Testimonials
“Maria, You are the best teacher EVER! I wish I had a teacher like you when I was 9. I might actually be able to play today if I had. Thank you! . . .
My husband and I both said to each other at the school recital: ”Wow! You sure can tell who Dr. Horváth’s students are!’ They are well-prepared and confident. We are really lucky to have your for Mason’s teacher. Thank you!!!”Audrie H. (Springfield)
“Maria, thank you for working with Alex during those eight wonderful years. She has been with you since she was five, and you have given her a strong foundation, deeper understanding and appreciation of what it really means to play the piano. You are truly an amazing teacher! Thank you so much!”
Adelisa O. (Springfield)
Maria, I wanted to properly thank you for helping my kids achieve a successful performance. Your patience with them and level of preparation were key in putting their minds at ease the day of the recital. They exhibited the perfect combination of confidence and calm.
In addition, my son has regained his love for the piano. I’m amazed that his attitude has totally changed after only one semester with you. Specifically, your approach to breaking down a song into different musical ideas has been pivotal for him. It seems so simple yet it’s such an effective way to learn a new more difficult song without becoming overwhelmed by learning the whole song at once. You go above and beyond for your students. I can’t thank you enough!
Marlo R. (Springfield)
“We have been so grateful to work with Maria Horváth. Maria does a wonderful job at developing a solid base of theory, technique sufficient to tackle the next level up, and nurturing the musicianship within. Her studio is run professionally, but personally. She has a vision of what each student can achive and where she wants to take them. My daughter has blossomed under her tutelage. Thank you, Maria!”
Dayna K. (Jacksonville, moved abroad)
“The importance of playing piano lies within creating music, not simply playing the correct notes with the correct tempo. True artistry lies within the gentle phrases and emotions that are used to surround the notes played, giving the notes warmth and color. The Art of Piano truly lives up to its name by educating its students on music rather than just “piano playing”. Everyone’s music is individual to themselves, it is a true joy to be able to share something so personal such as your own music to an audience. Nothing compares. The Art of Piano has been a true gift to me by teaching me how to create music from the piano.
I really appreciate the time and effort that Dr. Horváth expends to teach me piano. Learning piano from her is something that I will clearly miss once I go to college. It really is amazing to look in retrospect, of how I didn’t appreciate music much in my youth, and how now, it is a language that is fluid, beautiful, and underspoken. It is this change of heart that really shows the excellence of her work. I am forever thankful to Dr. Horváth for showing me music and being patient with me always.”
Yiyi M. (Springfield)
“Dear Maria, Daniel performed two piano pieces at the ceremony at his school last night. He did such a wonderful job and was so confident and charming on the stage! The audience’s continued applause made us feel so proud of our son! Words are powerless to express our gratitude. Thanks for giving our LITTLE one BIG dreams.”
Hui D. & Ning J. (Springfield)
“Maria Horváth is an incredible pianist, and an even better teacher. I improved dramatically under her instruction, and have an even greater passion for music because of her. I wish I had started studying with Maria at a younger age. After completing my first year of college studying piano, I know I was well prepared in all areas. She gives her students a technical foundation that is necessary to succeed in piano and has a true love and enthusiasm for music. She is delightful, professional, and knowledgeable. I am happy to give Dr. Horváth my strongest recommendation.”
Lisa R. (Rochester, moved out of state and earned a degree in piano pedagogy)
“Dear Mrs. Horváth, Thank you for being such a wonderfully understanding piano teacher. I really appreciate all you’ve done for me. Many thanks,”
Monica B. (Springfield)
“Dear Dr. Horváth, I wanted to thank you again for helping me start the Waldstein last summer, while I was on break form U of I in Champaign! I was able to have a good year, and I won the Clara Rollin undergraduate competition at University of Illinois [Champaign-Urbana] this past spring. I benefited much from your lessons last summer, especially what you said about technique and posture. My professor was also complimentary of your instruction.”
Sean M. (Rochester)
“My son took piano lessons with Maria Horváth for over 2 years. He had no prior experience before signing up. Although he was very interested in learning and apparently had some ability, he really did not have the discipline despite the fact he was a little older than a lot of the students. I would say my son was a challenging student for any teacher. Maria had a great approach with him. She is calm, friendly and above all, a very skilled teacher. It is easier and much more enjoyable to teach good students, but to develop the potential of a child who has difficulty paying attention truly requires a talent. Maria did it with grace and appeared to enjoy teaching my son as well. I was very impressed by not only how much Julian learned with her, but also the organization of running a successful piano school with so many students. She would provide all the books necessary and assign additional computer time to learn piano concepts on an individual basis before or after the lesson. My son would often talk during the lessons and she would give him extra time so that she could move him along in his skills. She has an extraordinary amount of patience and perseverance to bring out the very best in each and every one of her students.
Another thing that was very unique to learning piano with Maria Horváth was the semi-annual recital, held in the Spring and the Winter. This was very well organized and showcased all the students’ talents with nice pieces selected for each child. I always looked forward to the recital—it was amazing to see over time how the children progressed, including my son! If we did not move away from Springfield, my son would have continued to learn piano with Maria Horváth.”
