Noreen Wenjen, NCTM (Nationally Certified Teacher of Music)

Noreen Wenjen, NCTM, is a internationally recognized piano teacher, author, and entrepreneur. In 2022, she received the Steinway Top Teacher Award, “Most Inspirational Music Teacher, Southern California” from Acquisitions International business awards and “2021 Local Businessperson of the Year” in Torrance by Alignable. Wenjen Piano Studios was voted Best Music Studio by the Daily Breeze/Beach Reporter newspapers. Noreen Wenjen, NCTM is the past president of the California Association of Professional Music Teachers (CAPMT), a leader in business and technology, and author of Two-Year Waitlist: An Entrepreneurial Guide for Music Teachers.

Service and Leadership

Noreen currently serves on the board of directors as MTNA SW Division Director and CAPMT VP of Membership. She served as  president of the California Association of Professional Music Teachers (CAPMT.org) from 2017-2019. In 2019, she served on the MTNA American Music Teacher (AMT) Editorial Committee, as MTNA Chair for certification in China, and served as Chair of the MTNA State Presidents Advisory Council. She was honored to be named as an MTNA Fellow from California in May 2020. Noreen is the past president of the California Association of Professional Music Teachers (CAPMT).  She also served on the MTNA AMT Editorial Committee for their national magazine American Music Teacher.  She served as the state Membership Secretary for CAPMT and as Piano Auditions/Ensemble Auditions Chair for CAPMT District 3 for almost 20 years.  Noreen has been a member of MTAC since 1998 and served as 1st Vice President for the Long Beach Branch for ten years and Community Outreach Chair for the South Bay Branch for four years. 

Author and Presenter for Music Studios, Music Technology and Entrepreneurship

Noreen is leader in music technology and small-business entrepreneurship. Noreen's marketing background working with Fortune 500 companies, Nissin Foods and Aquent, has helped her bring business savvy to her piano studio, www.wenjenpiano.com. Ms. Wenjen enjoys giving music business and technology keynotes for conferences and podcasts.

In 2020, as a response to teachers struggling due to the Covid-19 changes, Noreen has helped other music teachers survive and thrive with her Wenjenpiano YouTube channel and launching bestselling video online courses: The Entrepreneurial Crash Course for Music Teachers and How to Create A Studio Policy for Entrepreneurs. Noreen is the author of Two-Year Wait List: An Entrepreneurial Guide for Music Teachers (which hit #1 on Amazon for Music Instruction and Study, published by Audrey Press 2019).

Noreen's experience in marketing with Nissin Foods and MacTemps (now Aquent) has helped her bring her business savvy to her piano studio and www.wenjenpiano.com website. She has presented in national conferences and is published in international music teachers’ magazines, including Music Teacher’s National Association MTNA, California Association of Professional Music Teachers CAPMT, Music Teachers Association of California MTAC, Canadian Federation of Music Teachers Associations CFMTA, Illinois State Music Teachers Association ISMTA, and Minnesota Music Teachers Association.

She will give the MTNA Pedagogy Saturday keynote for the Young Professionals track entitled “Daily Rituals of the Modern Music Teacher “ on Saturday, March 25, 2023 at 8 am and and will present “The Madonna Relaunch: How to Embrace Every Age and Stage as an Entrepreneurial Music Teacher” on Sunday, March 26, 2023 at 10:30 am at the Nugget Hotel in Reno, Nv.

Piano Performance

Noreen has received top prizes from international piano competitions and is listed in Who's Who Among American Women and Who’s Who in the World.. Her teachers include Joanna Hodges, Nancy Rohr, Peter Yazbeck, Dr. Stewart Gordon, and Jim McCormick. Her teachers’ teachers can be traced back to Beethoven and Liszt!

Noreen Wenjen received a BM from UC Santa Barbara in Piano Performance, and an Artist Diploma in performance from the American College of Musicians. Noreen has received top prizes from international piano competition, including first place in the Krenék Competition from the Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition, 2ndplace in the Chopin and Schubert competitions.  Her album, Santa Barbara Flow, dropped on October 15, 2022 and is available on Spotify.

