Find Your Forte

We Believe In Providing

Free Music Education

For Children Who Wish to Learn

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Equalizing Opportunities

Through Accessibility

Regardless of Circumstances

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A Non-Profit Organization That

Provides a Safe Space

For Children to Learn and Grow

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About

Find Your Forte is a locally operated non-profit program that provides quality piano lessons free of charge to children in the BC Foster Care system as well as from low-income families. Lessons are held every Saturday at Fleetwood Christian Reformed Church in Surrey.

Our Story

Find Your Forte initially started as a discussion between Merissa Li and Jamie Eguia about their shared passion for playing and teaching piano. After much brainstorming and planning, it blossomed into a program reaching out to the community in Surrey.

There are countless children in the foster care community who do not have access to quality music education. The same can be said about children who come from low-income families, who are unable to afford lessons. Research has repeatedly shown that music education provides a plethora of benefits to a child’s development, facilitating learning in other subjects and enhancing skills in many areas, academic and otherwise. Not only that; music is also an enjoyable skill to possess and can be useful for many opportunities in one’s lifetime.

Our Mission

At Find Your Forte, we strive to provide children with a positive environment where they feel comfortable and are able to develop their musical skills and understanding. By further providing them with the tools necessary to succeed in music, we hope that they will one day use their talents to enhance arts and culture in Surrey, giving back to their community.

We aim to accomplish this goal through offering free, private piano lessons on a weekly basis, forming a reliable foundation for our students. We believe that quality music education should always be accessible and that every child deserves the opportunity to learn something that can be valuable and beneficial for both themselves and those around them.

Team

Find Your Forte would not be possible without its dedicated and talented staff who strongly believe that social or economic circumstances should not act as barriers for deserving children who wish to learn music.

Jamie Eguia

Founder / Teacher

Jamie is a fourth year International Relations major at the University of British Columbia. He holds an ARCT in Piano Performance diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music and is a BC Registered Music Teacher. Jamie is a firm believer that social or economic circumstances should not act as barriers for deserving children who wish to learn music and is committed to ensuring that any child who wishes to learn is given the opportunity to do so through Find Your Forte. His academic interests lean towards social equity, where he plans to obtain a degree in Law with the aim of using his passion for equal access to advocate for those who are disadvantaged and underrepresented. When Jamie isn't teaching or studying, you can find him chasing sunsets at the beach or trying out the new sushi restaurant in town.

Merissa Li

Founder / Teacher

Merissa is a second year student at the University of British Columbia, studying Business and Computer Science. She has been playing piano since the age of four and taught since she was 14, earning her ARCT in Piano Performance diploma and becoming an RCM Certified Piano Teacher along the way. She has performed as a pianist on numerous occasions in a jazz band, concert choir, and at corporate functions. Since music has been and still is a big part of her life, Merissa has found herself passionate in paying it forward and aims to provide the same opportunities to those who normally may not have easy access to them. She has lived in Surrey since the age of two and it is where she calls home. Merissa is very fond of her community and loves giving back in any way that she can!

Emi Hamnett

Teacher

Emi started playing piano at the age of six in Japan and graduated from the Osaka University of Music, majoring in Voice. While advancing her studies, she continued piano and voice lessons while obtaining her junior high school teaching certificate in Japan. Emi also graduated from Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s SEA program and holds an Early Childhood Educator Assistant Certificate along with a Special Education Teacher Assistant Certificate. Combining her love for music and passion for teaching others has resulted in her teaching piano to students of all ages and skill levels for over 10 years. Emi believes that music can be a powerful form of stress relief and adapts her lessons according to each of her students’ unique capabilities to ensure their experiences remain positive and beneficial.

Han Wang

Tech Lead

A fellow Canadian once said that "sometimes it's the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination". Han is a sophomore majoring in Information Science at Cornell University. Han believes that being a part of Find Your Forte is about making a difference while learning how to do so. Han plays the guitar and is currently trying to learn the drums. Outside of the project, Han fiddles around with MEAN stack development and entrepreneurship. If you ever need him, you can find him programming in a corner at your nearest hackathon.

We Believe In Providing

Equalizing Opportunities

A Non-Profit Organization That

About

Our Story

Our Mission

Team

Jamie Eguia

Founder / Teacher

Merissa Li

Founder / Teacher

Emi Hamnett

Teacher

Han Wang

Tech Lead

Yo-Yo Ma

Billy Joel

Victor Hugo

Contact

Drop us a message

Contact Info