Our Piano Teachers

Victoria was born into an artistic family where her father was an art critic and her mother was an artist. Along with the other arts, she was exposed to music, and at a very early age, she fell in love with music the most. She played many instruments, including flute, piccolo, and guitar, but she always returned to the piano. From the beginning of her adolescence, she knew that she wanted to be a musician. She was fortunate to have many good teachers and was eager to learn from all of them.

At the age of 18, Victoria clearly understood that she was passionate about children and their development, so it was very natural to combine this with her love of music and become a music teacher. Being the mother of eight children herself has given her the incredible ability to understand children and their needs. She has a unique way of connecting with each one of them and opening up their horizons with music.

Victoria feels lucky to be able to work closely with Tamriko Siprashvili at Inspire Academy and shares her passion and inspiration that help students to achieve musical success.

Debbie Boyden

My goals in teaching are to develop both sides of the child's brain in a loving and nurturing environment. Music is a powerful tool to foster logical thinking in tandem with creative expression. Developing both sides of the brain in children is what creates successful and happy people. Most importantly, what brings me the most joy is to plant a seed in children that instills in them the love of music.

Debbie was introduced to music at the age of seven. She fell in love with music from the beginning and took her studies seriously because she found that music fed both her analytic side and her creative side. She studied music with some of the best teachers in the Chicago area, including Vladimir Leyetchkiss. She studied at both Valparaiso University and Purdue University. Early in her career she discovered her love of music could be combined with her love for children. She has 35 years of teaching experience, with several of her students becoming teachers themselves.

Joshua Hart

My goal as a teacher is to inspire a passion for music in my students, and to help them reach their fullest potential. I believe that music develops invaluable skills, such as logic, coordination, focus, and perseverance, that will help students in all aspects of life. In my teaching, I strive to give my students knowledge, technique, and skills necessary to become fluent musicians, and to help them towards discovering their unique musical identity.

Joshua began taking piano lessons at age five, studying for several years with Tamriko Siprashvili. He won several solo piano competitions while studying with Tamriko, including top prizes at the FSO’s Young Recitalist Competition, the Liszt Festival’s Young Artist audition, and 2nd prize at the CMTA’s U.S. International Music Competition. He also completed the MTAC’s Certificate of Merit program with Panel Honors in 2016. After finishing high school, he continued his musical education at the Eastman School of Music, studying with Alan Chow to earn his Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Performance.

Along with his training in solo piano performance, Joshua has extensive accompanying experience, having accompanied numerous instrumentalists and singers of all ages. He also has experience in chamber music, piano ensembles, choral and musical theater accompanying, composition, and choral singing. As a teacher, Joshua has taught both individual and group lessons at Inspire Academy

David Iglesias

David's teaching philosophy centers around the pursuit of excellence while recognizing that perfection is an ambitious goal. He believes in the power of relentless effort and attention to detail, particularly in rhythm, dynamics, and technique, to build a strong musical foundation. By instilling these core pillars, he equips his students with the necessary tools to become accomplished pianists. Committed to meeting the individual needs of each student, David's approach is tailored to cater to diverse learning styles, fostering a supportive and inspiring learning environment.

David Iglesias, a native of the San Francisco Bay Area, has been deeply passionate about music from a young age. Over the past decade, he has delved into various musical periods, but it is the Baroque era that has left a profound impact on him. Earning honors in the completion of the California Certificate of Merit, David's dedication to music has been recognized and celebrated. Under the teaching of instructors Varvara Milinder and Gail Lew, he has honed his skills and become an accomplished pianist. With a strong foundation and years of experience, David is now equally enthusiastic about sharing his love for music through teaching at Inspire Music Academy.

David’s second passion is tennis, representing USTA NorCal in regional tournaments for two years in a row. His tennis experience has reinforced the values of discipline, focus, and determination, which he seamlessly integrates into his teaching.

Sookyung KoSwanson

I am a strong believer of “enjoyment of music above all things considered.”  Unless you enjoy the music you are singing, listening, expressing or discussing then I think you are doing injustice to the music itself.  It is the attitude I have embraced toward music all my life that I hope it will have a tremendous contagion effect to all of my students.  

Soo is very excited to be teaching piano to our youngest students in the Little Mozarts program.

Ann Palowitch

My priority as a teacher is to provide my students with a foundation for a life-long awareness and appreciation of music and the arts. I am inspired by the unique way each student approaches the piano, and I am dedicated to individualizing their musical journey to meet their style of learning.

Ann is a Pleasanton native and has benefitted from the amazing Pleasanton school music programs and from private study with Tamriko Siprashvili. Ann went on to study piano performance, pedagogy, and accompaniment at the Penn State School of Music under Dr. Timothy Shafer. She has enjoyed performing in symphonic bands, small ensembles, musical pits, and a multitude of other settings. She continues to perform with local choirs and is delighted to be part of the Inspire community.

Pooja Shah

Pooja believes that musical education goes beyond technical mastery of an instrument. For her students, it is also a journey of self-discovery and creative expression. When teaching, Pooja aspires to empower her students with the realization that they possess the innate ability to craft something beautiful and significant. She believes the language of music can serve as a bridge to connect, ignite inspiration, and foster self-confidence. Pooja's goal is to provide a nurturing environment, where her students are free to recognize the potential within themselves to create art, enriching their lives and those around them.

Starting violin at age four and piano at age seven, music has always been a big part of Pooja Shah’s life, from being a member of the San Jose Youth Symphony to performing at Carnegie Hall. Pooja’s experience includes performing in chamber ensembles, orchestras, and symphonies, as well as contributing to the production of two short films. In her off-hours you can find Pooja making music with friends, composing new pieces, or playing classical music scores from her favorite films.

An alum of the Certificate of Merit Program, in addition to her music experience, Pooja holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Cognitive Science from UC Berkeley.

Christine Tay

To me, music connects with our body, mind and emotion in mysterious ways. A beautiful piece of music can speak profoundly to our hearts. Classical music, especially, transcends language, culture and time. Learning to play a musical instrument well requires focus, discipline, and patience. It fosters expression of thoughts and emotion. These qualities all reflect many of the life skills we want our children to build.

My goal is to help students discover the joy of music, improve their own ability, and to gain confidence through their accomplishments. I look forward to being a part of your child's musical journey, just as my teachers have been to mine.

Christine was born in Hong Kong. Her mother taught music at an elementary school. She began formal piano lessons at age six. She was involved and was awarded with high achievement by the Associated Board of The Royal Schools of Music. During most of Christine's school years she competed in the annual Hong Kong Schools Music Festival, as solo and duo pianist, and won several awards. She has been under Tamriko Siprashvili's coaching for years. In addition, she is an accomplished accompanist.

Joshua Umaña

I believe that a student can tell when their teacher loves the subject they’re teaching, and it really can make all the difference. My goal is that my love for music can transmit through my teaching to my students, to keep them engaged, and help them to understand the importance of music in our lives.

Joshua was born on the East Coast and lived in several states across the country, but he always felt most at home when seated at a piano. From the age of six when he first began taking piano lessons, Joshua fell in love with music, and it was the one constant wherever he went.

At age 17 after graduating high school, Joshua moved to the Bay Area to pursue music as his full-time passion. Joshua is currently majoring in Piano Performance at Ohlone College. Recently he has performed concerts and recitals in the Bay Area and is delighted to be teaching at Inspire Academy.