I have been teaching the piano accordion and button accordion (bayan) for over 30 years, working with both adults and children. The accordion is a unique instrument, and I am passionate about spreading the experience of playing it to others.

   Therefore, I offer Skype lessons so that those beyond the Dallas area can be enriched with my knowledge of this instrument. 

 

   I can explain technical skills, such as the correct placement of your hand on the instrument, different kinds of playing techniques, bellows technique, fingering, and much more, helping you learn to perform many beautiful songs.

Please contact me , and I will be happy to provide more information about this opportunity.


    I found Elena Fainshtein after searching online for bayan-specific teachers and using YouTube to gauge their styles and tastes. I immediately found her energetic album performance of “Tico -Tico”, which happened to be one of the principle songs I aspire to play.

    After a brief email exchange we began bi-weekly, and later weekly, Skype lessons. Mrs. Fainshtein adapts the class structure to best fit my interests, consisting of learning pieces and discussing the technique tips and tricks to best perform them. She immediately spots any errors in fingering, posture, and instrument approach, swiftly and clearly correcting them through explanation and demonstration on her own B-system accordion.

    She also has a tremendously vast catalog of sheet music of all genres and is very quick to find them and email them to me to print and practice. She is also very flexible and accommodating with scheduling.

James Bouchard 


     As an older adult student leaning to play the Bayan my interests lie in developing my technical skills as well as building a repertoire of enjoyable music.

    Elena tailored my Skype lessons with a mix of skill building exercises, alternative fingerings and many fun songs to play. I found Elena both enthusiastic and patient with my progress. She has the ability to diagnose my problems quickly and guide me on a path to correct them.

I highly recommend Mrs Fainshtein for any aspiring musician.

                                                                                       Keith Smith from California