
About
Natalia has performed as a soloist, accompanist, and chamber musician throughout the U.S. and Western Europe in numerous festivals and concerts. She was awarded the Isabella Mebane Piano Performance Scholarship while pursuing her BA in piano performance. She received a Masters of Arts in Teaching Music degree from USC.
Ms. Hudson has over 20 years of experience as a piano performer and music instructor to all ages. In her teaching she believes in teaching proper piano technique and musicianship at an early age. She is a member of the Music Teacher's National Association and participates in Certificate of Merit.
Natalia has studied with some of the great classical artists of our time in Europe and the US with the hope of passing this knowledge and life long love of music to future generations. In fact, the lineage of her teachers can be traced all the way back to Beethoven. Her students have the opportunity to perform in at least two student recitals per year and participate in Certificate of Merit exams if they choose.
Children are innately musical and have an inborn ability to sing and move rhythmically. A great educator fosters and nurtures that ability. Music makes a significant difference in our lives because it communicates meaning through expression of one's self, fostering the ability to think with acuity, to create with imagination, and to feel with compassion. In my teaching, I strive to build a loving, supportive, and enthusiastic learning environment while maintaining high expectations and setting attainable goals in which students will succeed. I believe in teaching mastery of skills, reinforcing proper technique and musicianship from the very first piano lesson. Very thorough in my approach, I provide an individualized, yet comprehensive approach for each student, including instruction in music theory and history, technique, sight-reading, ear training, composition, and performance.
The educational psychologists and educators of the past century emphasized that there is not a "one size fits all" mold for teaching and learning. Therefore, my teaching is exceptionally student-led in that my approach, strategies, and selection of repertoire are dictated by each individual student's needs and learning styles. In individual lessons and within small groups, I tailor the content according to each student's needs, prior learning experiences and ways of thinking.
Educator and violinist, Shinichi Suzuki advocated "a total human education" and emphasized that a student's character must be developed first and foremost. To that endeavor, I am completely dedicated. Music not only teaches self-discipline, perseverance when faced with challenges, and habituates effective learning patterns, but it can also create a great awareness of oneself and a connection with others. Because music embodies our feelings and emotions, students experience empathy, compassion, value and awareness of things greater than themselves, and as a result achieve a higher level of thinking. It is from this basis of thinking, I believe a musician can and will bloom into something greater than that which can be expressed through words.
Reviews
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Frequently asked questions
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
USC, Master of Arts in Teaching Music; CA Teaching Credential
Conservatory, Madrid, Spain, Artist Piano Performance Studies
College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, BA in Piano Performance
Musikgarten Certification
Music for Young Children (MYC) Certification
Lynn Kleiner's Simply Music Rhapsody training