Matova Music School

Hands down the best piano teacher in Chambana! I'm a 30+ y.o. first-time learner, and was quite intimidated and skeptical about my ability to learn any instrument at first. Nelly is the perfect teacher, having decades of experience playing herself at a very high level, experience in teaching adults (which is not the same as kids!), and being just so much fun to learn this exciting instrument with, and music in general.

Her patience is remarkable, and she always has a trick up her sleeve to help me get over those small bumps in the road.

I'd recommend to anyone.

I have been a student at the Matova Music School for over a year now and it has been a wonderful experience. I look forward to it every week. She teaches everyone from young children to older adults and is able to tailor each lesson to not only challenge you but develop your skillset. Can't recommend her enough!

I have had an incredible experience with my lessons! I started lessons during my junior year at UIUC and have continued since. I played piano competitively throughout school, but my skills had become pretty rusty throughout college. Dr. M caters lessons perfectly to my skill level and level of free time I have to practice as a college student. I would highly recommend!!

Dr. Matova's piano lessons have been an incredible experience over the past year. As a Physics graduate student at UIUC, I embarked on this musical journey for enjoyment, and it's been a delightful adventure. Dr. Matova's patient and supportive teaching style, coupled with her guidance in enhancing the musicality of each piece, has made the experience outstanding.I highly recommend her to anyone seeking an outstanding and personalized piano education with Dr. Matova.

For a kid who knew nothing about piano, but has managed to pick it up quite well in just the last year and change -- credit goes to our son, but just as much goes to Dr. Matova. Her patience, knowledge, and ability to tailor the lesson to match our son's abilities have made quite the impact on our son's piano education. We also appreciate her flexibility, as we often have to reschedule lessons to accommodate our schedule. We highly recommend Dr. Matova to anyone looking to take piano lessons.

My goals when I started taking lessons with Dr. Matova included learning proper technique, playing some classical pieces, and most importantly (to me) being able to play Beatles music. With her skillful, patient guidance I have met those goals and then some. No matter your level Dr. Matova will help you improve your musicality and bring the joy of making music into your life!

My son (nine years old) is a student at Dr. Matova Music School. Sure, the lessons can be demanding, but he always looks forward to his weekly piano lesson. Dr. Matova starts the lessons by reviewing last week’s material before she moves on to new material. She cares for her students and has been very accommodating the few times we have had to reschedule the lessons. Dr. Matova is a good teacher, and I can highly recommend her music school. Best, Snorre

Dr. Matova is very passionate, patience and professional. I am a beginner, started around half a year ago and have been enjoying the lessons so far.
As a graduate student at UIUC (non-music major), it is also nice to be able to work at my own pace and Dr. Matova gives the right amount of practice that makes learning piano enjoyable.
I would recommend!

Dr. Matova is an expert teacher. I began taking piano lessons with her while I was a graduate student in music at UIUC. I decided to learn piano to help with my other musical studies, and Dr. Matova was able to tailor our lessons to fit my needs––that meant working largely on piano technique and sightreading skills over musical fundamentals. She was able to meet me where I was and help me develop my keyboard skills faster than I ever could have on my own. After three months of regular lessons (and a lot of personal practice time) I noticed a significant improvement in how quickly I was able to read scores and play accompaniment parts. My lessons with Dr. Matova were one of the best investments I made during my studies.

I was self learning during the pandemic but developed wrong techniques and hit a wall. Since earlier in 2021, taking lessons from Dr. Matova has been fantastic. She carefully guided me to improve my technical problems and with her patient approach I see significant improvements both in playing the piano as well as reading. Dr. Matova is a great teacher, very knowledgeable and would recommend her to everyone especially grown ups who want to get in to the hobby.

My daughter has been taking piano lessons for 5 years, and Dr. Nelly has been instructing her for the last year. In that year I have noticed improvement in her strength of playing and her engagement with her instructor. Dr. Nelly makes the lessons fun while advancing my daughter’s skills. What my girl likes most about her lessons is the music that Dr. Nelly chooses for her to play. According to my daughter, the music is interesting and challenging. The Skype lessons during this pandemic have worked really well for us too, demanding my daughter to be more attentive during her lessons.

