Brenda Chien
Collaborative Pianist
Brenda Chien was born in Raleigh, North Carolina to her Taiwanese immigrant parents. She then moved to San Diego, California, where she was raised until moving on to college. She studied piano with Rinna Livshin in her youth and with Roberto Plano at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Piano Music Education. Brenda has played piano for Indiana University’s Wind Ensemble and was featured as a soloist in Indiana University’s Symphonic Band. She has won several regional Bach competitions in California and placed top in the Music Teachers Association of California (MTAC) Panel Competition in 2014.
Brenda’s decision to become a music educator was due to her experiences in middle school band class. She not only had fun through group music making, but she also learned many skills specific to music making that would apply benefit her in real world situations, like listening to others, working towards a goal as a group, and working through making mistakes. With these impressions left on her, she was inspired to have a hand in fostering these skills for students to use in their futures. Now, Brenda is the music teacher at Plainfield Elementary School teaching K-8 General Music, Chorus and Band.
