Violin Lessons

Nataly Pogrebetsky

"Dear Nataly, Please accept this note of gratitude and appreciation for the excellent instruction and guidance you provide for Karl Schmidt and Kiara Wijanta. As you may be aware, Karl is a member of the VAM Intermediate Symphony (VAMIS), which I direct and conduct. Kiara has also recently auditioned and been accepted into VAMIS. I am so impressed with the technical foundation and musicianship you have imparted to these two fine students."

Joseph Elworthy, Executive Director Vancouver Academy of Music | S. K. Lee College

 

"Mrs.Natalia is a skillful violin teacher with extensive experience. She is super professional and also very graceful. I highly recommend her for both beginners and advanced students! ."

Dr A. Kraal, professor at UBC

 

"Nataly Pogrebetsky has been a violin teacher of my daughter for the past 5 years.   As well as being an accomplished musician herself, superb player, and a lovely person, Nataly is not just hugely knowledgeable about technique, interpretation and musicality but is also superb at sharing that knowledge in an inspiring way. She is a perfect teacher ."

Svitlana Sidorova

 

"Nataly is a true gem. She is exactly what I was looking for in a teacher for my son. She is “old school” - tough, but kind. She is the violin equivalent of what the Vaganova school is to ballet: exacting, high standards, marvellous tradition, impeccable technique and musicality - with outstanding results. And best of all - she brings the Russian passion to the music! My son has advanced leaps and bounds under her teaching, and she is always encouraging him to be the best he can be ."

Marlene Eaton

 

"Mrs. Nataly is a great violin teacher. She respects her students musical expressions and helps the students to improve their technique to express them. Although my eight-year-old son used to have some technical weaknesses, he could improve them by her and express his music more. In addition, she has good connections with many musicians and gives students wonderful opportunities for musical growth. My son obtained the opportunity to play in a youth orchestra and learns the ensemble now. He is very happy to be in musical world. I'm sure that he is lucky to meet Ms. Nataly! ."

Aoi Hiroyasu

 

"Natalia Pogrebetsky is the most outstanding music teacher for children whom I have ever had the privilege of knowing. As is true of many of the world’s greatest performers and teachers, Natalia is a product of the Russian conservatory system and grew up in Azerbaijan in a highly musical family, members of which played piano and a variety of stringed instruments with great skill. My son, who is eight now, has had the good fortune to have studied violin with her for about three years now, during which period he learned music from scratch but can now play quite difficult pieces by Bach and Handel, an accomplishment which has given him immense pleasure and greatly increased his confidence in his ability to do anything. Natalia loves teaching children how to play the violin, something that is readily apparent when one sees how she radiates joy at hearing a beautiful performance by her students or even a lesson that goes better than usual. Her students adore her; my son’s lessons with her are one of the few events in the week that he always welcomes without exception. Unlike some music teachers I have known, Natalia never intimidates her young pupils, but at the same time she is able to inspire their utmost respect and enable them to perform at the highest level. She is a stickler for detail, which any good teacher is, but she is able to get her students to follow her suggestions without any fuss, and soon after their playing is corrected they can see for themselves the rapid progress that they make. Natalia has a profound knowledge of music, one example of which is the detailed corrections that she makes to musical scores that her students use, improving their fingerings, positions, legato markings, etc. In short, I highly recommend Natalia Pogrebetsky as a teacher for children (and adults). Through her expert guidance, my son has come to appreciate and enjoy performing some of the most beautiful pieces of music ever composed."

J.D. Schmidt, Professor, University of British Columbia

 

"I have known Natalia as a violin teacher since 1998. She was my daughter Anny Chen's violin teacher when she was almost four years old until she was nine years old for five years. My daughter loves her very much. She was always happy to have lesson with her and wished the next lesson could come very soon. So I have to arrange tow lessons a week for my daughter. Natalia has special talent to teach little children.  Even now my daughter is studying in the Royal College of music in London (UK). Her teacher always mention that my daughter had a very good teacher ( Natalia) to help her set up the basic technic for playing violin. She has patient to teach my daughter. She always made her play again and again until everything was correct. She found my daughter's talent of playing violin and suggested my daughter should go to music school. In the age of eight, my daughter passed exam to study in London with full scholarship. She had won many International competitions during the years. We all miss and love Natalia. My daughter thinks she has been so lucky to have a teacher like her. "

Jui-Pin Chang (mother of Anny Chen) Internationally recognized Artist-painter

 