My three children, ages 14, 11 & 8, have taken piano lessons from Dr. Nelly Matova for years now. She does an amazing job with them. She is very patient and helps them each learn at their own pace while continuing to move them forward. She is always very positive & kind in her feedback. It is super convenient for me that she provides lessons in our home. The piano recitals are professional, yet fun for the kids! We appreciate her!

Dr. Matova is a very patient and knowledgeable instructor and works well with students of different developmental stages. My child who is a fresh beginner is not only grasping the new musical concepts well, but also having fun learning. Dr. Matova is very intentional and effective in how she teaches technique, form, and music interpretation. I feel confident that my kids are building a strong foundation in piano through her instruction.

I started taking piano lessons with Nelly about a year ago as a beginner and she's helped me come a long way so far. What I like best about her teaching style is the fact that she keeps a very good balance between exercises for technique and pieces of music that you can just enjoy playing without getting too concerned with perfectionism as a beginner adult learner. She's also very patient and makes sure you understand what technique you will be developing by playing each piece.

Nelly is very knowledgeable and has been studying music her whole life. She loves music, but most importantly she loves teaching.

I like to learn and it is really great to have a piano instructor who has a passion for what she is teaching. She is patient and allows you to work at your own pace while stimulating you with challenges that produce growth.

Been talking lessons with her for about 2 years now. I was a total beginner when I first started and she had taught me so much. I'd definitely recommend her to someone who would like to learn the piano but may be intimidated by the steep learning curve. She works with children and adults of all ages.

Dr. Matova is a great teacher! My daughter Anna is very excited before every lesson. I am very happy with Anna’s progress. We live in Arizona and the on-line lessons are very easy and comfortable for us. Dr. Matova is always on time and very good and fast on communication.

My son, age 8, has been taking lessons with Dr Matova for a semester. This has been a great experience so far, even with the limitations imposed by the pandemic. She has been extremely patient in teaching him the fundamentals and encouraging him each week. His progress hasn't slowed even after switching to virtual lessons, which has surprised us. Watching the lessons each week has also helped me improve my own form after taking lessons many years ago. Would definitely recommend!

My daughter has been taking lessons from Ms. Nelly for about three years (ages 6 to 9). Ms. Nelly is an incredible teacher for children -- she is patient and friendly, and instills a great sense of musical skill and professionalism in the kids at an early age. She pushes kids to make practice a priority while still making music fun. She is also talented at getting children to understand the "feel" or the mood of the music, which leads to deeper performances (as opposed to rote memorization).

In September 2018, I decided to start taking lessons from Ms. Nelly as an adult student. I'd played piano from ages 6 to 18, but had not played regularly since. I was a little apprehensive to begin studying again, since my skills are very rusty; however, Ms. Nelly has been very patient and encouraging. She gives me very specific feedback that demonstrates her sophisticated education and expertise. She does more than just help her students play the notes -- she has given me insight into seemingly minute, but very important, techniques that completely change the way I play. Her extensive education and musical background differentiate her from a recreational piano teacher. If you want a highly trained professional who is also accessible and fun to work with, you should take lessons from her!

I started taking piano lessons with Nelly a few months ago. Though I have a bachelor's in music, with piano I was practically starting with square one. I can say confidently that Nelly has been one of the most effective private lesson instructors I've had on any instrument.

Where other teachers often stressed me out about my skill level, Nelly seems to have that perfect balance of pushing me to improve while encouraging me for how far I've come. She's incredibly observant and always has new things for me to try and new insights into how to practice, but I never feel pressured or stressed that I'm.not improving "enough."

She is incredibly sensitive to her students' skill level and I would recommend her in a heartbeat to anyone who wants to improve their skills with the piano.

It's great for college students looking to learn piano! I've been doing 30min sessions every week for a year now. Dr. Matova is very good at explaining techniques and I would be nowhere near as good and dedicated today without her.