History of the Tchaikovsky Music School (NPO)

On 1st September 2002 the first music school – named after P. Tchaikovsky – using the classical Russian teaching method opened in Belgium. At that time, this school – located in the prettily named ‘Beau Site’ (Beautiful Site) street in Ixelles, Brussels – came down to a tiny single classroom.
By the end of September 2002, the school comprised 8 piano and violin students. The concert in honour of the presentation of the school took place in the “De la Folie” castle (M. Lichterveld) in November 2002.

The school had had various buildings until September 2010, when it moved for good into a marvellous building in G. Henri (Woluwe Saint-Lambert). The school is currently composed of 250 pupils and 15 teachers.

The lessons are given in six languages (French, Dutch, English, Russian, Polish and Hebrew). We provide violin, piano and singing private lessons as well as music theory, initiation to music, music theatre and choir group lessons.

Every year since 2002 the school organises the following activities:

– music festivals that are always scheduled in June. The first five years the festivals took place in the Church of Our Lady, Dinant. After the show, the pupils, their parents and the teachers took the tourist river boat. At the end of the festival, all the pupils receive a certificate for the school year and perform.

In 2008 – 2009 the concerts took place in the Madeleine Church in Jette (Brussels).

From 2010 the festivals take place in the magnificent room of the town hall of Woluwe Saint Lambert (P.Hymans av., 2).

– Christmas concerts with Father Christmas and the Snow Maiden (Snegurochka) who hand out the presents. All the pupils look forward to these amusing concerts! (also in the town hall of Woluwe Saint Lambert in Brussels)

– every year our pupils are subjected to three exams. The December and June exams are compulsory in order to obtain the certificate, whilst the technical exam in March is optional.

– the school teachers have performed in ten concerts.

– every year during school holidays, the school organises the ‘musical development for children aged between 3 and 6’ courses (there are between 2 and 4 courses during the school year). At the end of each week of the complete course, the pupils’ parents take part in a performance.

We have organised the following concerts as well:

– a concert intended for collecting money for the families of the Beslan school hostage crisis victims (2004)

– several concerts in tribute to the Holodomor victims in Ukraine (1933-1937). These concerts were arranged in close collaboration with the Ukrainian church and the embassy of Ukraine, and took place in the Sablon Church and the St Michael & Gudula cathedral

– a member of the Tchaikovsky family, M. Shorokoff – who is currently living in Brussels – has contributed to our concerts.  He has provided our pupils with a film showing the historical places where the eminent composer lived and wrote his works. M. Shorokoff has also autographed the “Children’s Album” edition

Several pupils are laureates and some have even won first prizes in international competitions:

  • Vilmos Csikos, violin, 10 prizes
  • Anett Csikos, violin, 7 prizes
  • Soledad Jackson, piano, 1 certificate
  • Iason Bance, piano, 1 certificate
  • Mateo Korsch, piano, 1 certificate

The school has subsidised one of the Csikos siblings’ trips to Italy for another competition. The two violinists have been awarded another prize in Italy.

One among other significant events in the school history is the cooperation with St. Lambert and Etterbeek district in Brussels.

From 2005 our teachers taught music culture courses in several primary schools of this district. According to the scenario written by the headmistress Nataliya Chepurenko and thanks to the teachers’ efforts, we managed to record a musical tale to help children get to know musical instruments. Furthermore, the school organised a competition to elect the best drawing interpreting the theme of the aforementioned musical tale. The winners of the competition won two tickets for the Christmas concert given by the school pupils and teachers, and they had pleasure in meeting an authentic Father Christmas. To thank the school for its contribution to the field of music education, the secretariat has placed him in the concert hall where the final year concert took place.

We still cooperate with Woluwe St Lambert. We have set up a significant project together: our teachers who supervise extracurricular activities teach initiation to music as well as choral classes in local schools. The idea to organise choirs in several schools was initiated by Ms. Louise – deputy burgomaster of education in Woluwe. The choir participated in the concert arranged by the town management as well as in the final year concert organised by the pupils of the Tchaikovsky music school.

Several articles have been published in different editions – including WoluInfo (October 2011) – to share the important moments and the pupils’ success.

The parents who live in the surroundings of Woluwe St Lambert are delighted to be able to enrol their children in our music school. Here are some of the advantages that appeal to them: the possibility to enrol their children for the entire school year, the flexibility of the class schedule, an excellent organisation of the concerts and exams, a unique and festive atmosphere that prevails during the concerts, the possibility to enrol their smaller children in initiation to music lessons as well as in holiday courses.

In sum, the parents are satisfied despite the expenses.

The school is self-financing. So far the management of the school has never asked for a single cent to improve the development of the school!

Next year we are going to keep organising the aforementioned activities.

We hope that you will become a new member of our school and that you will be satisfied with our curriculum and activities, just like all our pupils are. Our teaching method is flexible, professional, strict and customised. We will be more than happy to welcome you, so… welcome to the Tchaikovsky music school !!!