CAM offers high quality of music training. All the staffs are professional and experienced. The teachers genuinely care about the students’ overall development. My son enjoys every single lesson, and has progressed tremendously.CAM adjusts their teaching instantly when the Covid 19 outbreaks happened. Offering options as in-person when it’s possible, remote and hybrid.With the whole remote sessions, the teachers are working hard to maintain the same quality as in-person lessons. The remote lessons are effective. The teacher would type and record all the notes for my so , sending recording for special instruction!My son Enjoys every bit of his CAM experience!

CAM has very high quality and standard in teaching. All teachers care about the health of their students as well. Academy quickly reacted to Covid situation and changed to 100% online teaching via Zoom or Skype even before public schools. Online lessons work great because they can be recorded, so student can review the lesson later and practice to play like the teacher shows. Online lessons work well in preparation for competitions as well.

Excellent Music School. Quick responds to current Covid-19 situation and provide safe educational environment by reducing crowding and keeping social distance. Thanks to the technology, online lessons are good and helpful, even for preparation of competitions.

Our daughter has been with CAM for almost 5 years and has improved so much. From recitals to performing to Carnegie Hall, to being confident, managing time and being focused. She started with piano class and now added violin class. This shows how she got inspired to learn more on music, and at the same time, as parents, this shows our confidence in the teachings of CAM. My daughter has joined numerous competitions, and her teacher was with her along the way, not just on the technicality and musicality, but also on practical advice and moral support.Given the situation we have with Covid, the quality of 1:1 teaching has not changed at all. It is still of high quality, where teachers remained focused on the progressive learning of their students. Both of her violin and piano classes have transitioned well to online learning. All sessions are held per schedule, same 1:1 approach, with homework/music sheets sent online. Our family appreciates this setup because we want to keep the learning momentum for our daughter despite Covid. Even prior to Covid, the school has always considered the over-all health of their teachers and students.

Best piano school in town! CAM has capable instructors and good varieties of lessons to learn. The location is convenient and lots of parking space around. Instructors are professional and nice. Students and parents can all learn from this school. Many talented students have graduated with honour and appreciation to this school. No dedicated school staff to handle daily operation though.

My children have been in piano classes at Chopin Academy for years under the teaching of Dr. Kaminska. The school not only offer regualr 1-on-1 classes, it also host recitals and performance classes for students to learn in group environment. The teachers encourage students to participate in competitions which able to provide students performing opportunities and eduational benefits. With the current COVID-19 shutdown, Chopin was one of the first to switch to online classes even before the regualr schools were closed. Teaching via Skype/Zoom/FaceTime continue during the pandemic and students lesson are not interrupted. We are happy with what the school did now and hope to return in person lesson soon.

I highly recommend Chopin Academy of Music! With 15 years of success, CAM has established a great reputation for providing quality music lessons with highly educated teachers. CAM is caring and reliable. In face of Covid-19 threat, CAM took the safety of all students and families as their top priority and set up online lessons at the very early stage. Thanks CAM!!!My son started formal piano lessons with Dr. Bowlby at CAM since his 6 years old in 2018. In the past two years, my son made a huge progress in both technique and musicality. Dr. Bowlby is passionate and encouraging. His piano lessons are always fun and inspiring. He is very detail-oriented especially when we prepared competitions, he focused on every single note to make it sound perfect. During this challenging time, Dr. Bowlby was well-prepared for the online lessons which turned out to be really successful. My son progressed nicely and made solid preparation for competitions. Thanks Dr. Bowlby!!!

Highly recommended! My kids (12 and 7) has been taking piano lessons at Chopin Academy of Music since we moved to WA 3 years ago and both of them have improved enormously. Beside their great quality of lessons, they also provide a lot of opportunities to perform (recitals and competitions) throughout the year. My kids’ teacher, Dr. Chris Bowlby is an amazing teacher. Not only he teaches my kids piano technique but also he motivates and inspires them so much to learn classical music.I am also amazed how quickly Chopin Academy of Music reacted to Covid-19 situation and started 100% online lessons immediately after the lockdown even before public schools. I really appreciate how much they consider for safety and health of their students and teachers. Online lessons with Dr. Chris are working so well with my kids. The quality of online lessons is impressive, as high quality as in-person lessons (no changes at all). I am so happy that my kids keep learning despite of Covid-19 lockdown and my 12 years old son also could prepare so well for the competitions with online lessons. 100% and more satisfaction!

