Katherine Nagy

Mother of 3 kids, 10, 9, 4 years old. ITA students since 2016

My three children have participated in programs at ITA for the last 4 years. The programs are challenging and the teachers are very supportive making for a wonderful environment for children to surpass their own expectations. My two older children have taken private piano and music theory from Mrs.Tatyana and I have been so impressed with their performance progress and music theory & history knowledge.  They are performing at a higher level than many of their peers due to the programing at ITA. My youngest has participated in music, reading Toddler Fundamentals and I have always been very happy with the classroom content and how much fun my daughter had learning her letters, numbers, early music concepts and manners.  We also have participated in musical theatre & etiquette classes which are unique and very important!  My husband and I contribute personally to support the wonderful and unique programming provided at ITA and will continue to do so.  Our children have broadened their minds, met knew international friends, learned discipline & appropriate behavior, improved confidence and  stage presence & have incredible music knowledge all while having lots of fun!

Ellen Voskoboynik

Student of Tatyana in 1998-2008
Bachelor of Science in Nursing – 2018; Indiana University

“Tatyana Komarova is the first and remains the best teacher that I have ever had. She taught me theater and music from the ages of 4-14. Due to being taught by Tatyana at a young age, she instilled confidence within me that continues to carry on into my college and professional life today. Her multilingualism and multicultural background allows her to connect with her students by having a unique perspective. Her high expectations taught my fellow students and me to set high goals and to achieve them. As a child, I was doing full-length plays and musicals directed by Tatyana. As a result, I developed comfort with public speaking, which has benefitted me incredibly. Tatyana taught me how to be mindful and thoughtful. My experiences in Tatyana’s classes continue to be my favorite childhood memories. I was fortunate enough to work with Tatyana during the inception of the International Talent Academy. Her ability to teach students and share her passion for the arts is unparalleled. I was able to teach alongside her and fully experience her teaching from the perspective of a colleague. She shapes young minds to appreciate the importance of arts and thus creates a holistic point of view of the world within the students. Not only did she prepare me to perform on the stage, but she prepared me to excel in the world stage. I consider myself very lucky to call Tatyana a friend. I carry the lessons she taught me every day. She embodies the Youth Inspire Award with her determination, enthusiasm for learning and teaching, creativity, and ability to identify with and inspire any and all individuals.”

Christina Salerno

Mother of Alessandro (6), Leonardo (5)

“Tatyana Komarova has been giving both of my sons, ages 5 and 6, piano lessons for little over a year. Besides being introduced to the gift of music, she has inspired them to work hard and practice. She has been able to instill in them the importance of daily practice in their quest to learn to play songs on the piano. It is a process for sure! Her motto, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard” are words to live by. If they learn nothing else, let that lesson lead them through life. Ms. Komarova’s determination and dedication to the education of music is inspiring in itself. How she is able to motivate my sons is near a miracle and quite inspiring to watch!”

Katerina Folkin

Tatyana’s daughter; 12-year-old

“My mom inspired me very much. When I was 2 years old, she started an ITA for me, so I can learn a lot and go through many valuable programs and classes, and I appreciate that very much. My mom taught me music, dance, etiquette, theater, singing, Public Speaking, Russian, and much more. I was very shy at first and now I have confidence and presentation skills that will help me in the future. These programs impacted my life because I have learned so much. I use this knowledge and skills now in my Middle school, as well as when I travel abroad. Not only mom my taught me educational lessons, but she also pushed me hard to do my best and reach my potential. She also taught me many life skills and now I am working on my organizational and time management skills. I think I have a big potential in my future, and this is all thanks to my wonderful mom!”

Wendy and Jeremy Reymer

Parents of Savannah (4), Brooklynn (3)

“We care about our children’s education and are firm believers the only way to achieve high-level thinking is to teach them at a young age. We found that Miss Tatyana shares those same values. We have known Miss Tatyana now for a couple years and she has been a big part of our children’s growth and development.”

