From young students

to professional musicians

Many parents asked me if their children were gifted in music. And if it was so, should they pursue music education to become professional musicians.

I had to warn those parents that becoming a professional musician takes a lot of hard work, endurance, and determination. You can not automatically presume that any musically gifted person has these qualities.

It was rewarding for me to find out that some of my gifted and hard-working students made music their career and achieved success. Here are a few stories of my students that I am proud of.

Seth H.

We moved to Vermont from Los Angeles in search of peace and quiet. Among my piano students in a small Vermont village was Seth, a tall, slim teenager who had an incredible musical talent. His parents owned the llama farm. Before I started teaching Seth, he took some piano lessons but “outgrew” his teacher. He studied with me for two years.

During his first year as my student, Seth was a senior at the high school. During the second year, he stayed home preparing for college. His dream was to attend the Oberlin college – one of the best conservatories in the country. We built an extensive repertoire of classical music, playing Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, Bach, Schubert, and other great composers.

Seth was gifted not just in piano but also in singing. During his senior year, he performed as Seymour, the main character in ‘The Little Shop of Horrors.” His “poor” Miss Elena had to play the piano for the whole musical during the rehearsals and the performances.

Who knew that 25 years later, Seth will become a highly respected professional. He studied at the University of Southern California, Oberlin Conservatory, University of Colorado. He directs chamber singers, teaches conducting and composition.

This tall, slim teenager in glasses, as I remember him, is a Doctor of Musical Arts, in short  – Dr. H. Many of his choral compositions and arrangements were published and performed in the US and internationally.

Anthony A.

Anthony was my student since the “cradle.” At age two, he started attending my Music, Mommy & Me classes. At age three, he moved to the Music Workshop and graduated from this program at six.

By that time, I couldn’t find a space for teaching him piano myself. The family lived quite far from my school, and Anthony started piano lessons with a teacher who came to their house.

When Anthony started with me, he was the only child in the family. Later, I taught his younger siblings too, “in order of appearances”: Amber, Alessandra, and finally, Amadeo. All of them were “musical,” but none had the same abilities as Anthony.

The whole family loved music. Mom was German, dad – Italian. One year, mom asked me to give my concert lecture about Mozart for her husband’s birthday party. A small group of guests (3 couples) sat around the coffee table in the living room while I was playing piano and telling them about the husband’s favorite composer’s life.

After graduating from high school, Anthony studied composition at one of the colleges in Palm Beach, then moved to Vienna, Austria. He graduated from Prayner Konservatorium in 2019 with a degree in piano performance. Now Anthony is 25 years old, married, and lives in  Vienna. He is a concert pianist and a conductor.

Mason P.

Mason started my Music Workshop classes at age 3. From the beginning, I could see that this kid loved music and enjoyed performing for other people. When Mason graduated from the program, he started piano lessons with one of the teachers at my school and later joined our theater classes. Mason’s dad played piano and performed duets with his son at our school’s recitals.

Having two classes per week wasn’t enough for this talented boy and his “pushy” parents. They signed him up for voice and guitar lessons too. Needless to say, I saw Mason several times a week at my school.

Now Mason is in his early twenties. He created his own rock band, where he is a lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter. His field is an alternative rock that is more eclectic, original, and challenging than most popular music.

Mason produced a few videos and performed at many events in South Florida.  Without a doubt, he plans to perform at more prestigious venues. I am sure that with his talent and hard work, he will reach all his goals.

Brianna K.

Brianna started as an adorable two-year-old in my Music, Mommy & Me class. She loved every minute of it and was a great joy to teach. At age three, Brianna moved to a Music Workshop class. After graduating from the program, Brianna started violin lessons.

When Brianna was a preteen, she appeared on TV in The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Later, she performed for the world-famous violinists Itzhak Perlman and Joshua Bell. I am sure that both of them gave her a lot of encouragement and professional advice.

At the age of 18, Brianna graduated from the Julliard School in New York. Who knows, maybe one of these days, she will become a world-famous violinist too.

 *****

I am proud and honored that I had these successful musicians as my students during their formative years!