The Heart of Play the Art
Guiding children understand music naturally, build strong foundations, and express their own ideas through music—developing focus, creativity, confidence, and lifelong skills that extend far beyond the piano.
Meet the Founder & Director
Maggie (Meiti) Mao is a classical pianist, composer, vocalist, and educator with extensive teaching and performance experience since 2013. Her work focuses on helping children develop not only strong musical skills, but also focus, discipline, creativity, and confidence through thoughtful and structured musical training.
She developed the Color-Based Method™, an original learning system developed through years of professional training and close observation of how children naturally think and learn. The method connects color, emotion, and musical understanding, making music theory and musical structure clear and accessible at an early age. Under professional guidance, students learn not only to play music, but also to compose and express their own musical ideas, transforming learning from memorization into meaningful expression while building strong technical and theoretical foundations.
Maggie’s teaching emphasizes efficient learning, problem-solving, and long-term artistic development. By breaking complex challenges into manageable steps, she helps young students achieve significant progress while developing patience, logical thinking, and intrinsic motivation that extends beyond music.
She earned her Master of Music in Piano Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music on a full scholarship and is currently pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance at the University of Miami Frost School of Music under the guidance of internationally renowned pianist Kevin Kenner. Her performance experience includes solo recitals, chamber music, and concerto performances across Asia, Europe, and the United States, with top honors in multiple international piano competitions.
As both a composer and vocalist, Maggie integrates composition, improvisation, and creative expression into her teaching, empowering students to discover their own musical voice and develop a lifelong relationship with music.
Natural Learning, Not Forced Memorization
Children learn music in a way that matches how they naturally think and understand. By connecting color, emotion, and sound, complex musical concepts become clear and intuitive, allowing students to build strong foundations without unnecessary frustration.
Creation From the Beginning
Students are guided not only to play music, but to create it. Through composition and improvisation, children learn to express their own ideas, developing creativity, confidence, and a deeper understanding of music from an early stage.
Structured Thinking & Efficient Progress
Learning is carefully structured to break complex challenges into manageable steps. Students develop focus, problem-solving skills, patience, and efficient practice habits that support steady long-term progress and development.
Skills That Extend Beyond Music
Music becomes a training ground for life skills. Through the learning process, students build resilience, discipline, emotional intelligence, and confidence—qualities that remain with them long after music lessons end.
Our Mission
At Play the Art Music Academy, our mission is to guide children to experience music as both discipline and self-expression. By helping children learn in ways that match how they naturally think and feel, we nurture not only musical ability, but also focus, resilience, creativity, and confidence that extend far beyond music. Music learning with us is only one chapter in a child’s life, but we hope it is a meaningful one that shapes how they think, create, and face challenges throughout their lives.
Vision
At Play the Art Music Academy, we believe music isn’t just about mastering chords or perfecting scales. It’s about discovering who you are, expressing yourself, and building lifelong skills like - handling frustration, tackling challenges, & developing patience, motivation & focus! For us, music is a lifelong friend - A companion that would help you grow, shine, and connect with the world around you.
Imagine each class as a treasure hunt where the goal isn’t just to learn but to uncover your unique potential. Imagine each student climbing a musical ladder to reach to the top and fly - Sing like a free bird. Music is the tool, but its outcome is just so much bigger. We aim at building confidence, patience, focus, motivation, spark creativity, and forge connections that will last a lifetime.
Our Logo
Our logo is a Story, a Statement and a reflection of who we are! Our logo captures Freedom through Music. The parrot symbolizes curiosity, adventure, and the boundless joy that comes from exploring new horizons. Parrots are vibrant birds, full of life, and a little bit mischievous - Just like the spirit we aim to nurture in every child who joins us.
The kite shaped like a musical note symbolizes New heights, breaking through barriers, and embracing the freedom that music brings. It’s a reminder that music isn’t just about playing notes - It’s about dreaming big, exploring possibilities, and reaching for the sky. Together, the parrot and the kite embody the core belief at Play the Art. 🎵