Joanie Lee
Bachelor of Music with Honours in Composition and
Performance Piano
Studying towards a Master of Music in Composition
Joanie’s love of music began when she was young and living in Hong Kong.
‘When I was young I learned to play the piano just for fun,’ she says. ‘Then when I came to New Zealand I went to Burnside High School which was when I became really interested in music.’
Besides the piano, Joanie has learned the oboe, violin, Balinese gamelan and harmonica, and she is currently learning the drums.
Joanie chose to study towards a Bachelor of Music because she wanted to study something she was interested in.
‘I feel really happy and enjoy what I’m doing,’ she says.
‘Every time I listen to a piece of music or play a piece of music I learn a lot from it. Then I go do some research on the composer and the music to learn more from it. Music is a part of my life.’
She hopes to pass her enjoyment of music on to others through her own performance and through teaching.
‘I plan to write more music so people get to know my music and can play it themselves. Hopefully people will enjoy listening to my music and will play it. I also want to play the piano to people so they can enjoy it too.’
Joanie’s honours degree took two years to complete because she majored in both composition and piano performance. Now she is focusing on composition in her master's degree.
She would like to stay in New Zealand and work after the completion of her study, but she may return to Hong Kong where there are many opportunities for work in music.