David Kim

VERIFIED

Stage 4 Ambassador • Turning Practice Sessions into Content Empire

Seattle, WASophomore, Class of 20262 years with Oclef

About

The Story

I used to hate practicing. Then I started streaming it. What began as accountability became a community of 50,000 people learning piano together. Oclef gave me the structure; I added the camera. Now my "boring" practice sessions get more views than most music videos. The secret? People don't want to watch perfection. They want to watch progress.

Trajectory

Major:Digital Media & Business

Interests:

Content CreationMedia ProductionEdTech

Daily Cadence

Consistency Tracker

12w agoNow

Less

152week streak

No breaks since Apr 2023

S4 Feature

THE S4 FEATURE

The S4 Feature: David Kim

Produced by Oclef

6:45

Click to expand

About This Feature

Practicing in Public

What happens when you turn your most vulnerable moments into content? David built a community of 50,000 by showing the reality of progress—the wrong notes, the frustration, the breakthroughs. This feature explores how radical transparency became his superpower.

"People don't want to watch perfection. They want to watch progress."

Produced byOclef

Vouch Record

3 mentors have vouched for David Kim

Sarah Mitchell

7 months ago

Music Content Director, YouTube

"David understands something most creators miss: authenticity scales. His "mistakes and all" approach built more trust than polished content ever could."

Professor Alan Nguyen

3 months ago

Roosevelt HS Music Director

"He practices more than anyone in the program. But what sets him apart is how he makes that practice visible and inspiring to others."

Community Member

2 months ago

Student, Age 14

"I started piano because of David's streams. Seeing someone my age actually practice—not just perform—made it feel possible."

Vouch for David

Record a video testimonial

Board Review

Annual defense sessions where David Kim presents their growth, process, and impact to a panel of verified adults.

THE BOARD REVIEW

Year 3 Annual Review

2024-05-20

Distinction

Watch Defense Session

32:15

DEFENSE

David presented his content creation journey and its impact on music education accessibility. The panel praised his innovative approach to making practice engaging and his community-building skills.

Competency Scorecard

Content Creation

5/5

Community Building

5/5

Technical Performance

4/5

Consistency & Discipline

5/5

Innovation & Creativity

5/5

Review Panel

Julian Toha

Founder & CEO, Oclef

Sarah Mitchell

Music Content Director, YouTube

Jake Thompson

Partner Manager, Twitch Music

Retrospectives

Honest reflections on setbacks, pivots, and lessons learned. The unfiltered truth about what it takes to grow.

RETROSPECTIVELive Stream

The Stream That Almost Ended Everything

2023-11-12

#Burnout#ContentStrategy#Growth

RETROSPECTIVEBusiness Decision

The Sponsorship I Turned Down

2024-01-08

#Authenticity#Business#Values

Mentorship Tree

Leadership measured not by title, but by the growth of those mentored.

4 Mentees

3 active • 250h invested

Tyler Chen

Stage 2• 45h

200 days

Mia Patel

Stage 1• 25h

90 days

Jordan Kim

Stage 2• 60h

350 days

Chris Wong

Stage 3• 120h

500 days

Impact Vector

Leadership

3 roles

Founder

Practice Stream Community (Discord)2023 - Present

Music Director

Roosevelt High School Variety Show2024 - Present

Peer Tutor

Seattle Youth Symphony Mentorship2023 - Present

Service

140 hours

Free Piano Workshop Instructor

Seattle Public Library80 hrs

Fundraiser

Music for All Foundation60 hrs

Extracurriculars

3 activities

Roosevelt High School Jazz BandPianist2022 - Present

Seattle Youth SymphonyMember2020 - Present

Video Game Music ClubFounder2023 - Present

Work Experience

Current

Piano Instructor

Oclef Music2023 - Present

Teach students aged 8-16. Specialize in gamified practice techniques and building intrinsic motivation.

Content Creator

Self-Employed2022 - Present

Full content pipeline: ideation, filming, editing, posting. Generate $800/month in ad revenue donated to music education nonprofits.

Music Production Intern

Rain City RecordsSummer 2024

Assisted in production sessions. Learned studio workflow and professional DAW techniques.

Projects

● Live

Learn Piano Live

A 30-day livestream challenge where I taught myself a Chopin Nocturne from scratch, streaming every practice session. 500K total views, 2,000 people learned alongside me.

ReactNode.jsAI/ML

View Project

Completed

Lo-Fi Study Beats

An album of original lo-fi productions incorporating live piano recordings. 100K streams on Spotify. Featured on 3 major study playlists.

ReactNode.js

View Project

Education

Roosevelt High School

2022 - 2026

High School Diploma (Expected)

GPA: 3.9, AP Music Theory, AP Computer Science Principles

Oclef Online Piano School

2022 - Present

Stage 4 Ambassador

600+ daily micro-lessons, Content creation mentor

Berklee Online

2024 - Present

Music Production Certificate (In Progress)

Focus on electronic music production and mixing

Certifications & Courses

YouTube Certified Creator

YouTube2024

Music Category

Ableton Certified User

Ableton2024

Live 11 Suite

AP Music Theory

College Board2024

Score: 5

Honors & Awards

Rising Creator Award

Streamy Awards (Nominee)

2024

Young Innovator in Music Education

Seattle Arts Commission

2024

Best Educational Channel

Twitch Community Awards

2023

Presentations

Learning in Public: Why Streaming Changed My Piano Journey

June 2024

VidCon Creator Conference

Panel discussion on educational content creation and building authentic communities.

From Bedroom to Broadcast

March 2024

Seattle Youth Media Summit

Workshop on starting a content creation journey with minimal equipment.

Music & Performances

2024 • 10 TRACKS

Practice Room Sessions Vol. 1

Live recordings from streams, imperfections and all. Raw piano with lo-fi production.

01Morning Light3:01

02Reflection2:48

03Summer Rain4:12

04Distant Memory2:08

05Golden Hour4:10

06Evening Calm3:10

07River Flow2:51

08Mountain Echo2:50

09City Dreams3:36

10Quiet Moments2:03

15:30

Video Game Music Medley

Oclef Contemporary Music Festival 2025

January 2025 • San Francisco, CA

+1 more

Media Features

Media coverage, interviews, and features from news outlets.

TV Interview

The Rise of Music Streaming Educators

KING 5 News Seattle

Profile piece on local teen building 50K following through live piano practice streams.

April 2024

Podcast

Gen Z is Learning Piano on Twitch

The Verge Podcast

Discussion about how streaming platforms are changing music education.

March 2024

Seattle Teen Makes Piano Practice Cool Again

Seattle Times

Feature article on innovative approach to music education through live streaming.

January 2024