My daughter started to learn piano with Dr. Natalia in February 2020 when she was 8 years old. In the very first lesson, my daughter instinctively got to like Dr. Natalia. I still remember my daughter’s eyes shining with excitement. After having several in-person lessons, we switched to online because of the pandemic. Actually I didn’t expect much improvement from distance learning, however, that was wrong! My daughter’s piano skills improved dramatically and attained great achievements within 9 months. She won 3rd place in Steinway Virtual Piano Competition Regionals and 2nd place in Colibli International Competition 2020. I can say with confidence that Dr. Natalia is outstanding piano teacher. She is truly dedicated to students, inspiring and very patient. Her teaching techniques are superb and really effective even through FaceTime, Zoom etc. She explained complex things in a simple way for kids to understand both in technique and theory. Without Dr. Natalia, my daughter wouldn't have developed a love for music so much and never dream to challenge piano competitions. We are truly grateful to have her as my daughter’s piano mentor.

Dr Natalia Kartashova is a concert pianist and the most wonderful Piano instructor both my kids have ever had ! I have known her for the last 4 years and I have only good experiences to share about her and her teaching style ! She is very personable, thoughtful, dedicated and kind, yet taught them with a firm hand. Besides being a Doctor of Musical Arts, she also has a PhD in Psychology and I think this background helps her in a deeper understanding of her students and their learning styles. She has instilled in my kids the discipline, critical thinking, love and passion for learning music. She has pushed the bar for them higher every year. My kids have experienced musical expression through performances with her and I have seen their personality blossom over the years under her guidance due to the good habits of practice and discipline, she has inculcated in them. They were emotionally engaged and intellectually challenged in her classes. She teaches methodically yet organically. Transition to online learning has been a good experience too. Overall our experience with Dr Kartashova has been amazing and I hope I am able to convey here, that any kid who wants to learn music is in the right hands with Dr Kartashova.

Out of all the piano teachers my kids have ever worked with, Dr. Natalia Kartashova is by far the best. Not only is she a phenomenal instructor with a vast musical knowledge, she is also a certified child psychologist. She always seems to find the right words to motivate a student to practice diligently. Because of Natalia, my children have the real musical education that I always wanted them to have. During the lessons they work not only on the musical pieces but also on a sight reading and music theory. Even though piano was not their only extracurricular, she was still able to train them to compete and place in various competitions including international. Most importantly, Natalia was able to make music a big part of their lives. They understand it and enjoy it. In recent times, lessons have been over FaceTime. Even with that, the instruction has been superb. As long as she can hear the piano and see your hands, she can teach you to play well.

Dr. Natalia is AMAZING! To me, she is just like a magician who can do magic on kids piano playing learning. My daughter is seven years old with very basic level in piano playing (playing Happy Birthday song, etc.). She started to learn piano with Dr. Natalia since the end of February of this year. After about two or three classes, we had to switch to online class per the COVID-19. For these about six months online classes, my girl improved a LOT! Now she can play lots of beautiful etudes not only smoothly but you can feel her love and passion to the music through her playing. I have to say that the online class never compromise the teaching quality, because Dr. Natalia makes it perfect. I have attached some online class pictures, you can tell from the pics that how my daughter focused from the little screen :). Because Dr. Natalia is really good at explaining complicated music theory and expression with very interesting and straight forward words and examples, so my daughter really enjoyed her class and improved very fast. Dr. Natalia is also really good at encouraging the kids, especially when they are frustrated. She treats the kids like her friends with fully respect, love and patience. We all love and admire her so much, because she has pretty good personality, she is a talented pianist, and she is a very experienced professional piano teacher. My daughter's piano life just started, but we are pretty sure that with her efforts and dedication, and with the teaching and guidance by Dr. Natalia, it definitely will be a beautiful journey.

Dr. Natalia Kartashova (PhD) is an inspiring, patient and creative piano teacher. She teaches my 4-yr old daughter in a custom-designed fashion. This allows my daughter starting her piano endeavor from scratch. Natalia uses her approach to make the class interesting and illuminating. Believe or not, it contains keyboard practice, musical theory and finger excises. After ~3 months training plus practice, my daughter can play multiple songs already. I am impressed by the fact that my daughter is playinthem using the actual music score. She is able to read the notes!! Natalia already becomes a good friend to my daughter. Having an excellent teacher like Natalia is still not good enough for piano learning, especially for kids. It is a commitment for the teacher, the kid and also for the parents. Of course, Teacher Natalia initiates and leads the process. If you live in West LA, you should strongly consider Dr. Kartashova’s class. I am sure that she also offers e-class via Skype or FaceTime if distance is a concern. Overall teaching evaluation for Teacher Natalia is 10 out of 10. She is fabulous.