Ada Yeung

Mother of Prudence (4)

“Prudence has been taking classes from Ms. Tatyana for over a year. During this year, Prudence has learned not only how to write, read, do math, and play piano but also how to play well with other kids. Ms. Tatyana makes learning fun, easy, and encouraging. Prudence is only 4 and she can do first-grade math and second-grade reading. E-mail on 02/07/16 Hi, Tatyana, I want to share the great progress with you and also thank you for being part of Prudence’s healthy and happy growth as you have taught her and guided her for over a year! She is doing so well at school and at home – most importantly, she is super happy! I now can comfortably say that she is a fast learner who is full of curiosity with very long attention spans. She now thinks Math is easy and her latest favorite is to find out what “x” is when x plus another number equals to 10. She has recently started to enjoy spelling words as she realizes she can put the words she knows together to make “stories” (actually they are simple sentences). Her new hobby now is to write lots of simple sentences, cut them out by scissors, and then tap them on the wall. Putting words together is her new fun game! Learning is fun for her and I will continue to support that. At the same time, I continue to look for other enrichment activities to broaden her knowledge and abilities instead of just pushing on her strengths vertically. It’s great to master on something and it’s also very important to provide opportunities for her so that she can get exposure to other subjects for a balanced life that is full of fun and challenges. I really feel lucky and blessed that we are doing the right things for her. This morning, she made French Toast for us for breakfast, did laundry, and helped clean up the house. Last Saturday morning, she spent two hours making her first beaded necklace for me. Those beads were so small and it was such a good practice for eye and hands coordination. She was super proud that it has my name (“MOMMY”) on it. She is four and a half this month and I hope she can continue to grow healthily and happily.”

Lemita Steel

Parent of 3-year-old Benjamin

“After living in New York City for almost ten years, I was envious of the young people who at the tender age of four and five could use chopsticks, eat at elegant restaurants with poise and interact with adults as easily as their own peers. ‘How did these little human beings do it?’ They were walking, talking, tiny adults and to be quite frank, not only was I envious, I was determined to give my kids that upper edge too.

When our family moved to Westfield, Indiana, a few years ago, I wanted the best of both worlds, a great place for my kids to grow, as well as the educational tools to not only give them an edge in Indiana and New York City but the World. I knew instilling concepts in a child was important at an early age, and similar to good schools, good music, I knew the earlier you introduced them, the more likely they would adapt. Therefore, the International Talent Academy caught my eye at first glance.
My three-year-old son Benjamin is an extremely jubilant little boy. He enjoys meeting new people and trying new things. My challenge as a parent was to find a place that would be amenable to his needs at such a young age while having fun. He started with the Language Enrichment program, which let him be with kids age three to five. These young minds put words together, created a story and presented a play for their parents. I was quite proud to attend his first play at only age 3! Benjamin asked to do more, so, I enrolled him in Logic class. When I arrived to pick him up one evening after class, he extended his hand to shake my hand, looked me in the eye, and said “Good Evening, Mommy. How are you?” Such a pleasant evening gesture prompted me to take him to dinner right then and there!

Benjamin continues to take classes with The International Talent Academy. He’s having a fabulous experience, writing his letters, and putting letters together to make words, while at the same time learning life skills.
Feeling comfortable among peers, among adults in a variety of situations is a learned behavior for some children and I realize this takes time but I am glad that Benjamin has a jump start with these programs. It’s never too early to equip him with tools for success as he grows. I look forward to him continuing a variety of classes at The International Talent Academy, because regardless of if we live a small town or a big city, one constant that is guaranteed, is proper etiquette is always in style.”

Angie Moll

Mother of Presley Moll (5-year-old)

“Presley was two and a half when Ms. Tatyana accepted her early into the piano program. Presley loved the performing arts at an early age and so I thought we would give the trial lesson a try. I was thrilled when she enjoyed the lesson. Now that she is five we have continued piano and branched out to show choir and theater. These are her favorite things to do and I believe she has improved her math and writing skills because of the early lessons. Ms. Tatyana had her holding a pencil, clapping rhythms and learning keys, notes and sounds early on. I learned that my child could do much more than I had ever expected and the sense of accomplishment she felt was heartwarming. When Ms. Tatyana brought an expert on early childhood learning to town I was THERE. It was fascinating what children can do and enjoy doing. And how easy it is to find a teachable moment!”

Adilet-Sultan Meimanaliev

Father of Aksedep (7-year-old)

“Our daughter Aksedep has had a very positive and enriching experience with ITA. Since she was 3 years old, she was involved in and enjoyed many of the ITA great programs: piano lessons, logic games, Etiquette Kingdom, Music for Little Mozarts, Show Choir, and Stage Adventures. Aksedep had a lot of fun, made new friends, and was able to test her interests and talents. ITA has helped her develop her special talent in music. Most recently, she won an Honorable Mention award at the Young Performer’s Showcase sponsored by Piano Solutions. We are very thankful to ITA for the excellent high-level child development and talent development programs it offers to our children!”

