China’s foreign teachers are an interesting group. Like so many other expats, their backstories are varied and they almost never intended to end up in Beijing. But there is something about the combination of being an expat and an educator that pushes people to constantly grow and learn. Most of the educators I know in Beijing are fiercely devoted to their classroom, but they also have side passion projects and talents that have nothing to do with school.

Take Adam Taylor and Najma Saib, for example. Both are passionate teachers working at a bilingual kindergarten here in Beijing. Taylor spoke for them both when he said, “Being teachers allows us the opportunity to not only impart knowledge to very young children but also allows the children the chance to engage in an immersive environment with people from different cultures which we believe is important for young minds in aiding with their positive growth and development. What we love the most about educating children is the way it brings out the child in us and being afforded the opportunity to make a difference by inspiring and mentoring.”

After several years of working side by side as colleagues, they became friends while competing for the same promotion. “We won’t say who got the promotion, but it got us talking. We became incredible friends, and that got us to this point today.” Today they are business partners as well as educators. Taylor has a bit of an obsession with candles but discovered that they are made with a lot of toxic chemicals that are bad for kids, pets, and adults. So In 2021, the two friends started trying to figure out how to make clean candles. What began as an attempt to give a unique Christmas gift for friends turned into Tallow Candle Co.

A selection of Tallow Candle Co. candles

It turned out there was a market in Beijing for their 100% soy candles and the unique, nostalgic scents they created. Despite being full-time teachers “we found ourselves making more and more candles on a daily basis as word of mouth got around, which was great but also stressful and tiring.” The weary expat community found their candles comforting, with scents inspired by everything from the smell of baking cookies to cut grass. They have since launched a home, seasonal and cocktail-inspired collection that is resonating.

“The most rewarding thing for us is seeing the joy on faces when people smell our candles and listening to their stories about the nostalgic memories that our scents bring back… it’s a very difficult time for us all [right now], and knowing we can bring so much joy and warmth to people brings huge smiles to our faces. Since we’ve started to join markets, we’ve met many of our customers face to face and created friendships with many of them.”

Taylor and Saib at a market in Beijing

If you can’t make it to the markets they frequent you can contact them directly via WeChat at Adamleightaylor (Adam) or Whaleshark417 (Najma) or join their WeChat group where they post about their newest scent profiles and specials.

KEEP READING: This Year’s JISE Postponed Due to Covid

Images: Adam Taylor and Najma Saib

For many of us, music is a guiding light, an unparalleled force that has shaped the very fabric of our being. Whereas passionate and active listening can unlock creativity and introduce us to new ideas, playing an instrument teaches us valuable lessons about patience, perseverance, collaboration and community. Whether you’re picking up a guitar or immersing yourself in a world of music theory, the seemingly magical properties of this art form are unlike any other.

Here in Beijing, Crescendo Music Studio, owned and operated by Wang Yi and her husband Nico Torrese, plays a vital role in exposing both Chinese and expat children to the wonderful world of rhythm. We spoke to Wang about how Crescendo got started, how it’s helped shape the community, and about balancing parental duties with being a small business owner.

Zoe (R), Nico (in back with glasses on head)

Please introduce yourself, and let us know where you’re from! And of course, what instruments do you play?

I am Wang Yi, the owner and manager of Crescendo Studio. Many people know me as Zoe. I am 37 and I’ve played the accordion since the age of 4. I’ve taught music for over 15 years in Beijing, and now I mainly teach piano and music discovery. My husband Nico is French, he is a guitar player and teacher, based in Beijing for 16 years. He’s taught guitar since 2005.

Can you tell us a little about Crescendo? How long have you been in operation? What do you do? How did it start? How has it grown over the years?

I founded Crescendo three years ago with the help of Nico. It is a music training studio for children and adults, located by Sanyuanqiao. We wanted to have a bigger space to teach in better conditions, with more equipment in order to develop our teaching activity. We now work with five other teachers: we provide piano, drum, guitar, ukulele, singing, accordion, music discovery, and music theory classes. Crescendo Studio is growing slowly but consistently. I also work as a music discovery teacher in international schools in Beijing.

Did either of you have jobs before opening Crescendo? Is this a passion project, such that you left behind another career to pursue this one?

