Meet the Piano Teachers

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President - Spotlight Arts and Culture Foundation 

Director and Teacher -  Spotlight Piano School

Kawai Medallion Educator  

Rice University DMA 

Indiana University MM 

Oberlin Conservatory BM

Dr. Zhang has more than 25 years of teaching, and two decades of performance experiences.  The culmination of her unique background led her to become one of the most sought after piano teachers in Houston, TX.  Dr. Zhang is highly skilled in teaching piano students of all ages, many of her students are award winners on local, national, and international stages.  In 2023, she has been awarded Top Piano Teachers by Steinway & Sons. Prior to founding the Spotlight Piano School in 2009, She has been on the faculty of the Alvin Community College, Michael P. Hammond Preparatory Program of the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.  She also served as teaching assistant at Oberlin Conservatory and at Indiana University.  Inspired by her participations with full scholarships in many of the world's most prestigious Summer Music Festivals, such as Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, Summer Piano Festival SUNY New Paltz, and the Las Vegas International Summer Music Festival, Dr. Zhang founded the Spotlight Arts and Culture Foundation to help young musicians to become better performers, and to organize outreach music events to build strong connections between performers and their audiences. She also volunteers to help other music organizations such as Mika Hasler Competition year after year.  Her most recent project is working as the co-producer for “Heart Moved by Piano” and Southern “Chopin” International Piano Competition, It is a cultural exchange program between students of China and the U.S.A..    

Piano Instructor 

Kayla Henderson began studying piano at age six, first in Korea and continued later after emigrating to the United States. While studying under Dr. Rachel Park, an associate professor at Jacksonville State University, Kayla placed second at FWMTA Piano solo contest in Fort Worth, Texas, and began pursuing a career as a pianist. Kayla later received a bachelor's degree in piano performance from the University of Houston, under the tutelage of Timothy Hester and Dr. Tali Morgulis. With over ten years of teaching, Kayla has extensive experience accompanying recitals and competitions, including UIL, Solo, and Ensemble. Kayla primarily performs for charity organizations, churches and refugee centers, places where people may not usually be able to afford or attend piano performances. She hopes to provide young students instruction on how to work and play piano as a means of self-expression and enjoyment, sharing in the beauty of music.

Piano Teacher

Ko-Ching Tai began piano studies at the age of five in her native Taiwan and has since developed a reputation for commanding performances and exceptional technical control. Described as a “lioness of the piano” following her United States concerto debut with Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26, she is recognized for her great power at the keyboard and her precision in even the most demanding repertoire. A first-prize winner of both the Tsinghua University Concerto Competition and the University of Northern Colorado Concerto Competition, Ms. Tai has appeared as soloist in performances of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 and Franz Liszt’s Totentanz for Piano and Orchestra. She has performed under the batons of conductors including Andrés Felipe Jaime, Ching-Po Chiang, and Wesley Broadnax. In addition to her concerto appearances, Ms. Tai has held positions as Principal Keyboard in Symphony Orchestras and Symphonic Wind Ensembles. She is an active chamber musician and collaborative pianist, frequently performing with winds, strings, and voice for degree recitals at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Her repertoire spans from the English Virginalists and French Clavecin composers of the 16th and 17th centuries to the masterworks of Alkan, Bartók, Ginastera, Rachmaninoff, and Scriabin. Ms. Tai has participated in masterclasses with Alexander Kobrin, Dina Yoffe, Petar Klasan, Ilja Scheps, Boris Slutsky, and Alexei Volodin. She completed the Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Kaohsiung Normal University, where she also obtained a teaching certificate through its education program, and the Master of Music degree in Piano Performance from the University of Northern Colorado, where she held a Graduate Assistantship in the Piano Department. She is currently pursuing the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance at the University of Houston, where she is a Fellowship recipient and a Lietzow Award honoree. Her most influential teachers include Chun-Chieh Yen, Chao-Yin Chen, Joanna Ting, Lei Weng, Deborah Throgmorton, Timothy Hester, and Andrew Staupe.