Brooks Orich

9-year-old, student of the Latin Dance program

“I have been dancing for 2 years now. Dance is a way to express your feelings, and that is why I love it! I have performed at many events like Ballroom Bash at Murat Theater, CarmelFest, Fever’s Game at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse and Musical Theater Christmas show. Dance has taught me to learn from my mistakes, and I hope I will inspire more kids to dance!”

Mrs. Sherry Kassing

Mother of 5-year-old twins

“International Talent Academy is one of the few Performing Arts Schools that allow children to begin piano lessons at the age of three. Our twins, Luke and Sophia, have been taking piano lessons for two years at International Talent Academy. They are currently able to read, play, and memorize music at the age of five! Ms. Tatyana Komarova, executive director, and her staff are committed to programs that enhance early brain development in children. It has been amazing to see the impact ITA has had on our children! They truly are a loving, supportive, and dedicated staff who clearly loves teaching children.”

Julia J. Bowman

Owner. Primrose School at WestClay and Bridgewater

“The Primrose School at WestClay and Brigewater has had a strong relationship with the International Talent Academy for several years. This relationship has continued to grow due to the positive impact the program has had on our students. Parents are happy to have their children receiving quality piano lessons while at preschool and are even more pleased with the results. The piano teachers have always been dedicated and educationally appropriate for preschool students. It is our hope that we can continue to offer this program to our families through the International Talent Academy.”

Ingrid

Mother. American Girls

“ITA’s American Girl program has been an incredible experience for my daughter and I feel so fortunate that such an opportunity is available. The content of the program is unlike any class available elsewhere, teaching the girls excellent core values, how to make good choices in day to day situations and how to treat themselves and others with respect. My daughter came home from every class having learned something very valuable in everyday life and feeling so good inside. The instructor, Miss Joni, has an ability with young girls like no other and my daughter looks forward to more classes in the future.”

Lulu Wang

Mother of Jewel Wang (8)

“We chose Tatyana Komarova of ITA as our then 6-year-old daughter’s piano teacher after carefully interviewed 2 other piano teachers. The main reason is that unlike other piano teachers, who teaches piano only, she also teaches children music and the love of music through piano. In addition to piano, my child is learning about composers, music history and music appreciation. Ms. Tatyana is a very serious piano teacher. She has high standards for students yet she is careful not to bore them or scare them to lose interest. Our society surrounds our children with endless blind compliments. Ms. Tatyana is not afraid to give an honest opinion and to constantly push students to do better. My daughter learned how to work hard, how not to give up and most importantly, the joy of accomplishing a challenge. Now, at age 8, she sets her alarm and gets up early every morning to practice piano on her own and has been asking us to let her pick up a second instrument.”

Jamie

Mother of Emma (6-year-old). Etiquette Kingdom

“Emma loved learning the proper way to conduct herself at meals. She taught the rest of the family about “crumb catchers” and how to hold a cracker while eating. I was so impressed by what she learned from the class that I wanted to take the class for myself! We returned to the class simply as a refresher. I think there is a benefit to periodically revisiting these types of lessons.
– I am not sure what was different about today’s class, but Emma came home excited about what she had learned! She surprised us by setting the table, complete with bread plates, and dessert and salad forks.
– One more follow up: I was thrilled to hear Emma at dinner last night telling me about how nice it is to send a thank you note for a present, that it is polite to keep your other arm on your lap while eating, and how to wipe her mouth with the napkin. She is implementing the skills being taught in the class in a meaningful way. Thanks again for the excellent programming!”

Lili

Cody’s mom.

Etiquette Kingdom
“My son really enjoys the Etiquette kingdom program at the Moonon center. The staff is nice and the way she teaches is very attractive to my son. (Food and games! Not just lecture). My son learned a lot from the program, like how to use fork and knife at the table, talking politely on the phone, eye contacts when talking to people… The program really changed my son’s daily life. I really appreciate it.“

Angie Moll

Piano Lessons at Primrose at BridgeWater

“Presley began piano lessons at 2 1/2 with “Miss Tatyana” and has always loved it. She looks forward to it each week and although we don’t own a piano yet, she stops to practice each time she sees one anywhere. Tatyana makes it fun for her and at the same time treats it with the seriousness and expectation of a professional. The program also helped Presley to identify her letters faster. I feel that the benefits of this program far outweigh the costs and have recommended it to all my friends.”