"I started taking piano lessons about 2 years ago (August 2005) and Victoria has been my teacher since then. We interacted weekly since August 2005, and over the course of our lessons, I had the opportunity to appreciate Victoria’s commitment and passion in teaching and guiding me as her student.
Victoria is an extremely effective teacher. Not only dos she master the instrument but also she possesses the unique quality to lead and influence her students towards pieces that are reasonably challenging for her students. Many teachers would passively accept what the students would like to learn, eventually even teach note-by-note so that the student is apparently making progress. On the contrary, Victoria is not afraid to push back if a piece is too difficult for the student’s ability at that time, and suggest another more difficult and challenging piece. This is an extremely important asset. Victoria is very knowledgeable of the piano. Even more important though, her desire to genuinely transfer her passion and knowledge to her students is Victoria’s most important asset. She is not only teaching her students, but she is mentoring them in finding their path toward a full mastery of the piano. With Victoria music is not a mechanical repetition of notes, but it is an ongoing quest toward improving as a pianist and as a person. Victoria is extremely professional and committed to her schedule and never missed a scheduled lesson:she fully dedicated in herself in her lessons, and constantly motivates the students in practicing. One of the best personal qualities that Victoria possesses is that there are no shortcuts: to improve, a person has to practice hard, and no improvements will occur without practice. Victoria has an outstanding ethical integrity: she will acknowledge students’ progress but not to the point of being complacent.. She is very direct and honest in her feedback. Her teaching style definitely inspired me in practicing whenever my work schedule allows me. Victoria keeps always focused on the long-term objective and is extremely effective leader for her students.Victoria is a good communicator; In her instructions,
Victoria knows how to deliver a message that is at once direct, clear but
unthreatening. Victoria is inspirational. Victoria’s drive is contagious,
a quality that parallels a good ability to motivate. Because my consultancy
keeps me busy, I’m not always in the best of spirits or as well prepared
as I should be come lesson time. Because of Victoria’s encouraging demeanor,
I always leave our lessons in a positive mood, fully believing in my playing
abilities and the progress I’ve made. I am moved to continue toward my
goal.
Ken; President, CEO
I have known Victoria since September 2005
as my private piano teacher. We meet for 2 hours a week.
Victoria is an outstanding piano teacher. I was trained at Northwestern University
School of Music by many highly-regarded professors in piano and she is by
far the best teacher that I have ever trained with. She is not only an extremely
talented pianist herself,but she has the gift of transferring this gift to
her students. She brings an exuberance and warmth to any room that she walks
into and this shows in her teaching. She is very personable and is able to
reach over cultural barriers to connect with her students. I feel that this
comes from her bicultural experience from living in both Russia and the United
States. She has a tremendous respect for different viewpoints and has a maturity
that goes well beyond her age. She is enthusiastic in sharing about her rich
Russian cultural heritage. Upon hearing that I liked Russian literature, she
brought me a book of Russian poetry, which I enjoyed immensely.
She is very
attentive and meticulous in correcting my technical errors. She has never
been late for a single lesson since I have started playing with her. She provides
excellent learning materials and suggests music scores based on my personal
preferences, which are designed to help me improve my technique and performance.
She is always eager to improve her teaching and frequently asks for feedback
from me in order to help her be a better teacher. She is willing to tailor
her teaching for the individual. In my case as a medical person with a busy
schedule, it is difficult to balance technically challenging pieces with limited
practice time. Therefore, she would suggest shorter pieces that allowed me
to develop my piano technique but did not require so much practice that I
would be discouraged from enjoying piano practice.
Victoria is an inspiring teacher. She is able to organize piano recitals for
her students and encourage them to perform even though they may not have the
highest piano ability. I feel that this is an important quality.
I think Victoria has a talent for inspiring her students to challenge themselves
to perform in public, even if they are shy of public performance.
Therefore, she always has a long waiting list of new students who would like
to benefit from her teaching, while keeping her old students who already know
what an outstanding teacher she is.
Boram, MD.
I have known Victoria for one year; she is my piano teacher.
I had studied piano for a number of years as a young man; I was getting ”rusty.”
I decided to embark on a second career of amateur piano studies and found Victoria’s services on Craig’s list.
I can’t say enough about her; as a teacher her methods combine superb skill as a pianist with even higher skills as a teacher. It is not easy teaching a returning adult student; she does so with experience, patience, perseverence and encouragement. Presently, we are working hard on the work of Bach and Scriabin, two contrasting composers stylistically.
