DESSY DIDOVA
Piano Instructor
Teaching Philosophy
Confidence comes with love for your art, being consistent, having a supporting parent-teacher team, solid background in your music education, and having achieved or working toward your personal goals. My approach to teaching is connecting all these components in their delicate balance. Always open to hear your input and ideas. Encouraging your creativity is at the forefront of my teaching. Many of my students compose songs, solo piano pieces, and even cinematic music and participate at festivals in the Lower Mainland. Developing strong skills in every area, be it technique, or musicianship, or Ear training and Sight-reading, or strong understanding of the theoretical subjects is what you can expect in my class, all of which are taught with care and attention to your personal goals. Participation in Royal Conservatory of Music exams, local festivals, and recital opportunities is encouraged but always entirely up to each individual student. I’m happy to share that most students choose to participate and achieve great success in their exams, festivals, and recitals. As a piano and theory teacher I strive to inspire and mentor each student with great attention to their individual goals for that builds confidence, and leaves a lifelong love for music and art.
Special Skills and Training
I have been a soloist of the Plovdiv Symphony Orchestra in Bulgaria and have performed over 14 solo recitals. Have been performing in different chamber music ensembles under the guidance of my Dad who was a well respected flute and chamber music professor for 35 years of his life. I have been the accompanist for several children and adult choirs under the guidance of my Mom who was a choir director for 15 years. Together we travelled to Poland, the Czech Republic, Russia, and Cuba to take part in Youth Festivals and various concerts. Have been accompanist for ballet classes in different dance schools in Vancouver. In the last two decades I have been dedicated to teaching students of all ages from the tender age of 4 to adults and even students in their Golden age, some of whom continued with music in their post-secondary studies.
Music Education
I have earned the Royal Conservatory of Music Teacher certification in all subjects, including Piano (Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced) as well as Theory (Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced – Harmony and History). I have obtained a Piano Pedagogy Diploma from the National School of Fine Art, Music, and Dance “Dobrin Petkov” in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, a five year program. Have had many amazing teachers who I still keep in contact with. Among my inspiring piano teachers and performers are Prof. Dimo Dimov and Prof. Ninowska Fernandez-Brito. My long journey as a student took me on a four-year study of piano and all theoretical subjects at Escuela Nacional de Musica de la Havana, Cuba, where I was introduced to the rich music and artistic culture and enjoyed playing works by Cuban composers. Among those composers are Ernesto Lecuona, Alejandro Garcia Caturla, Enrique Guerrero and others. Students in my class have the opportunity to learn pieces by those composers as well as explore pop, jazz, movie and game themes of their preference.