About

Hello and welcome to my piano studio!

I am a mom of three whose lifelong passion for music and teaching piano took a few years of relative pause while I was homeschooling and raising my kids. Since reopening my Northern Virginia studio last year, I had a great year teaching 35 students of all ages and abilities. I would like to expand my practice to work with more homeschoolers because homeschoolers are so independent and self-directed, and it is fulfilling for me to design bespoke, individualized learning plans that take your students’ special qualities as the foundation.

I have three degrees in piano performance. I grew up in Romania, where I completed my bachelor’s degree. I performed numerous times with orchestras, the first time when I was 10, then yearly until I finished high school. I won a full scholarship to do a master’s degree at the University of Toronto, and then moved to the USA, where I received my doctorate at the Eastman School of Music, the #1 U.S. News-rated program. There, I was awarded a scholarship for teaching music theory and aural skills classes to the honors class of most talented and advanced students.

Beyond my formal academic education, I have also worked and trained at the Faber Piano Institute, directed by the authors of the Faber Piano Adventures series, a leading teaching method for children and older beginners. I presently serve as the Northern Virginia Music Teachers’ Association Chair of Competition Resources and Information and as the Co-Chair of General Recitals for NVMTA.

My philosophy as a teacher is that music lessons should make the student feel encouraged to develop life-long skills that will help balance their lives and allow them to continue playing into their adulthood with their own families. I love to help children learn how to write and improvise, not just reproduce, songs and simple pieces. However, I am also qualified to perform and teach the most advanced repertoire, and I will tailor my approach to your child’s needs, circumstances, and ambitions. I go above and beyond for my students; our studio performed three recitals this year, because having a goal close in range motivates children to practice more. I also strive to build a personal relationship with each child, get to know their strengths, the areas where they need more help, and I assign repertoire that is a combination of traditional classical music and pieces that interest the child, movie theme songs, or whatever they are excited about playing.