Beso Music Academy participated in the Arizona State Music Teachers Association (ASMTA) 2025 Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. Sophia Zhou, MM, DMA—Executive Director and Lead Faculty Clinician at Beso Music Academy in Phoenix and Membership Chair of ASMTA—joined music educators from across the state to advance best practices in teaching and student development. As part of her keynote report, Dr. Zhou helped spearhead new partnerships, member initiatives, and student opportunities through her work with Beso Music Academy and Brandnew Consulting Group. At the helm of Beso, she continues to make music education more accessible and equitable across the Phoenix metro area, applying a unique clinical approach, enabling once-in-a-lifetime performance opportunities, and fostering emerging talent.
“At Beso Music Academy, we believe clinician-led music education is not just about teaching notes and rhythms; it’s about empowering students to find their voices and express their unique stories. By collaborating with educators and community programs, we’re not only enhancing access to music education in Phoenix but also ensuring that every child—regardless of background—has the opportunity to flourish through the transformative power of music,” said Sophia Zhou, MM, DMA, Executive Director and Lead Faculty Clinician, Beso Music Academy; Membership Chair, ASMTA.
Analysis: Clinician-Led Music Education in Arizona Through Access, Coordination, and Equity
At the ASMTA 2025 Conference, conversations among teachers and clinicians surfaced familiar challenges in K–12 and private studio instruction: uneven access to quality lessons across districts, siloed communication between school programs and private teachers, performance anxiety that undermines musical growth, and limited opportunities for ensemble collaboration at the beginner and intermediate levels. In this context, Beso Music Academy highlighted a clinician-led model that strengthens coordination, expands access, and keeps each student’s artistic and personal development at the center.
Drawing from healthcare, Beso’s framework treats a student’s primary school or private teacher as the primary provider of ongoing instruction, while Beso clinicians function as specialists who address targeted needs—sight-reading and keyboard harmony, healthy technique and injury-prevention, ensemble fluency, stagecraft, and audition readiness. Plans and progress notes are shared transparently with teachers and families to ensure that goals, repertoire, and timelines remain aligned. The result is a fully informed team around the student—one that values collaboration over competition and expands opportunity rather than duplicating services.
Beso Music Academy also previewed MusicLab, a hands-on, experimental keyboard skills clinic powered by state-of-the-art Roland workstations. Designed for individual or small-group formats, MusicLab builds solo and ensemble experience, fosters peer connection, and provides a low-stakes environment for exploration and feedback—an important complement to private lessons and school ensembles. With more than 300 students served to date across the Phoenix metropolitan area, Beso’s approach is designed to make music education more accessible and equitable, prioritizing outreach, scholarships, and partnerships that lower barriers to participation.
Additional Highlights from Beso Music Academy at ASMTA 2025
At the conference, Beso Music Academy strengthened professional ties across Arizona’s music-education community and reaffirmed its collaboration with leading institutions. The academy maintains close liaisons with Arizona State University, New York University, and Arizona Christian University, and—as part of the Brandnew Group network—shares resources and expertise from global music-education specialists. Conversations at ASMTA 2025 will inform Beso’s year-ahead priorities, including the planned MusicLab launch at the end of 2025.
“Providing children with a holistic education from an early age means giving them a solid, enriching, and hands-on foundation in music,” said Justin Wong, Lead Clinician and Director of Strategic Consulting at Brandnew Consulting Group. “In our work with families and schools around the world, we see how musical training builds discipline, confidence, communication, and creativity—the very skills students carry into every classroom and every stage of life. Beso’s clinician-led model ensures those benefits are accessible, coordinated, and measurable for the students of Phoenix.”
About Beso Music Academy
Beso Music Academy is a premier, student-centered preparatory school in Phoenix specializing in music training, audition preparation, and performance development. In the past year, Beso’s faculty and mentors supported 300+ young artists, guiding dozens of successful auditions while advancing students’ studies and stage experience. With conservatory-level instruction and real-world performance opportunities, Beso prepares musicians for higher study and professional success.
Guided by the mission to care, to teach, to discover, and values of PRIDE—performance, respect, integrity, diversity, and excellence—Beso delivers tailored instruction that keeps each student’s artistry at the center. Offerings include private lessons with expert faculty clinicians; comprehensive audition and portfolio preparation for conservatories and universities; chamber music, ensemble coaching, and public performance opportunities; integrated study-abroad pathways through Brandnew Consulting Group; and MusicLab, a hands-on, collaborative keyboard skills clinic powered by state-of-the-art Roland workstations (coming soon).
About Brandnew Consulting Group
Brandnew Consulting Group is a global education consulting firm dedicated to turning applications into success stories. With a rigorous focus on quality and a 100 percent success rate, Brandnew delivers expert guidance to students and families across every stage of the study abroad journey. The firm offers a comprehensive range of services, including counseling, application assistance, portfolio and audition preparation, visa guidance, scholarship assistance, and test preparation, with particular expertise in music and the arts.
Brandnew Consulting Group operates five locations worldwide and partners with a network of 197 schools to ensure students achieve the best outcomes. By combining transparent collaboration with school counsellors and specialist support for students, Brandnew consistently upholds one high standard of care across all client engagements.
Media Inquiries
Wei-yue Sheng
Phone: 646-719-0562
News@Beso.BrandnewGroup.org
