1990. Performed regularly as a pianist as well as University Chorale's member in The University of Australia lunch time concert. Actively involved in the music education program as a Music Specialist in Floreat Primary School, St. Hildas Primary and Secondary Schools of Western Australia. Instructor of Piano, Theory, and Aural up to Diploma level (LRSM, LTCL, ATCL) at the Selangor Institute on Music. S.I.M. Excellent Awards winner for outstanding teaching of 1997.
Appointed as Vice-principal of The Selangor Institute of Music in 1992. Co-founder of this institution's digital piano program for children and adults. Co-founder and coordinator of the twinning program in music between The Akademi Muzik S.I.M. and The University of Western Australia. Also appointed as Director of Admission and faculty-in-residence for this joint program.
Curriculum Vitae of the Director of Academic Affairs
YEOH SHEAU IN
Master and Bachelor of Music in Music Education
Majoring in Piano
The Eastman School of Music,
Unversity of Rochester, 1988, 1986
Studied piano with Robert Hopkins, Emily Vanderpool, Blair Cosman, Sheila Paige and Robert Durso. Also studied orchestration and choral arranging with prominent American composers, Christopher Rouse and Samuel Adler. Additional studies in harpsichord with the renowned American harpsichordist Arthur Haas, pipe organ with Cindy Martin, chamber music coaching with Martha Strongin Katz, and conducting with Donald Neuen (former Associate Conductor of The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra). Received LTCL Diploma in Performance from The Trinity College of Music (London) in 1985. Elected as a member of the American Music Honor Society: Pi Kappa Lambda in 1986. Participant of The Taubman Symposium in Philadelphia (1994).
Serve as student-teacher at The School of Art in Rochester, and the Community Education Division of The Eastman School of Music in 1985. Assistant of Eastman's early childhood Music Time program in 1985. Visiting instructor of Piano, Theory, Music History, Principles of Teaching and Aural Skills at Diploma levels (LRSM, LTCL, ATCL) at The Selangor Institute of Music since 1982. Founder of this institution's Early Childhood Music Program and a licensed Kindermusik Instructor for the Kindermusik of S.I.M. program. Taught actively throughout Northeast Ohio and the Western Pennsylvania Region in USA. Also conducted numerous Aural Training Workshops in both Malaysia and Singapore.
Author of the Aural Training Series, a set of supplementary aid (cassettes and sight singing book) for the ABRSM examinations. Performed actively as an accompanist with violist Mervyn Goh as The Arcadian Duo. Appointed by The Akademi Muzik S.I.M. as the Director of Acedemic Affairs and faculty-in-residence for the twinning program in music with The University of Western Australia. Currently, the manager of Early Childhood Development Program of the Selangor Institute of Music.