Dr. Sheung-Ping Lai

Dr. Sheung-Ping Lai

Music Theory, Composition, History, Pedagogy

Dr. Sheung-Ping Lai received her D. M. A. in Composition from The Ohio State University, her M. M. in Composition from Cleveland Institute of Music, and her M.M. in Music Education (Jazz Pedagogy Focus) from Capital University.

As a composer, her music covers a wide variety of genres and styles, and her compositions are frequently performed in public, including Western and Chinese instrumental music, choral music, electronic music, theatrical music, art songs, pop songs, and jazz, presenting a unique synthesis of the East and the West. As a music educator, Dr. Lai has substantial college teaching experience in the U. S. and in Asia. She was an Assistant Professor at Education University of Hong Kong where she taught music composition, music theory, composition pedagogy, contemporary music, and jazz study.

Dr. Lai’s research interests include music composition, music theory, composition pedagogy, contemporary music, jazz, and cross-cultural studies of Chinese and Western music. Her compositions and research outputs on music theory and contemporary music are inter-related and are tied in with culture and education. They have been published and presented in international festivals and conferences. Dr. Lai believes that cross-cultural music making and education can enlighten souls, break cultural barriers, bring people close together, and achieve global harmony.