Isabel holds an Honour’s Bachelor degree from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Education from OISE/UT (Intermediate and Senior Divisions). She is a member of the Ontario College of Teachers and a registered teacher at the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM).
Isabel grew up in Poland, where she spent her childhood in state-run music schools, which are famous for their selectivity of talented students, and rigorous training in all aspects of music education. After arriving in Canada she studied at the RCM before entering the University of Toronto. Her notable teachers were Irena Rybicka in Poland, and Gordon Hallett in Canada.
After more than 25 years of teaching music, Isabel has gained a wealth of experience. She has taught piano and theory to very young children, adolescents, and adults alike. She also worked with children with learning and physical disabilities (including deaf children), and has taught music theory and music history classes. Today, she teaches at her own private studio where she places emphasis on developing each student’s fullest potential. This begins with a focus on establishing an excellent technical foundation, correct hand position, phrase development, and critical listening skills. When taught correctly, these basic, but crucial elements, allow students the freedom to progress quickly and enjoy the challenges of learning new repertoire, and the new language that is music. Her students discover that music is a communication device for emotions and feelings that are impossible to express verbally but become attainable through the subtleties of musical expression. They also learn how to be patient with themselves when meeting new difficulties, and they learn that focus is the most critical element of intellectual learning. They learn that beauty is found in the little details that take the longest to master. They carry these lessons into all the facets of their lives, which help them become better students in all subjects they study in the future.
After so many years of teaching, Isabel has learned that through teaching music she reaches students on a much deeper level. Many years later her former students, many of whom became doctors, lawyers, engineers, and teachers themselves, return to visit her and express their gratitude for the impact the piano lessons have had on their lives.
In the beginning of her teaching career, Isabel sent her students to the RCM for annual exams to provide an attainable goal and a very good reference point of students’ progress for their parents. Today, Isabel’s students take these exams periodically to establish a formal benchmark, but these form only a portion of the overall learning process. She prefers to introduce students to the technical challenges and the beauty of music and piano repertoire that is not often covered by the requirements of the RCM exams. This is a much more challenging approach to teaching but it takes students on a path, on which they discover that practicing difficult music is an easier task when you fall in love with the beautiful melodies and gorgeous harmonies that your own fingers can produce and your own heart can understand. Students are often surprised that, while working on a particular piece, they experience a stir of emotions that they never knew they were capable of experiencing, and moreover, with dedicated practice, they are able to communicate them to their teacher as much as to the other members of their audience.
The fusion of both traditions: the best practices of technical foundation and the sensitivity to sound of the Polish Piano School, and the best of North American approach to pedagogy and didactic education, have helped Isabel to produce piano performers that are appreciated by most, including RCM examiners.
As for the RCM exams, getting high 90s in the early grades at RCM, although an accomplishment in itself, it is generally expected of my students. Getting the same marks in grade 8, 9 and 10 is an accomplishment for which we strive throughout the years we work together. When this happens it is a true accomplishment.
In the meantime, Isabel prefers that her students speak for her work and for her philosophy of teaching through their performances, so please listen to some of the recordings and decide if you would like your child to join Isabel’s studio in the joy of discovery of making music.
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