Amazingly talented, remarkably educated, incredibly patient, astoundingly professional and, actually, surprisingly funny is my daughter's piano teacher Dr.Natalia Kartashova. She will draw silly pictures in your kid's music scores to emphasize the change in the mood of the music piece, and will offer you a cup of tea or coffee to loosen you up. Don't be fooled with her 5'2", though, she can be as persuasive as they come. Her Ph.D in Psychology comes in handy here, I guess. And be ready, you won't even notice how your kid starts participating in the competitions and festivals. State, regional and international ones. Those competitive souls who'll win the toughest challenges might even have a great reward of playing in the one and only Carnegie Hall. Her students did that too! Well, with Natalia the sky is the limit. Just one more thing deserves to be mentioned: Natalia is a stickler for professional ethics and good manners. I know for sure my child is in the best piano hands)) and, moreover, she's happy to be there. P.S. And yes, Dr. stands for Doctor. In Natalia's case it is Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance.

If you want to play the piano, why should you study with Natalia Kartashova? Because, in addition to showing you how to play with beautiful technique, she will also tech you to hear differently and to think about and understand music more deeply. Last year one of my New Year's resolutions was to begin studying piano again. Several years ago, when my kids were learning, I began lessons as an adult beginner. I practiced regularly and over time could discern improvement in my playing. But I never got to the point where I felt that anything I played sounded really good. Dr. Kartashova's approach to teaching is all about making the music beautiful. She shows you the proper techniques to produce the best quality sound from the piano. But equally important, she encourages you to understand what your pieces are meant to express. It's impossible to make a happy piece sound good if you are playing it sad. And vice versa. Dr. Kartashova helps you understand what the piece should sound like, which is a necessary precondition to playing it well. In addition to her phenomenal knowledge of technique, Natalia has a passion for music that is infectious. And the joy she exudes when she sees progress from her students is highly motivating. I'm very glad for that New Year's resolution. Studying with Natalia has enriched my life. It can enrich yours as well.

A musical success story: I'd like to tell you that our son is a musical prodigy. (He's not.) I'd like to tell you how easy he is to manage and how much he looks forward to practicing his piano. (Not. Doesn't.) I'd like to tell you that he looks forward to performing in public. (He was terrified.) Was. Other teachers became frustrated with his frustration. But I will tell you this: he has passed his MTAC CM Level 7. He recently was awarded two (not ONE, but TWO) Third Prizes at the 2017 Lansum International Music Festival. That was followed by an invitation for him to perform at the Steinway Honors Recital the following weekend. Suddenly, the piano is interesting and satisfying. There is only one reason that he has been able to accomplish those things and that is Natasha Kartashova. Natasha is herself an accomplished pianist. She has her PhD in Psychology and is a Doctor in Musical Arts in Piano Performance. (UCLA) Her Doctoral dissertation " Stage anxiety re-examined. An integrative approach for the twenty first century" helps musicians to recognize and overcome deeply rooted reasons for stage anxiety. She no doubt used everything she learned to help our son succeed. She has patience. She has a plan. And, in this instance, she got results. She has provided the opportunity for him to play in recitals, festivals, concerts and competitions. I am certain that she can take a young prodigy to soaring heights. We'll watch that from the bleachers. We're very grateful for what she has accomplished with our son.

Natalia Kartashova is truly an OUTSTANDING piano teacher. I am absolutely confident any parent or any student of her will testify that. Working with her is truly a privilege: a rare an unique opportunity! I say this because as an amateur musician, an adult student, a long-time and passionate music lover, and a parent of three kids, I have know and worked with many accomplished musicians throughout my life. However being a student of Natasha and witnessing her working with my kids has been such an outstanding and unforgettable experience. Her deep knowledge of music and her command of human psychology (Yes, she is a double doctorate degree in both!) and more importantly her geniune love for music and teaching makes the process of music learning a joy. Her teaching philosophy and the strategies and techniques she uses to introduce the novices to the depth of music art is truly amazing! She makes her students not only better musicians but also more disciplined, more goal-oriented and more successful persons. I had to move out of state of California and now have access to Natasha through Skype only. My kids and I still take lessons from her and constantly seek her advice and mentorship. We are really lucky and grateful to have her as our teacher. If you want to have the best music education for yourself or your children and if you have the privilege to have physical access to her music studio, don't waste a moment and look no further!