My teaching method includes: Individual approach, thorough evaluating of the students' natural music gifts and their desires and expectations from lesson. Patience, encouragement, wit, hope, and confidence.
About Anna P.
I hold a Master's degree in Piano Pedagogy and Music Theory and History. I established my own teaching method that is based on European classical teaching tradition. I am familiar with most of the American piano teaching methods and use their achievements in my teaching widely.
Personally, I am kind but demanding. My students thrive fast and steady.
Reviews
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We arrived to Anna after my son took piano lessons elsewhere with little progress. My son is interested in music, but lacked the confidence to push through skills he found challenging. This has changed under Anna’s direction, and our son is making excellent progress. We find Anna to be extremely knowledgeable and competent, and her passion for piano shows. Anna is patient and gentle, but she will undoubtedly push your child to do their best. She will get to know your child to determine their interests and work with them to achieve their goals. Highly recommended!

I have taken lessons with Anna since I was seven years old (currently age 18). I began knowing nothing about the piano or music theory. Neither of my parents can play the piano. I was a beginner in every sense of the word. Now, I have not only a deep love and appreciation for music, but also an advanced musical capacity and repertoire. I have played pieces from a variety of styles and time periods, from Claude Debussy to Mozart to Hadyn to jazz and contemporary. I was able to have a personal high school senior recital and share this love and talent with others. In high school, I completed a music theory and composition course with ease.
I cannot recommend Anna enough. Her dedication and patience is unparalleled and she cares so deeply for her students. She is methodical, attentive, thoughtful, and is an absolute hidden gem of a teacher. Anna opened a world of music to me and I don’t think I can ever truly express how much that means to me. Not only am I a better musician because of her, but I’m also a better person. Her attention to detail and passion have challenged the way that I approach work and hobbies beyond just music.
Anna is particularly skilled as an educator. Beyond simply giving information for students to practice or memorize, she helps them apply the concepts to real musical pieces, guiding them along the way. Her calm but advanced method of teaching helps students advance quickly through musical concepts.
Over the past eleven years, I have spent literally hundreds of hours with Anna honing my craft. If anyone has seen the extent of her talent as a teacher, I’d like to think it’s me.
Five stars out of five stars. Always.

We are not going back for lessons with Anna. My daughter found her unfriendly and intimidating. Anna wasn’t very good about communicating with us. She finally sent an email to me on the day of the lesson. I felt she was rude. I’m glad she could not accommodate us. We were going to cancel appointments with her. My daughter is very shy. We will be looking for piano lessons elsewhere.
My daughter is a little intimidated. I’m hoping she softens up a bit

Three of my children take piano lessons with Anna and they have been thriving under instruction for almost five years. My husband and I have seen our children grow in their dedication, diligence, and love of piano during this time. We are immensely pleased with their progress and how Anna gently, but firmly, continues to push them to develop their repertoire and skills. We can't recommend her highly enough!

Miss Anna has been teaching our daughter for over three years. She is a very dedicated teacher who cares a lot about our daughter’s advancement. She is very nice, and gentle, but knows how to motivate her students to work harder. Our daughter enjoys this, because she feels that Miss Anna really cares, and the results are obvious. In the past three years our daughter’s technique has improved tremendously.

I definitely recommend Mrs. Petkova for a piano lesson. My daughter loves to have a piano lesson with her. She went home practice every day by herself and she also can play a lots a song just after 3 lessons.

I started with Anna several weeks ago. The progress made has been substantial. Her patience and classical training background find a good balance between fun & enjoyable with just enough push. I would recommend her to either the novice or someone looking to pick it up again.

Awesome teacher, will really push you to be better!

Our son began lessons in the spring and he has progressed rapidly under Anna's guidance. He looks forward to his lessons with her. She is very patient, but also challenges him. My husband and I are very pleased with her methods. We strongly recommend her.

My son Jean-David, who was then 10 years old, took lessons with Anna during six months (the duration of our stay in South Bend) and he had much pleasure to follow these lessons and practise the piano every day. Anna made him play various styles of music and she corrected him well. Even if Jean-David knew only a few words in English (we are Swiss and he was used to speak French), he could understand what she explained. Anna had expactations, but she was also encouraging and friendly. I recommend her warmly.

