Teacher Profile: Liz Vilcek

About Liz Vilcek

Liz Vilcek, originally from Brazil - São Paulo, is passionate about music. She was raised in a family of musicians. Her father plays accordion and piano. Her mother is a piano teacher. Having started learning to play the piano when she was 7 years old, she developed a great appreciation for classical music. When she was a teenager, she used to practice for 6 to 8 hours a day in preparation for several competitions and music festivals, all over Brazil. She participated in about 6 to 10 competitions per year, always winning awards. She got first, second and third places and also special awards for her unique performance of Bach, Haydn and Mozart. Also, she had some special experiences in the Ettlingen International Music Competition, in Germany, “Festival de Inverno Campos do Jordão” - Winter Festival in Campos do Jordão - Brazil, “Concurso de Piano Cultura FM” - Piano Competition from Radio Cultura, in Brazil, and “Concurso de Piano de Piracicaba” - Piano Competition in Piracicaba, where she had her first experience at the age of 13, playing with an orchestra for being awarded first place.

During her teenage years, she took part in several master classes with well known pianists in Brazil and New York. Later, she pursued a formal education and got a bachelor's degree in music with specialization in piano. During her university studies she started teaching music for middle school children and giving private piano lessons. Finishing college in Brazil she then went to New York to continue her studies. She got a scholarship from Manhattan School of Music and a School of music in Connecticut.

Liz believes that learning is a process that happens with the involvement and interest of the student. Therefore, her approach to teaching requires getting to know her students in the first place to find out their likes and dislikes and their way of learning. Moreover, she considers that practice makes perfect. For that reason, letting students enjoy the lessons and start playing from the first lesson is of most importance. Another aspect that is relevant is to make the process of learning fun and easier by using games, a variety of materials and methods to adapt to each student's needs.

Liz has a degree in languages - Portuguese and English - for Teaching, Translation and Interpretation. She worked as an ESL teacher for more than 15 years and had a language school in São Paulo.

In addition to teaching, she plays at Mass and Retreats, which makes her feel fulfilled with great love and peace.