I am a professionally trained musician, and graduated from the Music Institute of Tianjin. Nico used to work as a journalist back in France. He’s now a full time musician and teacher here in Beijing. We met in 2007 to play a concert together and we never stopped. Today we still perform together and work hand-in-hand every single day.

Did you face any difficulties when starting Crescendo? What’s it like opening and operating your own business?

The main difficulty was, and still is, to have Crescendo known: always tricky when you open something from scratch, even if most of our previous students have followed us. We have to communicate clearly and try and reach out to new families all the time. Social networks help us a lot, but we also have to be careful not to overwhelm people with our activity.

We also wanted to open dance classes, but the activity has been very slow since there are dozens of dance schools in Beijing. We decided to stop that this year and to focus on the music. It’s been a good choice.

The other difficulty is to find, and keep, good teachers. We now have a good team of experienced teachers from France, USA, Ukraine and China.

Zoe, with daughter, Suzan, and two other students

How old are your kids? Is it tough to balance parenting duties with being a small business owner?

We have two girls, 7 and 4 years old. They go to school, they both take music lessons at Crescendo, and so far we can balance happily our parent life and professional activity. But it is hard to spend more time with the girls during weekends since it is the busiest time of the week for us. Also, we do not take lots of holidays, three to four weeks per year: music education never stops!

What is your philosophy behind music education for children?

Make children like music, know it and understand it. And, most important, give them the taste of learning, practicing (not so obvious on a daily basis), and performing. Our job is to help them improve.

I’m assuming you play a pretty important role in the community. Can you talk about what that’s like?

Hard to say that we play an important role in the community. But what we can tell for sure is that the biggest part of our reputation comes from the families, foreigners and Chinese. They are our best promoters as long as we are consistent about the quality of our work. We can thank them here for their support. Over the years, some students and parents have become real friends. We are always proud to see students growing up and improving: some of them were 5 or 6 years old when they started learning with us, and they’ll go to university soon. We have shared a big part of their life.

Do you have any advice for other parents who might want to start their own business?

Get a good idea of your project, based on a real passion and experience. Do not count your time and always try to think ahead while focusing on the daily work. We have found out that our best periods of activity have been prepared months ago.

Crescendo Music Studio is located at Haocheng Plaza, Floor 13, Zuojiazhuang Zhongie No. 6

For more information, scan the QR code below.

Photos: Courtesy of Nico Torrese

Beijing families take on the financial crisis

As economies around the globe have slowed or fallen into recession, families in Beijing are reevaluating their budgets to prepare for potentially tough times ahead. Find out how different families make decisions about spending and saving money, whether they feel the effects of the financial crisis, and what their strategies are for making it through the downturn in one piece – or even ahead.

THE SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS

We’ve always had a conservative budget for everything,” says Karen Patterson, who is the mother of a four-and-a-half-year-old, a small business owner, and the main breadwinner in her family. Patterson, who owns NU2YU Baby Shop and is a partner in Counting Sheep, a boutique for baby and maternity gear, lives with her daughter Hannah and her husband, a Chinese artist, in a sunny apartment with a rooftop terrace. Home is comfortable without being luxurious – which is exactly in tune with the family’s philosophy on money.

On a wall near the kitchen is a list of financial goals for the year – Patterson follows financial guru Suze Orman – which includes paying back a personal loan to Patterson’s mother, saving up eight month’s expenses in case of an emergency, investing for retirement, and starting a school fund for Hannah, who currently attends a local school across the street.

Much of the family’s money goes back into Patterson’s business, which just expanded with a new location in Shunyi. Besides a mortgage, the family’s biggest expense is Patterson’s travel for work and an annual trip back home to Canada. When the family eats out, they usually pick a Chinese restaurant. But there are occasional splurges both big and small, like buying issues of Vanity Fair (RMB 820 per year) and picking up a new stereo system (RMB 6,000).

As for the uncertain economic outlook, Patterson says she’s a little nervous but feels confident that her business remains a pretty safe bet. “People still have babies even in war.” Michelle Tsai

The Monthly Budget (RMB)

Mortgage 6,500
Ayi 1,500
Groceries 1,000
Taxis 900
Healthcare 750
Restaurants 600
Clothing 600
Tuition 500
Extracurriculars 500
Bldg management fee 500
Utilities 500
Cell phone service 400
Books 170
Travel (per year) 25,000
Cell phones (per year) 3,750