As a parent, I value individual approach when it comes to teaching. That’s why I’m grateful my daughter had the opportunity to study composition with Dr. Amiryan. Her innate ability to uncover the potential in each student and guide them to find their own voice has been invaluable. Thanks to Dr. Amiryan’s teaching, my daughter was admitted to several universities, including Carnegie Mellon University, Boston University, Brandeis University, University of Delaware and James Madison University with generous scholarships and merit-based grants. She is now graduating with a double major in Musical Composition and Collaborative Piano from JMU School of Music.
Yana Bueva
Parent
For the past two years, Dr. Amiryan has been an exceptional piano teacher to my children, aged 11 and 7. Her profound knowledge base, alongside her effective instructional techniques, has significantly developed and advanced their piano skills. Under her tutelage, music has become a passion rather than just an activity, especially for my son who has discovered his love for playing the piano and continues to practice fervently.
Dr. Amiryan’s comprehensive approach to music instruction is evident in how she tailors her lessons to fit each child’s unique needs and goals. My daughter has been diligently preparing for the grade 2 Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) piano examination with Dr. Amiryan’s guidance, showcasing the high level of expertise and commitment she brings to her students. Meanwhile, my son has not only embraced the piano but also had the opportunity to perform in recitals, which is a testament to the confidence and skill Dr. Amiryan instills in her students.
What truly sets Dr. Amiryan apart is her ability to create a nurturing and encouraging environment while maintaining a strict and disciplined approach. This balance is crucial as it helps us as parents to expose our children to the world, teaching them to be conscious of being on time and committed to learning new things. Through her structured method, they are not only learning music but also the nuances of playing a musical instrument and the broader life lessons of dedication and perseverance.
We are deeply grateful for Dr. Amiryan’s dedication and are excited to continue watching our children flourish under her guidance.
Aheesh Nagraj
Parent
My children learned a lot from Ms. Grigoryan. The lessons with her are so much fun. Her warm affection and love of music are great for children to grow up with. She is a treasure!
Yoshiko S.
Parent
I am so lucky and glad to have met Dr. Shahbazyan. She is a great teacher, and she helped me to get much better at playing the cello. I am so happy to have been taking her lessons and so thankful to her.
Chinatsu
Student
My son has been taking piano lessons (first in-person, then online) with Dr. Amiryan since the age of 5. Under Dr. Amiryan’s pedagogy, my son’s piano foundation, techniques and musical abilities have been improved and developed exceptionally. Dr. Amiryan’s teaching tailors specifically to my son’s level and simultaneously challenges him to the next level. In addition, her comprehensive teaching includes a wide variety of techniques, repertoire, and music theory foundation and knowledge. Under Dr. Amiryan’s dedication, patience, and guidance, she prepares and assists my son to pass ABRSM Grade 3 (piano theory and performance; both passed with Distinction), Grade 4 and Grade 6 (piano performance passed with Distinction) exams. Furthermore, Dr. Amiryan gives my son opportunities to develop performing skills in front of the audience at bi-annual recitals. I am very excited to witness my son’s piano skills and techniques have been improved and grown exponentially and with confidence. Dr. Amiryan offers the highest levels of instructions and goes above and beyond to help a student grow and succeed.
Judy T.
Parent
My voice teacher Ms. Schaeffer is exceptional. She has a deep understanding of technique and a passion for music. Her guidance has greatly improved my vocal skills and confidence. I highly recommend her to anyone seeking to enhance their singing abilities.
Arvin Gholami
Student
It has been a fantastic six years learning from Ms. Grigoryan. I enjoyed every moment and she has been an absolutely wonderful teacher. I gained lots of knowledge and experience through her lessons. Her analogies for certain techniques or style were my favorite part and really helped me understand what to do. I will always be thankful to her for everything she has done for me.
Karl L.
Student
Ms. Tatev Amiryan has a special ability to communicate her vast theoretical and practical knowledge of music to young students in a comprehensible and enjoyable way. Due to a fantastic memory she comes to our two children’s lessons with clear ideas of what she wants to see improved from the previous lesson. Also having a professor’s knowledge of musical history, Tatev has been able to find with our children just the pieces that will inspire them personally to practice and challenge them at just the right level. Tatev has helped our older one to write and play her own composition. Tatev can go easily from exploring the theory of seventh chords to discussing the emotional resonance of a composition. Tatev is a great teacher, rigorous and compassionate; and we feel lucky to have her teach our children who adore her.
Donna Jones
Parent & Professor of English, UC Berkeley
I am so thankful for everything Dr. Shahbazyan has done for me all these years. It’s hard to believe that we’ve known each other for about 10 years now. She is seriously the best cello teacher ever! She taught me not only music, but also many important life lessons. From her, I learned that I should put myself out there and always believe in myself. I will always be grateful for her!