I'm learning a musical instrument for the first time ever, at the young age of 43! I love working with Anna, she has made this a wonderful experience for me. Very informative, learning to read music and positioning my hands correctly. I have been taking lessons with Anna for 3.5 months now, she gives me just enough push out of my comfort zone to expand my piano learning.

I am learning to play the piano for the first time ever, at the young age of 43! Anna makes learning a wonderful experience. I've only been going one time a week for about 3.5 months and I'm loving it. Anna is a very pleasant instructor. I would recommend her to anyone, have I said I'm loving learning!

Anna was a great piano instructor. I had never had experience playing any instrument and I started lessons with her at the age of 23. She was encouraging, well-educated, and continued to push me out of my comfort zone. I saw good improvement in my playing ability. She was always willing to work with my unpredictable schedule which was very helpful. I would recommend Anna to anyone, at any level, looking to improve their piano performance.

Ana has actively pursued finding a method of study for me that will progress me to new levels of understanding and playing. I have a non-traditional form of playing, and Ana has developed a sense for that and is steering my practice and lessons in a direction that will help me to capitalize on my strengths. She has also has kept a keen eye out for technique correction that are universal in their benefit. Recommended!
As an adult, I often dreamed of returning to the piano, having played for only a couple years as a youngster. Starting lessons again with Anna is a true joy. She opens up the beauty of the music and is gifted at shaping my technique to avoid bad habits and to help me progress. In one year I've come a long way. I'm especially pleased to learn I can be musically expressive even at my relatively low level of technical skill.
Anna is a disciplined artist who embraces me at my level, and my life is enriched.

Anna is a very thorough and dedicated piano teacher. She is committed to providing her students with good instruction.

Our son has been with with Anna for three years. He looks forward to his lesson each week and has steadily improved. Anna is a skilled teacher who connects personally with each of her students. A rare find.

Anna Petkova has been teaching my son play piano for the past three years. He started playing since the age of five. Anna has been playing a crucial role in my son's love of music. Anna has been studying and playing piano professionally and her teaching program reflects her knowledge of music. She develops her students based on their skills, talents and desire to learn. She is patient, very positive and encouraging. Anna personalizes her lessons based on a child's preference and interests in particular musical pieces so that children are personally vested in the success. My son's talent in playing piano blossomed for the past three years due to the awesome teacher that we have!! I would highly recommend Anna Petkova to anyone considering taking piano lessons.

Anna is a splendid teacher for students of all levels. She has a deep understanding of theory and performance, a command of all periods from baroque to contemporary and her demonstrations of the pieces are a joy to hear.

Anna is a talented pianist and teacher. We have worked with her for seven years and our children have grown into beautiful musicians and music lovers. Anna meets children where they are at but always pushes her students to be the best they can be. She finds compelling music that each individual child is interested in and motivates in kind and caring ways.

Anna Petkova is a wonderful piano teacher. She is talented and patient, and she encourages, challenges, and supports her students as they learn, grow, and improve. Highly recommended!
Photos & Videos
13 Photos & VideosExperience
piano insructor
Aug 2013 - PresentPrivate piano studio, South Bend, IN
church pianist/organist/accompanist substitute
Jun 2000 - PresentSt.Joseph county, IN
piano instructor
Sep 2006 - Jul 2013University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame IN
piano insructor
Sep 1985 - Oct 1999Private piano studio, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
piano instructor, accompanist
Sep 1975 - Jun 1985School of Arts, Moscow, Russia
Education
Master's in Piano and Music Theory and History
Sep 1973 - Jul 1981Leningrad State Conservatoire, Russia
Piano and Music Theory and History
Sep 1969 - Jul 1973The Gnessins' State Music College, Moscow, Russia
Piano performance
Sep 1958 - Jun 1967P. Tchaikovsky Music school, Moscow district, Russia
Languages
English, Russian, Bulgarian
Professional Proficiency
Russian
Fluent / Native Proficiency
Certifications
Master's Degree in Music: Piano and Music Theory and History
Jun 1981Leningrad State Conservatoire, Russia
Affiliations
Music Teachers National Association
Sep 2016South Bend Area Music Teachers Association
Sep 2016Let Our Student Counselors Help You
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