Elena takes me seriously…
I started my studies on the chromatic button accordion at the age of sixty-six, without a strong background in music. Though I practice daily, this is a hobby for me, not a vocation. Nonetheless, Elena takes me seriously. I have made good progress and enjoy learning to play the music she assigns to me. I appreciate the expertise she shares so freely, her library of supplemental music, and her never-ending encouragement. It’s an honor to study with a teacher of such high caliber.
Rebecca Schenker
She is knowledgeable, positive, energetic, and well-organized
Elena is great! She helped me to find the right accordion. She is flexible in scheduling. She customizes the class to suit my needs. She is knowledgeable, positive, energetic, and well-organized. She is an excellent accordionist and she will help her students to be as well.
I'm really happy to find her. If you're looking for an accordion instructor in the area, search no more. Hire Elena!
Xu Zang
Elena has a presence that makes me feel comfortable and confident
As an adult beginner, working with Elena has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.I have always loved accordion waltz music, zydeco, and Oktoberfest polkas, and one day decided I wanted to learn it myself!Elena has a presence that makes me feel comfortable and confident. She exudes excitement about teaching that makes the process of learning very fun! I’ve made more progress than I ever thought possible in a short amount of time, and I look forward to each lesson with her. I went from not knowing ANYTHING about music to: reading sheet music, developing a repertoire of songs, and honing my technique.Elena has become more than my teacher, she is now a close friend and confidante!Melissa Jones
Elena makes difficult concepts easy to grasp
Music theory is, by definition, a cerebral discipline. But Elena understands that people, regardless of their age, are more than just intellectual beings.
Her holistic approach to teaching music theory engages the entire person. By incorporating students’ hands, bodies, emotions, and senses into the learning process, Elena makes difficult concepts easy to grasp and remember.
As an adult student, I have benefited greatly from the wisdom of her technique.
Tricia Greene
She immediately spots any errors in fingering
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 , Online Accordion Student
Fun story – I taught James online for two years before being able to meet him in person at one of our concerts! It was such a joy to finally get to meet him in person!
– – Elena Fainshtein
I highly recommend Mrs Fainshtein for any aspiring musician
As an older adult student learning to play the bayan (button accordion), my interests lie in developing my technical skills as well as building a repertoire of enjoyable music.
Elena tailored my online 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
I finally met Keith in person after four years of Skype lessons, when he came to the Dallas area for business. We had our first (and only) in-person lesson then. That was so much fun! Keith is now a composer of music for bayan in his own right.
– Elena Fainshtein