Testimonials

Mary Jean Hurst

"I have had the good fortune of taking piano lessons from Nadia Ilardi since November 2004 and recommend her highly to anyone who is considering taking instruction. She is an amazingly accomplished pianist who is well versed in teaching methods and who does an impressive job of identifying piano techniques that need to be addressed and then pushing her students to master them.

Nadia's personality includes a nice blend of respect, humor, and, at the same time, rigidity that helps to encourage her students to new skill levels. I thoroughly enjoy my weekly lessons with her and always find the music pieces on which we are working challenging and fun.

Please feel free to give me a call at the number shown above if you would like to talk in person about Nadia's teaching ability. I personally think she is terrific."

Ivan Gavrilovic

"This is a letter of recommendation for Ms. Nadia Ilardi. who is an outstanding piano and musical theory teacher, totally dedicated to having her students play as capably as they can and fully enjoying what they play.

Nadia works extremely effectively with children or adults. I am a retired person, who wanted to improve his piano playing and music reading skills. Nadia has worked with me for the past year to develop and enhance these skills. As far as my personal objectives were concerned, Nadia focused on my musical interests, which were more in the jazz than in the classical idiom. She also understood my potential and made adjustments for my limitations.

Thanks to her, I was able to achieve a level of playing coordination that would not have been possible without her help.

She is an excellent tutor and a motivator. She demands a lot of herself and of her pupils. Yet, she is also very patient and she is willing to spend as much time as is necessary get quality results on a specific passage or on an entire piece of play.

I am very grateful to Nadja for her help, and I can highly recommend her to adults who want to learn or improve their play, as well as to parents with younger children who need special training and coaching. I can also add that, apart from being an excellent teacher, Nadia is also a very pleasant person to work with which makes the learning experience enjoyable and worthwhile."

Timothy K. Johnston

"Nadia Ilardi has been instructing my children and me with piano lessons for this past year, and 1 would personally like to recommend her to anyone considering piano lessons.

My children are ages 8, 10, and 13. The older two have had another piano teacher in the past, and I have had several different instructors during my youth. When we discovered Nadia (also through a personal referral), I decided to take up the piano again after many years of neglect. The fact that Nadia is willing to come to our home makes it even easier to arrange. Rather than all of us having to wait through the other's lessons, we are able to enjoy our own home environment while waiting our turns.

Nadia is obviously talented. She has a full command of the keyboard, with a wide range of musical abilities. Her many years of training become clearly visible when she is instructing. Nadia communicates just as easily with my youngest child as she does with me. Also, our lessons are tailored to our ages, interests and abilities. This is not "one method fits all" instruction.

It is my hope that we will be able to continue with Nadia for many years to come. I can recommend her without reservation."

Michael C. Tillotson

"I am writing this letter as an encouragement to all who are thinking of taking piano lessons from Nadia Ilardi. Nadia has been my daughter's instructor for over 6 months, and I couldn't be more pleased. In fact I recently began taking lessons as well because I was so impressed with Nadia's abilities as an instructor. Finally, after wanting to take lessons for many many years I am doing so. I really appreciate Nadia's philosophy of teaching. She teaches not only the basics such as reading notes and so forth, but combines theory as well. This leads to a deeper understanding of the piano, and I think makes learning easier in the long run. She uses commercial instructional manuals but goes outside those manuals as well, incorporating various pieces that are simply beautiful when played. Nadia has a real passion for the piano that comes across in her teaching. 1 like the fact that she makes it fun for my daughter but can also be very serious with her as well. She pushes my daughter to new levels with encouragement and discipline. Needless to say, I cannot say enough about Nadia as a teacher. I love hearing my daughter play the pieces she has learned thus far, It is pure joy to my soul."

Tamara Ghosh

"My daughter Olympia loves Nadia. Nadia understands children, the way they look at music, the way they hear music. Because of Nadia, Olympia loves to practice and loves to perform."

Sandy Lenthall

"Sixty years ago, I studied piano and spent most of my time creating excuses why I hadn't practiced my lesson. Having our family piano encouraged me to consider trying again. This experience is totally different and I confess that I wonder what my piano playing would be like if I had studied with someone like Nadia many years ago. I am delighted to be taking lessons now: see my progress, hear my mistakes and my accomplishments and highly recommend Nadia as an excellent, caring and professional teacher. With thanks, Sandy Lenthall."

Cherokee J. Baer

"When I moved to Williamsburg, I was very fortunate to have found Nadia as my piano teacher. As an adult, looking for the right piano teacher has always been a challenge; having gone through three piano teachers in the past. With Nadia’s dedication, knowledge, passion and professionalism; she motivates and inspires me to learn how to play the piano the correct way. I have been taking lessons from Nadia for over two years and I cannot say enough about my experience. I actually finish songs before going to a new one; what a concept!! I have developed bad habits over the years and Nadia has gone to great lengths to correct them. Nadia is an excellent teacher who is caring, encouraging, very patient and understanding. It is a joy to have Nadia as my piano teacher. Nadia understands exactly where you are and where you are going and encourages you to keep going even if you’re down on yourself. She is an accomplished pianist and musician who is well versed in teaching methods and does an impressive job of identifying piano techniques and ensuring understanding. The mediocre teacher tells students how to play, but Nadia explains, demonstrates, motivates and inspires; all the signs of a superior teacher. I would highly recommend Nadia; she always has a cheerful approach and is an all-around wonderful teacher and person."

Nicki Peet

"Since 2005 I have been studying piano with the Nadia School of Music. For the past two years, I have studied with Natalia and have found her to be an excellent teacher. Under her guidance I have progressed well. I feel I have good handle on playing with subtlety. My music sounds much prettier to me (and hopefully to others, as well) than ever before. She helps me to understand the dynamics of the music adding to the proficiency of my playing. I would recommend her as a teacher to anyone. She brings out the best in me."

D. Walls

"Teaching piano to four boys is not an easy task. I needed to find a teacher who can work with children that have different learning styles. Ms. Natalia has met this challenge with ease. My children enjoy each lesson with her. She is the type of teacher who sets the bar high for each child, and helps them reach it. Piano has not been easy for all of my boys however, each one has excelled. Ms. Natalia uses every minute of a child’s lesson to the fullest extent. She equips the boys with practice on scales, musical concepts and appropriate songs, helping them reach the next level. Our family has been with Ms. Natalia for two years, from the beginning she has worked with us as a team. It is amazing how Ms. Natalia loves teaching piano, when our lesson time is over you can see how Ms. Natalia would want to stay and teach the boys more things. She has even taken extra time to help us prepare for competitions. With Ms. Natalia as their teacher our boys have been able to receive high ratings. I highly recommend Ms. Natalia as a piano teacher for any child or adult."

Dr. and Mrs. Michael Lilly

"Marina is an exceptionally patient and caring piano teacher. We had to move out of the area, and she will be greatly missed!"

Kelly Orrell

"We love Nadia! Our entire family has benefited from her piano lessons. She has enriched our lives via music. Her teaching style is extraordinary. From using proper technique to playing music with passion, we have advanced quickly in our playing and our understanding of music. I look forward to every lesson!"

Bobbie Stilwell

"Being a military family, our daughter has had several piano teachers over the years. After moving to Virginia, it took us two years to find a piano teacher that was able to understand Savannah’s level of music ability and challenge her to start at that level and move forward. Natalia is very talented in music and really wants to share her talent with her students. She is very interested in her students and encouraging to them as she challenges them to play at a level that will raise their skill level. We have been very pleased with Natalia as Savannah’s piano teacher."