Nora Ayzman

Kimmi Hoang

I feel incredibly blessed to have had Nora's musical influence through out my life. Nora is deeply committed to instilling a deep understanding of music through historical context, music theory as well as the expression of music through her students' connection with music. From Nora's experiences growing up in Russia, her understanding of European history and her natural curiosity for historical culture, her life experiences culminates in the practice room to bring meaning to the music that were written in times of Bach, Beethoven, Schummann, Prokofiev, to the comtemporary. I remember it to be a colorful depiction of what life was like back then, the social revolutionary movements and it's effects on music. She is then able to translate that into the musical notes on the page from form and structure to music progressions to chromatic development to style of playing and articulations. But the most important lesson I learn from her is how to express emotions through music as this is what connects us to the sounds that is being created. Although I have won awards from competitions during Nora teachings, I cannot tell you where those certificates lie but what stays with me in the last 20 years is the love of music, the trained ears for appreciating classical music, the spirit of beauty in the world by valuing music and last but not least the ability to express myself in a deeply satisfying way without using words.

2017-04-07

Katie Dimock

Nora is an amazing teacher. Somtimes it feels like you're not making progress, but then you look back and see just how far you've come. She's really good at pushing you while still being supportive, and it's obvious that she really knows her stuff. She's also very patient and understanding.

2017-04-03

Naomi Ho

Miss Nora puts a lot of emphasis on artistry in playing as well as technique. I feel that she truly believes in me and my abilities as a pianist. She challenges and pushes me to play difficult repetoire. In addition to recitals, Miss Nora provides a lot of chances to perform such as festivals and socials which provide experience for performing in public in a more friendly environment.

2017-03-17