The William Pu Music Academy opened in 2014.
Its founders, violinist William Pu and violist Amy Chang, had spent their careers in the Atlanta and Houston Symphony Orchestras — Mr. Pu as Associate Concertmaster in Atlanta and Assistant Concertmaster in Houston — and, for years alongside that, as guest faculty at festivals across the United States, Europe, and Asia. What they saw there shaped the academy they built. The students who went furthest were not always the most gifted. They had experienced teachers who had performed at the highest level, families who supported them, peers who took their training as seriously as they did, and the chance to perform as often as possible in front of strangers, friends, and artists alike.
Mr. Pu and Mrs. Chang founded WPMA to give young musicians in Atlanta the same thing, without leaving home.
For more than a decade, WPMA has been a place where the private lesson is the center of a larger, more holistic education. Students study weekly with their teachers—most taking one and sometimes 2 or more lessons each week—and train in music theory and ear training alongside their instrument. Performing in our Monthly Spotlight Concert Series, accompanied by a professional collaborative pianist, is a regular part of every student’s calendar. Masterclasses bring visiting artists such as David Coucheron, Alf Richard Kraggerud, Simon Zhu, Herbert Greenberg, David Fung, and Ben Kim into the academy’s studios. Advanced students audition for the chamber music program, where groups are coached regularly and perform each semester, and WPMA students fill a large share of the seats in Georgia’s top youth orchestras. Students spend their summers performing in programs and festivals around the U.S.
Since 2014, WPMA students have won more than 1,000 All-State, youth orchestra, and Governor’s Honors Program auditions, and have earned the most All-State chairs of any music school in Georgia each year. Each season they hold Concertmaster and Principal chairs in the National Youth Orchestra (NYO-USA and NYO2), the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, and the Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra, and are prize winners in local, state-wide, and regional competitions year after year. Graduates have been admitted into or attended Juilliard, New England Conservatory, Peabody, Manhattan School of Music, Indiana’s Jacobs School, San Francisco Conservatory, and to every Ivy League university, as well as MIT, Stanford, the University of Chicago, and Duke.
Today WPMA teaches from two campuses, in Alpharetta and Buford, with a faculty of more than forty performers and educators drawn from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, colleges and universities across the U.S., and graduates from Juilliard, New England Conservatory, Rice University, and numerous top conservatories. Many faculty have grown into some of the most important educators in Georgia, and continue to be active supporters of the Atlanta music community. Students begin as young as four, and many stay until they leave for college. Students of every age and level are welcome. What they share is a seriousness about getting better, and a place built for it.
WPMA alumni have gone on to study at the nation’s leading conservatories and universities.
“I started lessons at WPMA almost a year ago, and the amount I have improved is unexplainable. Each of the teachers know where their students need to improve and help them no matter what. I’m so glad that I decided to start taking lessons at WPMA because I didn’t even know there was so much more I could grow.”
“One of the best decisions our family made when moving to Georgia 6 months ago was putting our two daughters in the care and direction of the wonderful teachers at WPMA.”
“I took lessons here for years and could not be more thankful! I am now graduating with my degree in violin performance thanks to the guidance and encouragement the school provided to me my senior year of high school to send me to my dream school!”
“WPMA is an exceptional and amazing music school. Lessons are highly detailed and open your eyes to issues you may not notice. Teaching is effective and easily understandable, always with a clear goal.”
“My son’s musical journey has been deeply shaped by William Pu Music Academy, and I highly recommend it to any aspiring musician. When my son first started playing the cello, practicing felt like a chore, but at WPMA, my son became more disciplined, developed a true passion for music, and grew tremendously as a musician.”
“I was a student of the music academy since its founding. It is wonderful to be a part of the WPMA family and see this institution grow and thrive in the greater Atlanta community.”
“Our child studies at WPMA and she truly looks forward to her lessons. The school offers both private music theory and instrument instruction which is unique and extremely helpful for a student that wants to study music seriously. A lot of effort is placed in guiding and developing the students. The quality of the teaching is evident when we attend their music recitals.”
“I really appreciate what they do for my kid’s future. They make music last in his heart, which makes his world so much brighter. The academy is so awesome :)”
“WPMA is truly a place of musical nurturing where world-class professionals come together and provide tailored attention and guidance to each and every one of their students. The school has been so influential in my daughter’s growing love and interest in music and has helped her successfully achieve her goal in getting into the GMEA all-state middle school orchestra!”
