Teacher Profile: Sophie Chien

About Sophie Chien

Sophie Chien is a harpist and pianist who recently graduated from the University of North Texas with a Bachelor of Music in Performance. She began piano at age eight and added harp at twelve, inspired by her older sister, who had started lessons two years earlier.

Sophie is an active member of the Houston Harp Society, where she has competed in the Mildred Milligan Competition and attended master classes. She also volunteers as a performer, playing harp at medical facilities, especially during the holiday season, to bring music and joy to patients. As a former member of the UNT HarpBeats, she wrote original arrangements for the ensemble, primarily for harp quartet, which the group performed at its spring recitals. During her time at UNT, she performed in a variety of ensembles and gave solo recitals, and she has also performed with many professional and student bands and orchestras.

Sophie has taught music to children from 18 months to 12 years old, both in classrooms and in a private studio. Her classroom piano lessons, with groups of 8 to 15 elementary students, focus on musical games and ensemble playing. Her private lessons focus on individualized theory and technique. She draws on piano method books such as Faber and Schaum. Sophie encourages her students to pursue their goals and to go further by being creative in their musical journeys, and she hopes to inspire them to share her passion for music.