M.INT ACADEMY | TATLER FOCUS
We sat down with the founders
of M.int Academy to find out
why their music school is
exactly what this city needsA Fresh Take
H
ong Kong sisters Andrea and Philippa
Wong have set their sights on providing
premium music education with their
new academy, M.int. While M.int is short
for Music International, the name also alludes to the
characteristics of the mint leaf. “The connotation
of freshness really resonated with us, as we bring
something new to the music scene in Hong Kong,”
says Andrea. The academy is the first of its kind in
terms of its overall ideals, with an aim that’s clear
and simple: to treat each student as an individual
while providing them with the highest quality music
education available.
Brought up in a very musical household, the sisters
have always had a passion for music. Opening the
academy was a natural step in their careers. Both are
musicians in their own right, with Andrea playing the
piano and flute and Philippa, a music major, playing
the piano, violin, and oboe. Having both gone to
boarding school abroad, they noticed a difference
between the music education they received overseas
compared to their exposure to it in Hong Kong. “It
was more than just ourselves and going to lessons, itwas about producing music as a group,” says Andrea.
This was a stark contrast to their experiences in Hong
Kong which were “very much siloed.”
M.int Academy strives to bridge this gap. Set up
on the 19th floor of Casey Aberdeen House in Wong
Chuk Hang, the academy boasts 6,600 square feet
of bright, tastefully decorated space filled with all the
tools necessary for any music student to succeed.
The school offers private classes for piano, violin,
trumpet and other wind instruments, as well as various
ancillaries such as developing skills in scales and sight
reading. Group classes are designed for teaching
music theory, and there will be introductory singing
lessons for younger children. On a more scholastic
side, M.int provides GCSE and A-level music classes
for individuals who want to pursue music on an
academic level. To top that off, the instructors for
this academy are nothing short of the best. With an
international roster recruited from prestigious music
conservatories like The Juilliard School, Yale School
of Music and Royal Academy of Music, M.int ensures
that its teachers are experienced and well credited in
the international music scene.
The sisters want to emphasise that the academy
is open to anybody of any age or level with the desire
to pursue their passion for music. “Everything is
customisable,” says Andrea. Regardless of whether
you’re a beginner or an experienced musician
looking to try something new, M.int Academy has a
plan for you. QFor more information, visit:
mintacademyhk.comTUNED IN
Sisters Philippa (left) and Andrea
(right) Wong are the musical
geniuses behind M.int Academy