Rachel Harmatuk is our February spotlight teacher.  She grew up in southwest Virginia.  First, she lived in a little town called Riner, then moved to Blacksburg and finally to Floyd when she was in the 7th grade. She moved to Oakton in the summer of 2002.  She and her family lived in Herndon for 5 years and now they’ve been in Ashburn since 2008.

Personal Interests

When she isn’t teaching or practicing, Rachel simply loves being in the woods. “Hiking is where my heart is. Some want a view, some want a waterfall, but me, I just simply love being in the woods.  I would love to hike the Appalachian Trail, not all at once, but in sections or maybe state-by-state.  Hikes I love around northern Virginia include Raven Rocks, Great Falls Park, Sky Meadows State Park, and Bull Run Mountain Natural Area Preserve. But really, I love anything that gets me outside!”  Rachel recommends AllTrails for finding good hikes and directions.

In addition to hiking and being outdoors, Rachel enjoys working out and reading, but most of her time is spent taking care of her family these days! She and her husband have two busy teens!

When asked what she loves most about playing the piano, Rachel said, “I love that I can sit down at the piano and simply play. I love the warmth of my piano and how I can play for any mood I’m in. I love using both my hands and I love the idea of both hands doing something different. If I’m being honest, I have a love/hate relationship with the piano and it’s not about hating the piano, it’s disliking my own ability to produce the sounds and play the way I would like to!” Her musical goals include playing and practicing more.  She enjoys performing, but has a lot of performance anxiety which puts a halt to performing in public.

Rachel listens to all kinds of music! In addition to classical music, specifically orchestral music, she loves alternative, grunge, dance, 90s, 80s, pop. The only class of music that doesn’t make her list is country.  As far as classical music goes, her favorite time period is classical. Something about the form and structure appeals to her. 

CERTIFICATION

A proud moment in Rachel Harmatuk’s music career was completing her Certification with MTNA and being able to add NCTM to her credentials. 

She says, “Completing my certification was something I had wanted to do for many years! I didn’t feel like I knew enough or was experienced enough for a few years. But once I got into it, I really enjoyed the process. It is very thorough and a lot of work, but I felt so accomplished when I was done! I have raised my rates since becoming certified and it has increased my confidence in my teaching. My advice would be to start the projects before actually committing.  Try to work a little bit each day on it.”

VALUE OF MENTORS

Rachel highly recommends finding a mentor among the teachers of NVMTA.  Mentors can give you pointers about teaching or just be someone to share ideas with.  She says the way to do this is by attending meetings and events and getting acquainted with the other members. 

“I have found several mentors in NVMTA simply by reaching out and speaking with them.  When I first started my piano teaching career, someone had told me about Jeri Bennett, so when I was at a George Mason Piano Pedagogy program and we were all introducing ourselves, I heard hers and immediately went up to her after the program and introduced myself. That began a friendship we have had for many years where we bounce ideas off of each other and she is always gracious to answer my questions and give me guidance. I look to those who have more experience and people who are kind and I talk to them.  It’s really been very comforting to know that someone is there to give you advice and is willing to answer any questions I have.”

NVMTA Participation

  • Attended in-person NVMTA meetings, 
  • Attended NVMTA zoom meetings (general meetings, TAT, or LATTE), 
  • Entered students in an NVMTA event, 
  • Certified as NCTM with MTNA, 

“I am currently serving as the liaison for NVMTA and the Woman’s Club and have held this role for seven years. In addition to making sure the NVMTA dates are scheduled, I do the scheduling and write contracts for teachers who rent the Club. I am also serving as the NVMTA Recording Secretary.”

NVMTA Programs

“I feel like I have learned so many things from our programs. When I first started teaching, I began attending everything so I could learn from the vast amount of knowledge our teachers have! I am always seeking knowledge in ways to help my piano teaching. 

“I began attending Nancy Breth’s TAT when she had her studio in McLean. I learned so much just by listening to Nancy and the other teachers and how they approached things. I simply love so many of Nancy’s ideas that she puts out there, but she also engages people. She asks questions that make you think. I’ve attended her wonderful programs on sightreading, how to choose repertoire, repertoire discussions, mapping music, memorizing and Piano Olympics.  I have taken so much from these programs and discussions. It’s hard to name one TAT that was my favorite.  I haven’t attended as many of the NVMTA Professional Development Sessions.  But I have enjoyed the speakers that Aphrodite has put together, such as the last one from Irina Gorin.

“I love hearing other teachers speak about how they teach and what they do. I feel like we have so much to learn from each other, at least I know I do, that sharing how we do things both in teaching and the business of running our studios is always eye-opening for me!”

Rachel, thank you for all your work for NVMTA and congratulations on being our NVMTA February spotlight teacher!