Tutor Q&A: Yvette Zalewski Piano Instructor

1. Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Yvette Zalewski. I am 17 years old, and I’m polish. I’m currently a senior at Maine West high school, and I’ve been playing piano for 13 years. Piano has always been a huge part of my life ever since I was 4 years old. My grandparents really pushed me to do piano and I’m very grateful that they did that. So far I’ve attended 23 piano concerts and 8 piano competitions. I’ve placed 1st place 4 times, 2nd place once and 3rd place twice. I love playing and teaching piano and I’m planning on sticking to it for as long as I possibly can. Aside from piano I really enjoy listening to 50s music like Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis and I also really like to play soccer.

2. Why did you want to become a teacher/tutor?
I wanted to become a piano teacher because I knew that would be the only thing I would enjoy. I rather work somewhere that makes me happy than somewhere that I don’t like at all. It honestly brings me joy to go to work and teach very wonderful kids to play piano. I always look forward to teaching.

3. Tell us about a positive experience that you’ve had with a student.
It’s really hard to pick just one positive experience because there’s been so many. Although the one experience that really stays me would be with one of my very first students. We worked really hard on a piece of music, and then the day came where I said it was time to play the song memorized. The student wasn’t very happy. She began to tell me that it would be absolutely impossible to memorize it. Now I’ve been through this many times, so I told the student to play her song once with her music. When she finished I took the music away and told her to play it. She ended up playing the whole song memorized, and I just remember her face when she was done. She couldn’t believe what happened. In all, I was really proud of my student, and I was so happy to see how excited she was about playing it memorized.

4. What’s the best part about being a tutor/teacher?
The best part of being a teacher is watching your students progress. I’ve been teaching for about one year now and it’s amazing how much some students progressed. Some students started from the very very beginning and now they’re playing all these complicated pieces. It makes me feel great as a teacher.

5. Who was your favorite teacher growing up and why?
My favorite teacher growing up was my choir teacher throughout high school. Without him I wouldn’t be where I am nor would I be teaching piano. I remember the first couple of days of high school he noticed that I can play piano quite well. He then proceeded to ask if I was planning to major in piano someday. I told him that it’s probably just a hobby because everyone just tells me you can’t really do anything with music. After that day he constantly told me that if I want to go into music someday I need to do it. I can’t listen to what others believe because I will be in it someday and not them. That really stuck with me ever since and now I am going into music. I’m very thankful that he pushed me.

6. What’s your favorite educational quote?
My favorite educational quote is “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” -Nelson Mandela I very much believe that we need education, so that we can change things for the better.

7. Why do you like working for iAchieve Learning?
I love working for IAchieve Learning because it’s such a great environment. Everyone is EXTREMELY friendly and motivated. I would recommend IAchieve Learning for anyone!

Would you like to work with Yvette or one of our other instructors? Please contact us today either by phone on 847.682.6116 or by filling out the contact form on our website: Use our contact form here.

Do you have a passion for teaching? Join our great team of tutors, we are looking for fun and energized people at iAchieve Learning. If you enjoy helping others, have a positive attitude, and want flexible hours, contact us today!