Christina V. (Springfield, moved out of state)
“Congratulations to all of your students who performed Monday night at the Rochester Elementary School recital. Carrie noted several subtle differences in the performances of your students that made her really appreciate your attention to the small details over the years that used to frustrate her. And thank you, too, for all you’ve done for Carrie over the years. As she’s gotten a little older, a little further down the music path, she has really come to realize the value in all the things you’ve asked her to practice and study and what opportunities have opened up to her that may not have existed without your influence. As she begins to contemplate college and music education profession, she’s already a bit worried about what she’ll do when Ms. Horvath isn’t her teacher anymore. So…Thank you! We do not say it enough.”
Nikki O. (Rochester)
“It is extremely important to me for you to know how much you have helped my son. Even though he was with you for only a short time at a young age, you had a big impact on his confidence and ability to realize mistakes are just part of learning, not the end of the world. This may seem like a little thing to you but it was a big problem. I am so thankful he has had you to guide him on how to practice when there is a mistake made. Before began learning to play the trumpet in band this year, he decided to start practicing playing it on his own with a surprising amount of patience, using the various practice techniques you taught him. Thank you for your style of teaching! More teachers need to be like you.”
Robin M. (Springfield)
“Dear Ms. Maria, I’m so glad that you are my piano teacher. Thank you for teaching me about piano. I’ve been having so much fun!.”
Olivia T. (Rochester)
“It had been a few years since I had seriously studied piano with a professional artist. After meeting Maria as a friend while she taught at Millikin University and after learning she had established a piano studio for private lessons, I contacted her about studying with her. I have studied piano under her professional tutelage for two years. Maria has provided an analytical and judicious approach to the composers’ written piano compositions, an artistic contouring of the music through her precise instructions of keyboard techniques, an historical background through her knowledge of musicology, and, most lovely of all, I have enjoyed and am inspired by her virtuosity in piano performance, shared in both her private lessons and on the stage in recitals and concerts.”
Sandra W. (Decatur)
“Dear Maria, I am so grateful I had the opportunity to take piano lessons with you. I have learnd so much! You are an amazing teacher and person. I will definitely miss taking lessons with you. It thas been a privilege to get to know you.”
Megan K. (Rochester, moved out of state to persue a college degree)
“My 13 year old son had a basic foundation of piano knowledge, gleaned over the course of 2-3 years of informal lessons I provided him, when he started working with Dr. Maria Horváth. We contacted Maria because I wanted my son to get a quality grounding in piano technique and theory, and to continue to move forward in his skills. Over the course of six months of lessons, he and I were both amazed at how much he progressed in his knowledge, technique, and ability – I never would have guessed he would be playing the pieces he is now playing (e.g., a relatively complicated piece by Bartok) after so short a period of time. He has enjoyed his lessons with Maria, and has grown so much. It has been a great learning experience, and I would highly recommend working with Maria for any student serious about playing piano well. “
Kim P. (Chatham)
“Dear Maria, I just wanted to thank you for all of your patience and kindess with Megan as your piano student. She learned so much form you and very much enjoyed coming to lessons. You have been a blessing in our lives. We will miss you. “
Leslie K. (Rochester)
“Mrs. Horváth, You are amazing! Jacob went from complaining about having to go to piano lessons yesterday to beaming with pride afterward. You truly go above and beyond and it shows in your students. We can’t thank you enough for all the time you spent making this duet arrangement to create a much more acceptable piece of music and to accentuate Jacob’s talents. Thank you so much! “
Janine, Jeff & Jacob O. (Rochester)
“You are a fantastic teacher providing such unique experiences! [Gino M. has just had the opportunity to play in a masterclass given by the composer of his piece.] I am always amazed at how much you encourage and build your students’ love of music.”
Cathy S. (Springfield)
“Maria, You have done an extraordinary job not only on teaching Yiyi to play piano but also helping her to build up her knowledge of music. She had learned so much form you and you had a great influence on her musical taste.”
Wei D. (Springfield)
“Maria, As I sit here at the Rochester Elementary School recital, I am very proud to say that my daughter trains at The Art of Piano. Several of your students are performing and they really know what they are doing! Very skilled and professional.”
Carrie M. (Rochester)
” . . . Also know that you were an AMAZING piano teacher and I really wish we lived in Springfield [and could continue piano lessons with you]. Thank you for teaching our son the fundamentals of piano. . . It was a pleasure to meet you. “
Jennifer S. (Decatur)
“Thank you for teaching me how to play the piano. It is a lot of fun!“
Gretchen S. (Springfield)
“Thanks so much for having such a nice recital for the kids. I think your lessons and other activities are really benefitting Jackie. She LOVED the recital! It was really great! “
Gretchen T. (Springfield)
“Thank you for working with Faith. I know that she will always apprciate music in a way that most people don’t get the opportunity to because of her lessons with you.”
Melissa A. (Rochester)
“I just wanted to email you today to say “thank you” for presenting such a delightful “Performance Party” yesterday! I was so impressed with the way you had organized and planned it. And I thought all of the students gave delightful performances! I wanted to also say thank you for highlighting Amy’s original composition in the program and with the additional certificate you gave her. In doing these things, you made her very very special, and we appreciate that very much. “
Claire G. (Chatham)
“Anytime someone says they are looking for a piano instructor I give them your name. I truly enjoyed having the opportunity to take lessons from you, and learned a great deal. Thank you for all your help. “
Marie T. (Springfield)
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