"I am a mother of two and have had a dream of playing violin since childhood. Before I came to Nataly, I had been learning violin for one year, struggling with those stickers on the fingerboard for kid beginners. Nataly encouraged me to get rid of the stickers and within a few weeks, I was able to play with my ears instead of my eyes. By doing so, I progress faster and enjoy playing violin more. She tailors every lesson to individual student's music talents, age, and needs. Like what the great Chinese educator Confucius once said, "teach students in accordance with their aptitude." Not only does Nataly focus on proper postures and solid technical foundation, but she also adds a great deal of emotional intensity to the music. Although strict during the lesson, she encourages and cares for the students, and thus, our lessons always end with joy. Besides violin, Nataly often shares her insights about music. Through her, I get to know so many musicians and their wonderful music pieces that have enriched my daily life. If my kids want to learn violin in the near future, Nataly will definitely be our first choice. ."

Ally Chen

 

"I met Nataly after I took some violin lessons at a music academy. I was surprised at how much she knew about music and how much she taught me in comparison with my other teacher. I would definitely recommend Nataly to anyone who wants to learn how to play and enjoy a violin. "

Ester (student)

 

"I have had the rare opportunity to work with Mrs. Pogrebetsky both as a parent of an eager five year old boy and as an adult student. She has a balanced, multi-disciplined approach which adapts as the student explores the instrument's possibilities.Both my son and I progressed quickly and continue to enjoy our time spent with Mrs. Progrebetsky.I highly recommend her for any age, any skill level. ."

Marc Whaley - Director, Operations. SoMA Research - Vancouver, B.C.

 

"I first moved to Vancouver several years ago to work in film. Along with a new city, I was chasing new dreams and following new ambitions. I decided to rekindle an old ambition, the violin. Having played the violin for several years as a child as well as having a musical background, I was a little anxious about re learning the instrument. When I first met Nataly she was very welcoming, encouraging, accommodating and patient. She quickly recognized my strengths and helped me through my weaknesses. Her hands-on approach to teaching has helped me grasp the complexity of the violin on not only an intellectual level, but also a physical one. I found that I have improved quite dramatically, and at a faster pace, over the last year I have been her student. She has shown me a different side of this instrument that I don’t think I would have ever seen with another tutor. Nataly is a gifted musician, and wonderful mentor. ."

Shayna Banaag - VFX Production Coordinator.

 

"Mrs. Nataly is a very professional and dedicated violin teacher.
She not only teaches but she also cares for you.
She strict and serious when training us for competitions but she is fun and humorous when sharing interesting stories after class. I really enjoy her lessons."

Lynn Jin (student)

 

"Natalia is professional and cares about the progress of her students. I have been with her for many years and during my time with her, I noticed that I improved my violin playing a lot faster than before. Through her, I began to realize that playing music is not only about merely playing the note, but rather, the message behind the notes. Overall, Natalia is a very dedicated and exceptional violin teacher."

Alice Wang (student)

 

"I came to Nataly Pogrebetsky as an adult student. I was unable to read sheet music or even hold a violin. Her hands on instruction and methods have brought me to a place where I am comfortable playing in front of my friends and family after only two years. She is an incredibly caring and dedicated teacher. Anyone is lucky to study with her. "

Emily Elias, Journalist (student )

 

" Mrs. Nataly Pogrebetsky has played an instrumental part in my child's growth and much improvement in her violin playing skills. Mrs. Pogrebetsky style of teaching is disciplined and focused which compliments well with my child's learning behavior. We appreciate her years of experience, knowledge and expertise. "

Noelle Wijanta

 

" I came to Nataly Pogrebetsky a few years ago as an almost 50yr old wife and working mother of 4 (now teenagers) with a dream to learn to play the violin. With no previous experience or knowledge of music, I was patiently guided on the most amazing journey. Nataly is exceedingly patient and has the gift of being able to discern what each of her students – regardless of age or experience – need to become successful violinists. Nataly is a gifted musician that has high standards and the tenacity to ensure that her students successfully grasp each concept within a lesson both intellectually and physically. I love my lessons with Nataly that seem to go far too quickly. I have even come to a point of ability that I love to practice. I am exceedingly grateful to her for opening a world to me that I never thought I would experience. My children are also very grateful to Nataly for quickly bringing me past the scratching bow and the ill placed fingers that made listening to me practice a once painful experience."

Connie Ens – RN @ BC Children’s Hospital