Teaching is about creating the potential for growth. As teachers, we are the tools for our students to use to develop the right way. It is an art form that has many layers from understanding each other to knowing what works and does not. My goal is to teach my students much more than just notes, I want them to become articulate musicians while developing as a person and learning to succeed in their journeys through anything. I like to give my students challenges and opportunities for small successes to build confidence. I make sure they are well-versed in what we are working on and I am ok with being lenient with what music we play and how much we do while setting realistic goals and expectations. In the end, whether we are slowly getting through material or flying through it, we will be making progress
Ivan Gueorguiev has been continuously teaching private piano lessons since November 2011. Growing up in Dallas TX, Ivan graduated from the University of Texas A&M-Commerce in the Spring of 2016 and holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance.
While there, he studied piano with Dr. Luis Sanchez and Organ as a secondary instrument with Dr. Lerie Dellosa. During school while studying, Ivan was still busy teaching private lessons among group lesson classes as well while also accompanying vocal and instrumental students.
Throughout his studies, Ivan has been actively performing at various venues. Some of these performances include fundraisers, Christmas parties, churches, weddings, Steinway Hall, Dallas Meyerson Symphony Hall, as well as accompanying elementary school choir students.
Upon moving to Boston in 2017, Ivan has continued his career focusing on teaching all ages and levels full-time. The students taught would most often be younger teenagers in the beginner to intermediate range as well as teenage to adult students in the advanced level. In 2022, Ivan was a judge for a local merit scholarship competition.
Before arriving in Boston, Ivan met substantial music educators, one of whom was at the Keyboard Wellness Seminars held annually at UNT by Sheila Paige. Her teachings have been an important part of the technical development of his piano playing, focusing on the Alexander Technique and a variation of the Taubman method to learn to play with relaxation and efficiency while avoiding injury. Ivan is always excited to help aspiring musicians of any age or level grow into the artists they want to be and build their passion for music. Ivan's goal is to continue reaching out to students of all levels through the joy of music.
Charlotte Xia graduated with a Masters in Vocal Performance and a Graduate Performance Diploma from Longy School of Music of Bard College (2021) studying with Pamela Dellal (Longy), Christy Turnbow (Boston Conservatory), Sara Bielanski (Berklee), and Ana Guigui (Berklee). Charlotte specializes in teaching a wide range of repertoire including classical, musical theatre, and pop to students of all ages and levels. Originally from Hunan, China, Charlotte has been teaching private and group voice lessons to students since 2014.
With a variety of teaching experience, Charlotte has worked with a program which involved pop star auditions where Charlotte was involved coaching the vocal parts, directing multiple musical theatre shows involving acting and dance choreography, and helping students audition in the local theatre, choir, and band in her city. Coming to the US later in 2018, Charlotte has continued to teach private lessons locally in music schools including School of Rock, Munroe Center for the Arts, and also independently.
As a performer, Charlotte has sung in a variety of venues including operas, musical theatre plays, and choirs. Some of these include the Fujian Grand Theatre, Gulangyu Concert Hall, Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church. Charlotte is a passionate performer and is always ready for new performing opportunities to keep polishing her craft while continuing to share her passion and instill her love of music to future prospective musicians.
My passion is helping my students sing in the healthiest, most expressive, and efficient way possible. The most rewarding experience for me is connecting with my students on a personal level and watching them grow as musicians and people. When I teach, one of the most important things is finding out my student’s goals as soon as I can while getting to know them as this makes learning much more open and the student can gain the most from the lesson. I believe each student is unique and therefore should be approached with teaching based on their personality and goals to help them develop as a musician to the fullest. For the younger students I like to keep the interaction fun and balanced by playing some music games generally more than the adult student. With any student my goal is to help them grow musically while learning to build confidence while singing and performing. I believe learning should be fun and achievable for everyone. Some goal examples I would love to help my students with would be improving their vocal range, vocal agility, and overcoming performance anxiety. With challenges all around us I believe being positive and passing on that energy to those around me is the best way to achieve our goals!