Brandon
Student
For my voice teacher Ms. Schaeffer I can only say words of praise. Until now, I have never met a professor who is so good at imparting knowledge and understands every detail of singing technique. Ms. Schaeffer is an exceptional woman who understands about all the things and potential difficulties that are an integral part of the learning process.
Katarina B.
Student
Ms. Grigoryan has been my teacher and mentor for the last 13 years. She has watched me grow and I have learned by her side. It is hard to imagine not having my weekly lessons with her. The skills I learned from her will undoubtedly help me in college and beyond. I hope one day to travel to hear her play at one of her concerts in Europe!
Elodie S.
Student
As a teacher Ms. Amiryan brings so much of her own creativity and talent to her students. My son learned so much from her, and benefitted from the way she taught. She always arrived to class with prepared, customized lessons specially for him. She’s an absolute professional with so much teaching experience, and she really cares about her students.
Jennifer Fujita
Parent
Tatev is gifted in both her musical talents as well as in her teaching abilities. My daughter started taking piano lessons from her at the age of 5 and we feel fortunate to have Tatev as her first teacher. She is skilled in keeping her students engaged and focused during lessons while keeping it fun. Tatev is incredibly patient and cares deeply for her students, and she is very passionate in music and teaching.
Ron S.
Parent
We love learning piano with Dr. Shahbazyan. She is a truly special, understanding, and talented teacher and we really appreciate the passion and the care with which she teaches. We are so thankful to Dr. Shahbazyan everything!
Felicia
Parent
Our family is so lucky to have found Ms. Grigoryan as our violin teacher. We are thankful for her offer of kindness, enthusiasm, knowledge and unconditional support, and for sharing her love of music with us. We can’t wait to see the progress ahead in the new year.
Christine H.
Parent
Working with Tatev has always been a joy and I have learned a lot from her critical advice. The first time I got to know Tatev was at the Summer Composition Workshop at University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music where she was my composition mentor. Under her supervision and musical expertise I grew a lot as a composer and a musician. Tatev shows no boundaries when it comes to her traditional Armenian, contemporary, and classical background and never ceases to surprise me with her music.
D’Anthoni Wooten
Composition Student
I started taking piano lessons with Tatev just six months ago with zero background on music. Since then, everyone says how much progress I have made, and I believe Tatev played an important role towards my learning and my progress. She is very knowledgeable and humble. Though the meetings are over Zoom due to pandemic, she easily catches any wrong notes I play and any issues with my piano playing. She is very dedicated to the lesson time as well as my progress. She also has let me select some of the pieces I really love and has helped me play them. Tatev is a great and eager-to-teach instructor.
G. Aalipour
Piano student
Dr. Shahbazyan has been such an outstanding teacher and I have learned so much from her all these years. She is an amazing person who truly cares about her students and has been so helpful to me over the years. I will always remember her advice to follow my dreams. Thank you for everything!
Sonya
Student
Ms. Grigoryan is an amazing violin teacher. She is good at fixing little details and making sure I am having fun with the violin. She is so funny and fun to talk to. And she is so, so good at playing the violin.
Lauren P.
Student
As a child, I’ve always wanted to play the piano but never got the chance, so I started taking piano lessons at age 35 with 0 musical background with Tatev. The results have been nothing short of amazing. Tatev helped me build a strong foundation to not only be able to read sheet music, but also be able to play pieces while feeling the music and giving a huge focus on the meaning of the pieces while playing them. Tatev has made it a strong focus for me to pick up good habits from the beginning with proper finger shapes for instance, and was never rushing me to play fast as long as my technique was weak and helped me progress in playing better over time. I was very proud to do my first recital after only one year of taking lessons and totally exceeded my own expectations! All of that thanks to Tatev believing in me and her dedication in teaching me the best possible principles in playing the piano from day one.
T. Zitouni
Piano student
Ms. Amiryan is the most efficient piano teacher I have ever had. She is highly professional and skillful. Through her lessons I acquired not only decent piano technique and performing skills but also solid music theory background and general musical literacy. I learned so much from her.
Christine Rinck, Ph.D
Piano Student
Mrs. Grigoryan is an awesome teacher who always puts others’ best interests first. She has done a lot for her students. I have learned so much from her!
Abbey H.
Student
We are so lucky to have such a fine teacher, and an amazing cellist as our daughter’s cello teacher for all these years. As she moves on to college, we know that Dr. Shahbazyan gave her a great foundation and knowledge in music that we are so thankful for!
The Goldmans
Parents