Testimonials
"Dr. Dorozhkina is an absolutely fantastic piano teacher! She teaches not only basic piano skills, but the intricacies of music. This includes playing the right notes, but also, just as important, she teaches you to make quality sounds. That is something that only the best teachers will teach. She has helped me become a capable pianist, with continuous improvement. I cannot recommend her enough."
"Two themes have anchored my learning as her student. First is that hearing and listening are paramount - she has emphasized this in various ways. She has encouraging me to imagine the sounds I am trying to make when I play. She draws my attention to dynamics when I am doing technical exercises. She has helped me find motivations for the musicality of a piece, whether it is a story, the melodic emphasis, or a certain rhythmic drive. She has highlighted opportunities for me to listen to performances at local recitals and master classes.
Elena’s studio instruction draws from a variety of methods, and she has found ways to help me overcome whatever difficulty I am having: sometimes with verbal correction and coaching, sometimes with physical guidance, sometimes by demonstration on the keyboard, sometimes by our playing together. And she has provided these lessons effectively even when we have had to meet over Zoom.
With her emphasis on attention to the sounds that I create, and her guidance on technical foundations, my playing has advanced immeasurably in my short time as her pupil. Her lessons have also encouraged and complemented my efforts to learn more about piano music, composers and pianists from reading and on-line courses. Without hesitation, I recommend her as a teacher for anyone like me, who wishes to learn to play late in life. "
