About - Journey Music Academy

Hello & Welcome!

My name is Aleksandr Polyakov, and I’m a Ukrainian-American pedagogue, concert pianist, and orchestral conductor.

As a founding educator of Journey Academy, I’m very excited and grateful for you coming to this website. Whether you’re a parent seeking musical inspiration for your child, a young learner eager to explore the enchanting world of music, or an adult on a quest to continue to fuel or reignite your passion for melody, I look forward to the opportunity to interact with you and learn from you and your personality.

Whether your exploration of my educational space is going to be through blog posts and content on the academy’s social media or you will reach out to me personally via email or phone number – our interaction has already begun. Interaction and education are the two main purposes behind my creating this site, and most of the latter will be provided without a price tag. This is going to be my personal mission, along with a large group of similarly-minded individuals, to provide unconditional access to learning to anyone who is already interested or is slightly curious.

I’m grateful for your attention and time in observing this site so far. If we haven’t met before and you want to interact more, I’m offering two 20-40minute one-on-one sessions to everyone who reaches out before September 1 (2023), without any financial commitments. That way, we have an opportunity to get to know one another during the first session and dive into challenges or needs that you are having in regard to music or learning. Then we can have a second session as a follow-up and to check in on the progress.

The next section of this page provides an overview of what I can offer during our sessions. And the third section provides a brief overview of my professional credentials. The “Philosophy” page lets you see my personal beliefs on teaching and learning. “Blog” will slowly start to grow, with posts I have in mind on music-making and general learning. Your feedback, as well as the feedback of my current students, will be a valuable addition to that section of the website.

I wish you a pleasant time ahead, a peaceful sky over your home, and all the best.

Sincerely,
A.P.

“Music is the movement of sound to reach the soul for the education of its virtue.”
Plato

My promise:

I am committed to providing equal learning opportunities and a positive, practical, and effective learning environment for every individual person. I am accountable for directly contributing to learners’ professional and artistic growth and increasing musical curiosity. My goal is to ensure that every student receives a frustration-free & fun learning experience, increasing your confidence level after each session

Engaged Practicing

Homeworks can be fun!

There is an abundance of ways how to make regular and concentrated work more rewarding and engaging. Skills learned during piano lessons are easily applicable anywhere else and throughout life.

Ear Training & Improvisation

Playing by ear.

For those who enjoy playing by ear, learning to read music is still a valuable skill. But meanwhile, why not to improvise and make entirely new music, using the skills that one already has?

Sightreading & Memorizaion

A - Z

Sightreading is the first step of performing a new piece of music, while memorization allows it to be most inspiring and fluid.

Music Theory

Integral part..

..of learning and performing music quickly, implementing conceptual learning along the way.

Fluent Technique

Secrets to fast playing..

..are laid in the correct, intentional and slow practicing; as well as flowing, tension-free and efficient hand movements across the keyboard.

Performance Anxiety

Stress in daily activities..

..can be dealt with through music lessons and learning numerous stress coping mechanisms.

Music Appreciation

The world of music..

..is vastly interconnected. And with only 7 notes and 12 tones, it is easy to be fascinated with how one composer inspired the other, and how musical compositions of the past and present, are emotional reflections of the world we live in today.

Intentional Learning

Learn smart, not hard.

Learning how one learns is one of the overlooked subjects. and yet is the key skill for success in any field of study.

It is certain that provided overview doesn’t list all the facets of interaction between a teacher and a learner. Reach out with any questions you may have; it is likely that your learning needs can also be addressed!

About me

Teaching Experience

Over 15 years of teaching experience, including:

2017-Present Piano Faculty at Boston Conservatory at Berklee
2020-23 Graduate Student Instructor at University of Michigan
2015-19 Piano Faculty at M.Steinert & Sons Piano Academy

Teaching at Masterclasses in Ukraine, Europe, China and the U.S.

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Adjudication:

NEPTA Competition
MTNA State Piano Competitions
Steinway Society Piano Competition
BU Richmond solo piano competition
MMTA Bay State Piano Contest

American Classical Pianist International Piano Competitions in
Guangzhou and Hangzhou, China

Professional memberships

Music Teachers National Association
Massachusetts Music Teachers Association
New England Piano Teachers Association

International Conductors Guild
League of American Orchestras

Education

University of Michigan
D.M.A. in Orchestral Conducting

Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Artist Diploma in Piano Performance

National Music Academy of Ukraine, named after P.I.Tchaikovsky
B.M., M.M. in Piano Performance
B.M., M.M. in Orchestral Conducting