Among the new businesses to open in the CWE recently is the Music Corner STL, which opened in September at 107 N. Newstead, just north of West Pine. Proprietor Stephanie Chang, a multi-talented musician who came to St. Louis for a job interview (which didn’t pan out), fell in love with “the beauty of this town” and, after seeing an ad for the space on Newstead, decided to move here from Raleigh N.C. She reveres the St. Louis Symphony–“one of the best,” and thought her business would be a good fit for the neighborhood.
Chang has since bought a house in Florissant with a yard large enough for her Hungarian Vizsla, Bela, named after composer Bela Bartok.
When I stopped in to visit, I was stunned to learn all of the instruments Chang has mastered, including piano, violin, viola, and cello. She also offers voice lessons and boys choir.
Lessons at Music Corner STL are available for ages 5 and up. Classes are 30, 45, or 60 minutes long, meet 4 times a month and cost $140, $210, and $280. Chang offers a 10% discount for siblings and other family members, seniors (55+), college/grad students, and boys choir participants. The cost for members of a string orchestra is $110 per month. A trial lesson is suggested to determine if this is a good fit before committing to monthly classes.
There are a couple of scenarios, Chang explained, such as those who want to return to the piano or violin after many years, or those who want to go as far as they can and become a music major, for instance. Either way, she will guide you on your way.
Stephanie Chang, above, who was born in South Korea, started piano lessons “with a very strict teacher” at age 5. In 2nd grade she started Suzuki violin with a “Mary Poppins-like” instructor whom she loved. When she was 9 years old, her father’s business took the family to Hong Kong, where she learned English. Two years later, when China took control of Hong Kong, they left for Miami.
After completing high school in Miami, Chang studied violin performance at the Eastman School of Music at the U. of Rochester. She knew of Ruggiero Ricci, the “Giant of the Violin,” and wanted to study under him. She was thrilled when he accepted her into the Boden Music Festival in Maine, where she played each summer while in school. After she completed her masters in violin performance at Yale University, she left for Salzburg, Austria to apprentice under Ricci for a year. “It was hard,” she said, “practice was 10 t0 12 hours a day.” Chang later performed at festivals in England and Hungary, and also studied at the University of Mozarteum, the birthplace of Mozart.
When she returned to the states, she moved to Southern California and became a music teacher in parochial schools, and taught the choir how to read and write liturgical music. In 2013, Chang started her Music Corner business in Danville, CA. The school grew to 60 students. Six years later, when the pandemic hit, she closed the school and moved to Raleigh, NC, where she gave lessons at home, played with the symphony orchestra, and taught music in a charter school.
She said that her parents frequently asked why she was practicing so hard, and why not become a doctor or a lawyer instead? “This is what a musician’s life is. I only want to do this. I live for my art, and that takes a lifetime of dedication. Life is short, you have to do what you love.”
Music Corner STL, 107 N. Newstead, (557) 215-0125. Open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. by appointment. For more information, and a complete list of what is offered (much more than I’ve mentioned), check the website.