Teachers
Our Faculity
Victoria Strochkova
Studio Director, Piano/Violin/Viola
Victoria Strochkova studied violin at the R. M. Glier Kiev State Music Collage under the instruction L. B.
Shukhman from 1984 to 1988. She continued her violin study at Ukrainian National Tchaikovsky Academy of Music in Kiev under the instruction of prof. V. V. Kozin and prof. A.N. Gorokhov.
Victoria started teaching children during her studies and continued her commitment to young musicians throughout her career. After graduation she became a full time teacher, dedicating herself to exceptional music instruction in technique, music theory and performance skills. Since emigrating to the United States, she played in local orchestras including Russian Chamber Orchestra under direction of Alexander Verishagin and Pro-Art Symphony conducted under maestro James Gardner.
In 1998 she relocated to San Ramon with her family and a year earlier she joined the MTAC association. She was balancing her career between raising her own children and teaching music privately. In 2006 she founded Strochkova Music Studio and a few years later she established new school San Ramon Music and Fine Art School offering wide selection of classes with collaboration of other great local teachers.
She shared and enriched her teaching experience in another local school: Radayeva Music School for three years (2006-2009) and after some break she came back to teach in this school again. Victoria prepared numerous students for local youth orchestra such Berkeley Youth Orchestra, Youth Orchestra Gradus ad Parnassum, Oakland Youth Orchestra San Francisco Youth Orchestra, Cal State East Bay University Orchestra. Her students were concertmasters of the first violin in Oakland Youth Orchestra and others.
Victoria has been an active member of the Music Teachers Association of California since 1997. She is preparing her students for CM test, CM Honors, Panel, ABARSM and other programs. As part of her curriculum students are successfully prepared for orchestra and college auditions. Her 30 years teaching experience allows for a customized approach to attain each student’s goal.
Farida Isayeva
Piano
Farida Isayeva graduated the Music College, Music Conservatory, and State University in Russia. She has a Doctorate Degree and speaks English, Russian, Turkish, and Azeri. She has been teaching piano and music theory for all ages and all levels since 1984. Ms. Isayeva was Principal of a music school in Russia, but moved to the US in 1998. Since then, she has continued to teach piano privately, and has taught at music academies and music conservatories.
Ms. Isayeva's style of teaching is creative and challenging. Her teaching methods are geared according to each student's needs. She builds a lesson plan to create success in each of her students, and her students consistently achieve high scores in assessments. She uses a combination of lesson books and individual plans for each student. Ms. Farida encourages preparing students for a variety of performance opportunities such as recitals, competitions, festivals. Many of her students have won awards.
Piano
Melissa Nering has taught piano in the East Bay for the past fourteen years. She graduated from California State University East Bay with a BA in Liberal Studies and a Minor in music. Melissa had a keen interest in piano from the time she was seven years old. When she finally had the opportunity to begin classical piano lessons, it was a dream come true. She believes one is never too old to learn and enjoys teaching children and adults.
Many of Melissa’s students have participated in studio recitals, community events, and Certificate of Merit testing. Melissa successfully auditioned to become a Cal Plan member with the Music Teachers Association of California (Alameda East Branch) and she is currently working towards Active membership. Melissa believes in a well-rounded piano education and incorporates music theory, technique, repertoire, sight reading, and ear training into lessons at the piano.
When she is not at the piano, Melissa can be found hiking, reading a good book, baking, or spending time with her friends and family.
Melissa Nering
Yukiko Egawa
Piano
Yukiko Egawa was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, and has been a resident of the East Bay since 2000. She studied piano pedagogy at a local college, where she earned certificates in teaching Beginning and Intermediate Piano.
Since January, 2017, she’s been teaching piano at a local music school. The majority of students are beginners, from preschooler up to adult students.
She says that every lesson, she loves seeing the smiles on her students’ faces.
She believes that learning music should be fun and exciting, so she likes to provide well-rounded piano lessons with many hands-on activities: playing theory games, singing solfege (Do, Re, Mi…) with hand signals, and counting rhythm using the Kodaly method.
Boris Feldman
Guitar, Bass Guitar, String Bass
Mr. Boris attended Kiev State Collage of Music from 1978 to 1982 and obtained B.M. (Bachelor’s Degree) in Orchestral Performance and Music Education, with a concentration in string bass and bass guitar. Mr. Boris performs with Kiev Film Studio Orchestra as string bass and bass guitar player. He also was teaching children in Kiev Music School. His students were successfully accepted to Kiev State Collage of Music.
In 1986 Mr. Boris was invited to the Moscow Concert Organization – Mosconcert. As a bass guitar player he works with famous Russians singers Helena Velikanova, Tamara Miansarova, Maria Kodryanu.
As a concert director, Mr. Boris worked with Russian State Chamber Orchestra of Jazz Music (Oleg Lundstrem Jazz Band), Ann Vesky, Alexander Serov and many others Russians Stars.
Mr. Boris has lived in the United States since 1997. Currently, Mr. Boris performs as string bass player with Diablo Symphony Orchestra. He continues to play guitar and bass guitar as well as teaching privately.