“I have thoroughly enjoyed my lessons with Oksana.  I’m an adult learner, and I’ve been taking lessons with her for almost 2 years.  She is a top notch, passionate and professional musician who takes the time with each of her students very seriously.  You will know that she cares about your success, and she will give you every resource she’s got.  I have taken lessons from a variety of teachers over the years for different instruments (I’m one of those people that has tried just about everything, but didn’t get very far).  No teacher has ever come anywhere near the quality of Oksana’s teaching.  Not even close. It’s another level.  Let’s put it this way — I feel like I’m finally learning how to be an effective musician.  I am not only learning how to be disciplined and professional, but also how to have fun with it as well.  I am starting to understand what really matters, how to effectively practice, and how to solve problems.  She uses a variety of analogies to simplify and help you understand concepts.  She is extremely honest and will let you know what she thinks and sees.  She will also demonstrate how to play techniques and phrases and will do everything she can to ensure you understand.  I feel like I’m in the best of hands with her guidance, and my love of the cello gets stronger every day because I’m making progress and starting to really hear what this instrument can do. It’s exciting. We are so fortunate to have Oksana here in our area!  If you have any interest in cello, don’t look anywhere else.  She is the real deal.”

- Mark -

"My 14-year-old daughter came to Oksana 2 years ago with a background in piano and a strong desire to learn how to play the cello. Oksana has done a wonderful job in keeping that passion alive as she still looks forward to every lesson and enthusiastically practices her cello without me ever having to “remind” her. I believe Oksana has been able to keep my daughter fully engaged by her gentle guidance, patience and belief in my daughter’s musical abilities. Oksana’s teaching style is one of positive reinforcement with the expectation of seeing continued growth in each student. My daughter has developed tremendous respect and admiration for Oksana and wants to work hard to exceed her expectations. It is clear that Oksana connects with her students and genuinely wants to see them excel and exude confidence. She has been a light in my daughter’s life, and we are so grateful to have found her."

- Stephanie -

As I write, it has been a little over four months since I began taking cello lessons with Oksana.  Like many people, I have always enjoyed the sound of the cello, but I had never seriously considered learning how to play, until ….  In my case, an opportunity to make a start presented itself when my daughter decided that the demands of her college studies would keep her from her lessons and practice for a semester, so she would leave her instrument at home, her lesson time open.  I then thought, well, here is a cello and an instructor—the only thing missing is the student!  With the appropriate conversations (and with thanks to Oksana for welcoming me as an adult beginner and to my daughter for loaning me her cello), it began for me.  And it began from the beginning, really.  How to remove the cello form its case, how to adjust the endpin, how to sit with the instrument, left hand position, one string at a time, plucking, then a beginning with the bow.  Hey, this is actually quite fun!  Somehow Oksana is able to draw from the centuries-long tradition of cello playing and from her own mastery and experience just that next small thing that the student needs for continuing progress, for gradual but challenging learning.  I sometimes think I should have started, one way or another, a long time ago.  Anyway, I hope to keep going now.

- Steve -

"We love Mrs. Oksana!! My daughter has taken Cello lessons for 8 months now and has progressed far beyond what I could have hoped under Oksana's instruction. My husband and I are so grateful for Jadyn to have the opportunity to benefit from Oksana's years of training and professional experience both in Europe and in the States. Oksana tailors her instruction to meet the student's level, ability, and goals. Jadyn sat for the level one cello exam at just 5 months into her lessons and received top scores. We are so pleased with how she sees potential in our daughter's progress and pushes her to develop further."

Blessings,
- Rachel Cook -

"9 years ago, my son, 7 years old at the time, wanted to start playing the cello after watching a video of someone playing Star Wars. I had heard the cello was a very difficult so I wasn't sure if he would continue but after starting with Oksana, he loved it. We were so lucky to find her! She is very motivating and encouraging and my son improves with every lesson! She is a great teacher and also a very patient teacher, a very important virtue in music teachers. She is not only his teacher now but also my friend."

-Almila-

"I began studying with Oksana about seven months ago. I needed a private teacher to help me prepare to audition to be a cello performance major in college and I came across her card in a coffee shop one day. I have always been subject to stage fright, but at our first lesson Oksana was warm and inviting and seemed genuinely excited to help me achieve my goal. She is never overbearing and harsh and does a great job of making me feel right at home in our lessons. Over the past couple of months I have been very pleased with my progress and I am always counting down the days until I get to go to another session. Oksana has been a wonderful, supportive, and caring instructor and has truly tried many different techniques and teaching styles to find which one best suits my needs. Each lesson has come with a great amount of musical knowledge and demonstrations to help me further my technique while never discouraging me from playing the music from my own heart. She does not simply play a piece and then expect me to copy her performance. She has done an amazing job at helping me develop my own sense of musicality by using analogies that tie the music and instrument into my life specifically. In terms of technique, she has tons of useful exercises that are fun and engaging and make hours of practicing seem like minutes. I am continuing to advance day by day thanks to her guidance and I would encourage anyone (from beginners to students to those who want to play just for their own enjoyment) to be a part of her studio."

-Kelsey-

"I studied with Oksana for only six or seven months, but my growth in both skill and knowledge from her instruction was tremendous! I came to Oksana during one of the most important and most stressful times for a musician, preparation for college auditions. I am very glad that I chose Oksana as my teacher for this difficult process because I truly believe she prepared me better than anyone else could have. She is very hard when she needs to be, but also very relaxed, friendly, and a fun instructor. After my round of auditions, I was chosen as a finalist for the Young Artist Scholarship Competition at Appalachian State University and received a $75000 music scholarship to the University of South Carolina at Columbia as well. Only I can give the true testament that Oksana, above all other instructors, pushed me to my greatest potential. Thank you, Oksana!"

-Claire-

"I decided to start taking cello lessons at the age of 33, as an adult student I knew it would be important to find a teacher with a lot of patience, skill and the ability to push me to not to give up without feeling pressured. Oksana is all of these things, plus she has an incredible background as a musician and teacher. All it took was one meeting for me to feel comfortable with her and after the first lesson I knew I had made an excellent choice. Five months later I am amazed with what she been able to not only teach me, but make me realize about myself. I would recommend her to anyone young or old, beginner or advanced."

 -David Jaffe-