Belle Melodie means beautiful melodies, which originates from the Chinese name of the founder Michelle (Meixuan). 

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Like the world-renowned pianist Lang Lang, Michelle is a descendant of Manchu nobility and grew up in a musical family with a strict father who played the erhu, a traditional Chinese stringed instrument. She even studied with the same teacher as Lang Lang in her childhood.

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With a great talent and passion for music, she has been studying with masters from China to the United States and holds a double degree in piano and composition. 

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She has also been actively involved in children's music education industry, opening dozens of children's music schools in Northeast China and Beijing since 2004, the most successful of which is located in Beijing's Haidian District, next to China's top schools Tsinghua and Peking University.  With such a high-achieving clientele, she led her team to win over 17 competitors.

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To find the best way to teach music, she studied all the way from North China to South China, and then went abroad to Japan, Singapore, Germany, Russia, Hungary, and the United States, learning and practicing at the same time. She has published many volumes of music education materials for children and was elected as the youngest board member of the Beijing Music Association.

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In July 2016, she held the National Meixuan Cup Piano Competition at China Conservatory of Music in Beijing. In July 2017, she collaborated with Indiana State University on a piano summer camp. In May 2018, Meixuan Children's Art Ensemble collaborated with the Beijing Philharmonic Orchestra to perform "Let the World Be Full of Love".

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From 2019 to 2022, Michelle—like everyone—lived through the COVID-19 pandemic, caring for her loved ones and for a dog entrusted to her by a friend who had to leave suddenly. During this time she completed her master’s degree in piano performance, learning a great deal from her professor. Quarantine gave her long, uninterrupted hours at the piano—often practicing from dawn to dusk. She expanded her repertoire and thought deeply about music education, laying a strong foundation for what came next.

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In late 2022, as families were still emerging from the pandemic and many children had lost continuity in their music studies—some teachers had moved away, some had passed, and some were hesitant to resume teaching—Michelle and her husband, Max, founded Belle Melodie Music Art School in Carmel Valley, San Diego. They sincerely invited cautious teachers back to a safe, supportive classroom environment.

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From 2022 to 2025, she led hundreds of student entries across competitions such as MTAC State, MTAC San Diego, GOCAA, Pacific Star, Royal, Global Phil, and the Heritage Cup, earning numerous gold, silver, and bronze awards. She organized student performances ranging from school recitals to city- and state-level stages. She also undertook the responsibility of serving as San Diego’s ABRSM exam center, dedicating four full days each year to provide a convenient examination venue for candidates across the city.

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She has twice produced the GOCAA San Diego Preliminary with more than 200 entries each time, making it a citywide highlight; the two post-event concerts gathered Southern California musicians and their students for vibrant performances. Working alongside professional artists, she has performed classic and contemporary chamber works and trained multiple student ensembles that have gone on to win awards.

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As part of a landmark U.S.–China friendship occasion—the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II—she prepared four students to perform the Yellow River Piano Concerto, presented in the presence of the Chinese Consul General in Los Angeles, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, and several Los Angeles County mayors, and received a Certificate of Community Cultural Contribution from a California State Senator.

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Through these works, she has earned the support of many musician colleagues and parent advocates.

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Michelle’s early-childhood teaching approach blends the European Kodály/Orff methods with the arrangement features of Yamaha’s double-key course, enriched by world and folk-music repertoire. For students beyond the introductory stage, Michelle builds on a solid foundation and teaches to each child’s strengths. She does not lock students into a fixed pace or sequence; instead, she makes the most of each learner’s windows of talent and interest, focusing time and energy to elevate their musical ability as much as possible.

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Here's what she believes in and wants to share with everyone.

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Music is a language. The first goal of music education is to think, express and communicate in the language of music.

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Music is an aesthetic ability. The second goal of music education is to raise the aesthetic standards of the child from the inside out.

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Music is an ability to love. Musicians interpret love in a variety of ways. The third benefit of learning music is to gain a greater sense of loving and being loved.

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Music is a hobby that can stay with you for a lifetime. In good times and bad, music will make the soul less lonely.