“The experience of making music is like nothing else.”

 Marking her 12th year of teaching voice, piano, theory and choir in London, Julia Jeesoo Kim shares the philosophy that got her to where she is today.

Julia Jeesoo Kim is a Korean Canadian soprano, vocalist, pianist and music educator based in London. The 33-year-old musician was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. She began piano lessons at four and voice lessons at nine. She launched her teaching career in 2012 and offered private at-home lessons while balancing an undergraduate degree and a master’s degree in voice performance at Western University. Kim participated in the Opera Nuova vocal program in Edmonton and the Victoria Conservatory of Music vocal program, where she studied with widely acclaimed Canadian soprano Nancy Argenta. Kim now has over 50 students currently enrolled in voice and piano lessons at her home studio and has made a name for herself in the local London voice and piano community.

Located in north London, her studio, Julia’s Music Studio, has an elegant and simple set-up, with a grand piano seated next to wide windows. She speaks of her students, who range from ages six to 15, with enthusiasm, expressing that there are a lot of kids willing to learn music in London. “I’m very happy with the local music community here,” she says fondly. Her proudest achievement as a music educator is successfully organizing studio recitals, in June and December, since 2018. “Our recitals get better every year. Kids tend to open up and express themselves through music with interaction and trust,” she says.

Kim has been an active community member for over a decade, but her teaching journey was not without challenges. Before her and her family immigrated to London in 2010, she studied voice at Sunhwa Arts Middle and High School in Seoul, where she decided to pursue music as a career. She says she only slept about five hours a day. It was an environment that was always “work, work, work,” inadvertently preparing her to handle teaching while studying.  

For years, this meant teaching at student’s homes while simultaneously completing a full-time postsecondary education. She drew in her students from Kijiji, the London Korean Christian Church community and Plumb Pianos and Music School. At surface level, this sounds intensive for any full-time student. But Kim has a more enlightening perspective of this period of her life. “Vocal lessons became a space where I could really breathe and truly be myself. I enjoyed teaching during my studies,” she says. By the time she finished her master’s degree in 2018, she had 16 students, which she felt was enough demand for a music studio.

The only obstacle standing in the way of the path forward was herself, as she says her fear and anxiety was her biggest barrier. “I was nervous and afraid that if I asked students if they could come to my studio, they would say no and I’d lose them all,” she says. In the end, not one of them dropped their lessons

But when COVID-19 hit in 2020, she had to find a way to instruct virtually without reducing the quality of her lessons. “I can guide my students to the right keys on the piano, but online I needed to verbally instruct them, so it was more energy consuming,” she says. Her determination to give them a strong musical education in a remote setting is a testament to her dedication to her craft and her students’ musical development. For Kim, music is not just a learning process, but a way to express yourself. “The inspiration I give to my students, is that through music, we all grow,” she says.

When she began to reestablish a solid routine after the pandemic, one of her biggest career challenges emerged: motherhood.

Being a new mother to a one- year- old and a newborn, she wanted to spend as much time with them as possible. “I wanted to be a good mother. At the same time, my business is myself. I didn’t want to give up on being a music educator after having kids, so I had to figure out a way to do it,” she says.  

How do you balance the career you’ve worked so hard for with your new role as a mother without jeopardizing your business? Kim’s solution: offer “team teaching” and hire teachers to assist with student lessons. Kim says she currently takes part in the structural aspect, such as lesson plans and organizing studio recitals. Jumping back and forth between lesson rooms and her kids’ room, it is a challenge she describes as “a good one” because her students can experience two teaching perspectives.

One of the teachers working for her, Naomi Trishelle Rodrigo, was a former student of Kim’s. She describes Kim as someone who is dedicated to helping students excel in their music goals. “She’s really observant of her students and very purposeful with her teaching methods,” Rodrigo says. Kim taught Rodrigo in voice for two and a half years, having a big impact on her success in Western’s voice program. Rodrigo highlights that Kim’s business is helpful to all students who are looking to study music, providing a welcoming environment and a good experience.  

Yet Kim stresses that she could not have achieved this success without help. In a warm tone, she credits her motivation as an educator and business owner to her husband. “[My husband] always inspires me to challenge myself and grow my business,” she says.

In the future, Kim hopes to open a second studio in south London and introduce advanced classes and a stronger group lessons system. “I find that Londoners are very respectful and willing to support small businesses, so we’re going to stay in London for now,” she says. Looking forward, she hopes that the community will continue to support her studio, emphasizing the importance of local music education. Through her business and music philosophy, she intends to continue nurturing students’ musical growth and expression.