She is a very focused and disciplined teacher and has great skill in teaching me how to practice and learn this music. I find her particularly skilled in the art of teaching, she has an amazing gentle way of coaxing great results from this struggling pianist. She is punctual and always gives more than the required time in her lessons. She listens well;
in my case she has really paid attention to my particular needs and interests in the study of piano.
As a person, she brings humor and warmth to her lessons that make it a pleasure having her in my home on a weekly basis for my lesson. I have successfully referred a friend to her for piano studies as well.
Eric; CEO, Harvard Alumni
Victoria has been my piano teacher for several
years. During this time I have had the opportunity to get to know Victoria
very well.
To introduce myself, I have been involved with computer technology
for over 35 years. During this time, I built several successful computer consulting
practices, and, as a partner in a venture capital firm, have been involved
in the development of many startup enterprises.
Given her training in Russia, Victoria was able to demonstrate a unique repertoire
of skills and knowledge which were of great interest to both new and long-time
pianists. Victoria is a tireless teacher, and very willingly offered to travel
to her clients’ homes to work with them in the most comfortable environment
for her students. These capabilities allowed Victoria to differentiate herself
from other teachers in the area.
Victoria brings much enthusiasm to each of her sessions. She allows her students
to grow at their own pace and in the directions that they wish to grow. Because
of her extensive background, she can teach styles ranging from the classics
to Broadway to jazz. As a result, students always have a wonderful learning
experience.
Rich; President, Performance Computing
Victoria is my piano teacher and I have been taking piano from her on a weekly basis for a year. I found her on Craig’s List and I have been extremely happy with her as a teacher and I would say now as a friend. Victoria is a truly wonderful teacher. She has a wonderful personality that is warm and outgoing and enthusiastic. She obviously has tremendous musical skills and training, but what is most important is that she is a great teacher. She has just the right combination of seriousness and rigor with plenty of encouragement to an older adult student who had minimal training in childhood.
She is very intelligent and dedicated to what she does. From what I can gather she has a very successful teaching practice with both children and adults that she has developed on her own. She is completely reliable and exudes a natural self-confidence. She also has the abilities of a great teacher, which I would describe as: the ability to judge the needs of the student, to find appropriate materials to advance the student’s knowledge and ability, a sense of how to present the material in a clear way, and the ability to encourage the student. Victoria manages to be positive about my work without ever seeming false. Even thought I am a relative beginner, I never have the feeling that she is bored or uninterested. She seems to genuinely enjoy and encourage the real (if slow) progress that I have made. She has a sincere interest and enthusiasm in my learning. The proof of this is that I have developed a real passion for improving, have been very happy to practice and even when I have felt frustrated, I have felt re-enthused after a lesson with Victoria.
In addition, I really enjoyed getting to know Victoria. She has a genuine interest in learning. As a recent immigrant from Russia to the United States, I have the feeling that she is continuously striving to better understand how her new country works. That is exhibited in a sincere interest in her students, their work, and their lives. We have had any number of short but meaningful discussions about my work as a sociologist, my teaching, U.S. society and how it compares with Europe (where I have worked and lived).
While I would not say we have become ”close friends,” we have had dinner together and there is a palpable sense of affection and interest every time we see each other. I expect that to continue to grow.
Stuart; University of Chicago Alumni
“... I just wanted to take this opportunity
to tell you how much I appreciate the work you do with Alex as she progresses
in her musical education.
As I have quietly watched the two of you, I have been awed by your patience
and your enthusiastic, positive and encouraging teaching style. You have a
wonderful ability to help each child build self-confidence and a sense of
accomplishment as they work through the increasing challenges of newer and
more difficult pieces each week...”
Carolyn K. Peterson
Party & Entertainment
“... Thank you so much for your wonderful
performance on the night of our company party. Everybody complimented your
talent and the music style was absolutely perfect...”
Wong Watanapa/ Holiday Party
at Best Western Grant Park Hotel
“... Thanks so much for your terrific background accompaniment at our
private party. Many of the guests commented on the terrific and appropriate
selections and your elegant style and charm throughout the evening...”
Peter Williams
Wedding
“...We want to thank you so much for the wonderful musical performance
at our wedding...of all the elements of the wedding, the majority of the compliments
were directed towards the ceremony music...”
David and Mary
