Go here to read Christine's full bio. 

Our Story

Hi, I’m Christine.

I’ve been a music educator since 1989, but music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. One of my earliest and most vivid memories is hearing Handel’s Messiah for the first time when I was three years old. I still remember sitting there, completely captivated by the richness of the harmonies, a simple piano accompaniment supporting the power of a hundred voices. I sang along then, and in many ways, I’ve never stopped making and sharing music since.

New Mozart began as a private teaching studio, originally called Christine Eunmi Shin Piano Studio. As a daughter of immigrants building a life from the ground up, I began teaching while still in college, traveling throughout the Bay Area, from South San Jose to Berkeley, to students’ homes. Those early days as a traveling teacher helped pay for my tuition, but more importantly, they quietly shaped me as an educator. Even then, though I didn’t fully realize it at the time, the desire to become a better, more thoughtful teacher was taking root.

After graduating from college, I officially established my private studio in my living room, where I continued teaching and building my students one family at a time. In March of 2004, we moved into our first space on University Avenue, on the second floor above Pizza My Heart, bringing my two grand pianos out of my living room and into our new studio. It was there that we became New Mozart School of Music. That moment marked an important turning point, not just a change in name, but a clearer vision of the kind of music school I wanted to build.

What began as a personal dream of sharing the joy of music with the Peninsula community has grown into a shared mission carried by nearly forty dedicated teachers and hundreds of students. I feel incredibly grateful that New Mozart has played a role in the lives of thousands of children, teens, and adults over the years.

Now in our 21st year serving the Palo Alto community, we continue to welcome musicians of all backgrounds and stages of life. Our youngest students are just three years old, and our oldest are in their seventies. Students come to New Mozart to explore classical, popular, jazz, and rock music, and everything in between. This is exactly the kind of place I always hoped to create: a community where beginners and advanced musicians alike can learn, create, and be inspired by the poetry of music.

As you explore our website and social media, you’ll find photos and videos of our students and faculty performing in recitals and events, as well as information about the programs that make New Mozart special. I hope what you see gives you a sense of the care, joy, and dedication that shape everything we do here.

Thank you for visiting, and I look forward to meeting you in person.

Warmly,

Christine Shin

Founder / Director