Here are the testimonials of Ms. Yaroshevsky's former students. If you are studying with her or have been in the past and wish to give us your feedback, you are welcome to do so. We would love to hear from you.
...Gala Yaroshevsky was my first flute teacher, and one I will always remember. She taught me numerous nuances of the flute, from embouchure and tone color to technique and musicality. But more than that, she is truly the one who developed and nurtured my passion for the flute. Her energy is tangible, her expertise is evident, and her personality is infectious. Anyone who gets the opportunity to work with her, as I had for six years, is incredibly lucky. She makes the cliché "one in a million" ring true...
Pavitra Rengarajan
...What makes a wonderful teacher? A good teacher is a person who does not only have logical reason in their instruction but are passionate about what they teach. However, truly great teachers do not only love their subject, they love their students and are willing to do anything to help their student be the best that they can be. These teachers inspire. Every student will have had at least one phenomenal teacher in their life, and for me, that teacher is Gala Yaroshevsky, my former flute teacher. When we had lessons, we not only drastically improved my flute skills, but she and I would talk about other things—our passions outside of flute, our hopes and dreams, and little tidbits on our daily lives. I loved our classes because while Miss Gala taught me like a professional, she talked to me like an equal. When I entered that orange-accented music studio I felt that I had entered a place other than my own home where I could really express myself completely both musically and otherwise. Being both writers, she also discussed ideas and characters with me, and, with her encouragement, my writing became something so much more than it was before. During this time, my flute also improved dramatically, morphing from a beginner playing easy pieces to me playing pieces I could really be proud of. In short, Miss Gala influenced my life not only in flute, but she showed me firsthand how a genuinely marvelous teacher could change a student's life...
May Sun
...Gala's teaching style a unique and effective one. She combines proffesionalism in flute with a pure and honest approach.By taking classes from her, teenagers dont only learn to play the instrument, they learn life. Gala truly connects with her students, showing talent unacheivable to most teachers. She is unquestionably, one of the best, most intriuging people I've met in my life..
Elina
...Gala, you are the best teacher I have ever had throughout my music career. You didn't just teach me how to play flute, you taught me how to be a musician. Thank you so much for your dedication...
Kenzie Brand
...When I first had lessons with Gala, I couldn´t play the flute at all. After a few lessons ,I could already play some scales in an octave. I soon got some songs and simple etudes to play.Over the 4 years she taught me to play any scale in two to three octaves and sight reading. About twice every year she had a recital.She gave me a different song to play each time and I enjoyed learning them. She never gave me anything to play that would be boring.I consider myself lucky to have found such a good flute-teacher.Without her I wouldn´t play so well as I now do.I thank her for everything she has done for me and her patience with me as a student...
Tomas Martak
...Gala is the best flute teacher you can find. Unlike most flute teachers out there, Gala is dedicated to make you learn to play with feeling and not play like a robot. Even if you're a slacker (like me), she will still try her hardest to make you learn the notes on the page and the emotive content the composer would want to hear. And on top of all that, she's just an amazing person in general. I highly suggest you choose Gala as your flute teacher...
Adam Hadar
...There are a few select attributes which make Gala the excellent flute teacher she is. Her dedication to the the art of playing the flute is highly notable. She has mastered the instrument in each and every aspect and plays with such grace. Her commitment of getting the best out of every student is obvious, as she covers a wide array of musical aspects in her teachings. She emphasizes the basic fundamentals all through so they are imbibed in the flute playing of all her students, as well as the theoretical side of music. Gala also very adeptly trains all of her students to successfully pass the California Merit Music exam with excellent results and high ratings. Finally, she is just a great person to be around, fun to converse with, and never lets a flute lesson get boring. I've learnt from Gala for around 8 years and can honestly say that I've enjoyed my lessons with Gala, and highly recommend learning from her. You will not only receive an excellent musical education but also have a great time each and every flute class...
Sandesh Rallapalli
...Gala has all what it takes to be a great teacher. My son, who was not really fond of music, still always was looking forward the lessons with Gala. I knew that he would not be a musician and Gala was always open with me on that, but at least she found the way to make the experience enjoyable to my son. And that's what made him to put extra effort in homework and in preparing for recitals. I highly praise Gala's ability to work with kids of all ages...
Jonathan Tannah
...From individual sessions to group performances, Gala has always been an incredible flute teacher, and more importantly, a wonderful friend. She has continously encouraged me to achieve my highest potential; without her, I would not have grown into the musician or person I am today. I cannot express the amount of admiration and respect I have for her talent and character. Even now while I'm in graduate school, I miss her often. Thank you so much for everything, Gala!..
Alexandra DeGrange
...I have been Gala’s student since 2010 and though I regretfully do not take any more weekly lessons with her since I have started my voyage to college in 2012, I still consider Gala to be my flute teacher. Whenever anyone asks, “Who is/was your flute teacher?” I am always excited and proud to answer, “Gala Yaroshevsky. I love her! She’s the best!”
Gala has surpassed the role of any teacher I have had in my entire life. She not only taught me through figurative, detailed description and explanation of how a musical phrase should sound like and how it should be played, but she also gave her most thought out opinions and advice on decisions that had to be made in my life. She teaches her students to give the flute and everything else their one-hundred percent dedication and conviction. Through my time with Gala, I learned to trust every piece of advice she had for me: whether it was how I should play and approach a note to which piece I should play for my next audition or performance. Gala has also always pushed me to be the best musician I could possibly be, always setting feasible goals and assigning me her “newly discovered” flute practices and exercises, while keeping everything exciting, interesting, and most importantly in my opinion, fun.
