Subjects
Alain Chiu — Composer, Sound Artist & Music Educator | IB Music · Composition & Portfolio Prep · Music Theory to Diploma · Music Technology
I'm a Hong Kong–based composer and sound artist working at the junction of contemporary music, multimedia, and sound art, and the author of Sound Brood: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Sound and Music (2018). I hold a BM in Composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where I studied with Conrad Susa and David Garner, with further study at the European American Musical Alliance in Paris. I teach at HKAPA and HKICC, and have taught at PolyU and guest-lectured at CUHK.I teach across the IB Music framework, composition, music theory, and music technology — bringing a practising artist's command of how music is actually made to the demands of current syllabi and assessment. Whether a student is preparing for an exam, building a first portfolio, or applying to a conservatory abroad, the work is the same: helping them make real musical choices and understand why they work.
My approach is to teach for understanding, not imitation. Students learn to work from concepts rather than formulas — to deepen how they hear and think, and to create work that is genuinely their own. This also happens to be what current assessment rewards: examiners credit the student who can explain and justify their choices over the one who merely reproduces a model. Understanding and marks pull in the same direction.
As a working composer my music and installations have been presented at the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the San Francisco International Arts Festival, the WKCDA Freespace Happening, and the Cannes Film Festival, with commissions from the Arts Promotion Office, the West Kowloon Cultural District, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble, and Sotheby's Hong Kong. Recent works include with/drawing rooms (2024, Kwai Tsing Theatre) and Truth Within Earshot? (2021). I am Artistic Director of the experimental collective Trilateral Lab. This is the background I bring into teaching — especially for students preparing university and conservatory applications.
Lessons online and in person across Hong Kong. Limited new-student places; flexible scheduling. Portfolio and recordings: alainchiu.com
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- Website: d6eabd190f7ad7b594a2
- Email: b7eda3c8aeeee937fbea
- Phone: e8ba36858ac4
- Whatsapp: db578066d836
Class Types
Subjects
Description
Price
Music Composition & Portfolio Preparation
HK$1,000–1,300/hr (level-dependent)
Composition from first pieces through to diploma folios (LCM) and university/conservatory portfolio preparation. One-to-one guidance from a working composer with
an international performance and commission record — ideal for students applying to music programmes abroad.
Music Technology & Production
from HK$800/hr
DAW-based production, sound design, and electronic/digital composition — including A-level Music Technology and BTEC/vocational coursework. Build real production
skills alongside the theory that underpins them.
Music Theory & Diploma Theory (Grade 6–8 / AMusTCL
HK$600–800/hr
Upper-grade and diploma-level theory — harmony, counterpoint, analysis, and orchestration — through ABRSM Grade 8 and the Trinity AMusTCL/LMusTCL diplomas. A
specialist tier most tutors don't cover.
IB Music (DP, SL & HL)
from HK$800/hr
Full coverage of the current IB Music course (first assessment 2022) — Exploring music in context, Experimenting with music, Presenting music, and The Contemporary Music Maker (HL). Particular strength in creating and music-technology work. Taught by a practising composer who can show students not just what the syllabus asks, but how examiners read and reward strong creative work.
Piano
from HK$800/hr
One-to-one piano tuition for intermediate to advanced students — technique, repertoire, and musicianship development. ABRSM Grade 4 upward.
Music Theory (Grade 3–5 / ABRSM Grade 5 Gate)
HK$400–500/hr
Foundational and intermediate theory, including focused preparation for the ABRSM Grade 5 theory requirement every instrumentalist must clear to sit Grade 6+ practical exams. A clear path up to higher grades and beyond.