National and International Teaching Certifications

Noreen has been teaching for almost 30 years and has taught online lessons with students in 5 different states and 3 countries for over 10 years,

Noreen has received her permanent certification as a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music, is a Royal Conservatory Certified Teacher in piano and music theory.She received the 15-year MTNA National Teaching Certification in 2012 and Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) Teaching Certification in 2018.

She is privileged to have taught extraordinary students who are blind, deaf, gifted, profoundly gifted, dyslexic, and have ADHD. Her students receive top awards in competitions. Ms. Wenjen has served as an adjudicator for over 25 years for the Southern California Jr. Bach Festival, Southwestern Youth Music Festival, CAPMT and MTAC Certificate of Merit.

She is privileged to-have taught extraordinary students who are blind, deaf, gifted, gifted Profoundly, dyslexic, and-have ADHD. Her students-have received awards in piano competitions and she serves as an adjudicator the MTAC, SYMF, and SCJBF, among other events.

She received the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019 and is listed in Who's Who Among American Women and Who’s Who in the World.

Ms. Wenjen continues to help the music teaching profession by providing services for music teacher coaching and website design for professional music teachers and business consulting (planning and growth) for state and international music organizations.

She maintains a dual-Steinway piano studio in Torrance, CA and enjoys playing tennis, cooking spicy food, and surfing with her family.

International and Local Competition Honors

• 1st Place Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition, Krenek Competition

• 2nd Place Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition, Chopin Competition

• 2nd Place Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition, Schubert Competition

• 2nd Place Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition, Master Class Competition

• Honorable Mention Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition, Concerto Competition

• Honorable Mention Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition, Schumann Competition

• Southern California Jr. Bach Festival Regional Winner for multiple years

• SYMF winner for ten years including Open Solo and Junior Amateur Champion categories

• Pianist with Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in 1996

• Lecture Recitals with Salvador Brotons, Music Director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

• Washington Performing Arts Series Recital Winner

• Seattle Debut Tour Competition Finalist 1996

Presentations

See upcoming and past Two-Year Waitlist events

Ms. Wenjen has given presentations for the MTNA National Conference, MTAC Irvine Branch, MTAC Long Beach  Branch, MTAC South Bay Branch, and 2016 MTAC State Conference.

MTNA National Conference, Sunday, March 17, 2019 3:30pm–4:30pm in Room 402 ABC at the Spokane Convention Center

• The Business Minded-Music Teacher: Entrepreneurial and Technology Tips for your Music Studio

MTAC State Conference July 2016, Hilton Los Angeles Airport Hotel

• Zoom, Text, Tweet!  Interacting with Today's Music Students through Videos, Websites and Technology - How to use apps, videos, websites, and technology to communicate with today’s students, reinforce your lessons, and enhance your teaching business  July 2, 2016 MTAC State Conference July 2016, Hilton Los Angeles Airport Hotel

•Small Group Coaching with Noreen Wenjen:  Is your studio in need of a technology facelift ? Talk one on one with an expert on how to incorporate the newest technology in your personal teaching studio. MTAC State Conference July 2016, Hilton Los Angeles Airport Hotel

•Round Table Discussion with Edward Francis, Jeremy Siskind, Deborah How, Noreen Wenjen. MTAC State Conference July 2016, Hilton Los Angeles Airport Hotel

• Two-year Wait List: How to Build and Maintain a Recession-proof Music Studio (MTNA National Conference 2015 in Las Vegas, NV and MTAC, Irvine Branch)

• The Business-Minded Piano Teacher: Protection, Prevention, and Development Tips for Your Music Studio (MTAC South Bay Branch)

•  How To Create a Website for Your Studio (MTAC South Bay Branch)

• The Business of Music (MTAC Long Beach Branch)

Article Publications

• Technology to Increase Communication in Your Music Studio by Noreen Wenjen - Fall 2016 online publication  Miroirs/CA.com

• How to Use Video Technology in your Music Studio by Noreen Wenjen  - California Music Teacher Volume 38/No. 6/Fall 2016

Adjudication

Ms. Wenjen has served as an adjudicator for over twenty years.

• Southern California Jr. Bach  Festival

• CAPMT Competitions and Festivals

• CAPMT Commissioned Composer Competition

• HAWAII Music Teachers Association

• MTAC Certificate of Merit

• Southwestern Youth Music Festival

• MTAC Events and Festivals

•National Guild of Piano Teachers