So to Gala- All I can say is that I wish I could still be taking lessons with you! You are truly the best, and whenever I need guidance on anything flute, music, and life related, I will always go to you as I have in the past! When I think back to memories from high school, I know for a fact that most of my happiest memories were during the times I spent with you. I am excited to start making new memories of us two, despite me being in college now. Thank you for everything and for all your effort and passion you have in your students, in me, and in teaching!..
Kathryn Wolfson
For Gala ~
Tuesday nights, 7:00 PM on the clock and I enter into Gala’s studio, flute case ready in hand with a smile on my face. The orange walls greet me with a sense of familiarity and a surprising calm washes over me. No matter what grueling challenges I experienced the day of, I walk in with a sense of confidence because class is where I can be myself and have absolute poise.
Tuesday comes and goes as quickly ending with my hour long private lesson. With work needed to be done for the preparation of the Certificate of Merit tests, it is a lesson full of stylistic criticisms like dynamic changes, vibrato additions, and emotional uplifts that I need to incorporate into my playing. For me, playing flute is constant, systematic, structured, much like breathing in and out.
But, truth be told, it’s much more than just practicing for a test. It’s a life lesson. It’s routine. It’s what I love and enjoy doing the most. And it’s not only because of my chosen instrument; I would say it most importantly has the contribution of my teacher, Gala. I’ve been with Gala since the beginning of my freshman year. That’s 4 long years together, my whole high school career. And if I could, I would take her along with me to college. I don’t want to lose someone that important to me. She’s taught me everything I’ve needed to know not only about the instrument itself, but also about composers and their life histories (I advise you to learn about Bach and his “not-as-famous” children, their compositions will only show a trifle compared to Bach’s greatness), repertoires (I have played so many pieces, but my favorites will always be Sonate by Poulenc and Waltz in B Minor by Chopin), emotions (I learned that the best way to play is to close my eyes and imagine colors with the notes, everything sounds a little more calmer, a little more soothing), practicing (I think every music student will learn down the road that practice does indeed make perfect, especially when it comes to memorization), and techniques (No matter how much I disliked the scales that ran on and on with different articulations, it was all worth it in the end). Class isn’t always fun, but it is always effective and that’s all you need to know.
Gala’s the type of teacher that puts her whole heart and mind into her teaching. You want to know how I know? It’s because of all the ridiculous (but incredibly effective and engaging) ways she incorporates basics into our exercises and skills. From her scale exercises to her studies, they all tie in strictly to the music I am currently playing. Nothing goes without a solid plan in the end and I think that is extremely important for a long-term goal.
Now and then, Gala’s adorable children look through the window or knock on the connecting door to say a little “hello” and they are always greeted with a kiss on the cheek or a big hug. It just goes to show the amount of love she has for everyone. Sometimes, I find it easier to ask her for advice and talk about silly things like Senior Ball, applying for college, or whether to take school work such as Speech and Debate onto my already heavy course load. She takes time to hear about my day; no matter how tired I am, it’s impossible to not simply pour everything out to her, and I think that’s rare to find in a teacher. In that way, she became more like my close friend than just my teacher. It’s easy and relaxing for us to go for coffee, talk about our families, and attend concerts together. In some ways, she knows me better than I know myself. I often repeat my past mistakes without seeing it happening and she quite often says to me “You always say that I-Ling! Stop being silly and doubting that you can’t do it when we all know you can.”
Music is easy to pick up, difficult to sustain, and near impossible to perfect. The goal that I want to reach is not perfection; it is the ability to see what potential playing my flute could have for me. I think playing flute is suppose to help me with foundation skills like perseverance, adversity, responsibility, creativity, sociability, and most importantly self-esteem. I think more so than not, Gala taught me to be myself and not worry so much about what others think about me.
It is truly an end to my hard-earned journey and I can say without a doubt that I will not forget my time here. And yes Gala, I promise you with all my heart that I will come back to visit you whenever I get out of college on break. You have to promise me that whenever you get your flute repaired up in Berkeley, you will text me so we can get lunch together. And maybe bring that orange duet book you love so much so we can play again! You are truly an inspiration and I have no doubt that I am in good hands after leaving you. It’s because of you that the first thing I do at my orientation is ask for clubs involving music. I’ve already stalked the music rooms under my dorm just to make sure I will have a good place to practice. And don’t you doubt that you’ve taught me so much. I finally fixed my E flat major with an open finger! You know how you say you’re proud of me and wherever my future leads me to? I’m proud of you for being such an inspirational teacher that will continue to make an impact on all her students. I never told you, but when I was asked in school to make a speech about a teacher that inspired me the most, I chose you. I didn’t even have to think, I just chose from my heart. So please don’t cry (because I know you well enough) because this isn’t just an end to my journey with you, it’s a new beginning to what’s ahead for both of us! I’ll always be with you just like you will continue to be a big part of my heart. Thank you for everything.
I-Ling Hsiung
Class of 2012
UC Berkeley 16’