CAM is possibly the best pre-college piano and music school in the PNW, due to the high level of instruction, competitions and a variety of activities. Ive been studying here for 4 years and I honestly feel accomplished by the progress I made since. Every instructor here is incredibly friendly and would give 120% of efforts in lessons!During the COVID-19 pandemic, CAM was very quick to react to the situation and set up online lessons even before the school districts closed. The online lessons are going very well, since the teachers would still give as much effort as in person lessons, and would still prepare you for competitions, concerts, etc. There are competitions founded by Dr. Ivona Kaminska and Dr. Chris Bowlby as well, most notably SIPF (Seattle International Piano Festival) and its sub competitions such as Bach, Virtuoso, etc. The competitions have been moved online during this time too, given their quickness to react to the pandemic and attention to everyones safety.Overall, this is the best music school in the region, no matter what level you are. And if youre considering to study and perform music as a profession, this IS the best place for you to prepare and get university level instructions.

Excellent music school in town. My daughter has been going to Chopin Academy of Music for about a year and improved tremendously. All teachers are very dedicated and work hard for each students success. Students dont only have great quality weekly lessons, but also many opportunities to perform throughout the year (vs. once a year recital by many private teachers).

My son has been learning piano in CAM for 5 yrs and we love the teachers and the school there. My son is currently taught by Dr. Ivona who is very reputable and experienced teacher. she is strict and effective and my son loved her teaching and improved a lot. Max Adkisson who was my son’s first teacher is also great. He is super patient with small kids and has great passion in piano teaching. The school is quite systematic in piano education, beyond 1x1 teaching, they give students other forms such as performance class, theory, and exam track etc throughout the year, which provide precious experience for anyone who is serious in learning music.

Good solid teaching for piano. Provides good technical instruction in a positive and encouraging way, offers recitals and festivals for students to perform. The only drawback is the traffic inn Front St and distance from Bellevue.

The music education CAM provides is beyond incredible! I recently graduated from the music school after studying with Dr. Kaminska for the last 13 years. The instruction given by the teachers is second to none. Lessons were always enjoyable and extremely helpful. Furthermore, CAM provides countless opportunities to perform in front of other students, families, and members of the community. I would say that one of the biggest benefits that piano lessons brought me was an ability to perform in front of others with confidence. However in addition to competency in performing, the school encourages students to understand the music and the theory behind the notes. It is a very wholistic learning experience.Without a doubt, the most impactful part of my education was my development of a love for music. Since the beginning of piano lessons, I was encouraged to play a wide range of pieces. Thankfully, this is not a school that pushes students to only play Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. Students have the pleasure of learning early keyboard pieces to modern and contemporary works. Although I won’t pursue music in University, I have no doubt that I will always play piano and continue to expand my music knowledge. My time at the Chopin Academy of Music was truly a blessing, and I feel privileged to have stumbled upon this fine institution as a beginner.

My daughter started learning piano from Dr. Ivona since she was 6 years old and it has been 3 years. We like this school very much and always recommend it to our friends. Dr. Ivona is very patient, very nice and very knowledgeable. She is able to point out the root cause when the kids made a mistake while playing piano and provides constructive suggestions. The school also offers performance class, recital, and varied festival/competitions opportunities for the students. Highly recommend this piano school.

Talented friendly teaches making sure that correct piano technique is being practiced from the start. Fun lessons, teaches are genuinely interested in what they students have to say. Many performing opportunities (recitals, concerts, competitions, festivals) during the year.

I love the CAM. Over the past 12 years, I have enjoyed great teachers, great facilities, and endless opportunities to learn, share, and hear music with others, old and young alike. Maxwell Adkisson has been my teacher for the past 2 years. He has taught me a wealth of strategies to resolve my pianistic shortcomings. At the CAM, old dogs can learn new tricks!

I highly recommend CAM for piano and music theory education. As a student of Dr. Kaminska for nearly 10 years, the schools encouraging and talented teachers and many opportunities for performance have led to my passion for classical music.

I have been a student here at Chopin Academy for eight years and my experience here has been superb. The teachers here are all extremely knowledgeable at classical music and teaching it.

Chopin AM creates unsurpassed opportunities to build confidence, college preparation curriculum and all with fun atmosphere. We can see that studying in CAM contributed in a large degree to my sons getting Merit Scholarship of $200,000 in one of the prestigious universities of the US. Thank you Dr Kaminska and Dr Bowlby!

CAM is a great place to take piano lessons. My teach is Dr Ross Salvosa. He is not only a great piano teacher but also excellent pianist. He is very detail oriented, and make sure every single note sounds beautifully. Ross has great personality, taking classes with him is really fun.I got professional training when I was young but I never really enjoy practicing piano this much as I am now.Ivona recommended Dr Salvosa to me when I came to CAM the first time. She cares about all her students and she will recommend teachers based on your needs and personality. Very appreciated on that as well.Highly recommend this place!

Highly recommend!My son Eric started studying at CAM one and a half year ago when we moved to US. CAM is an excellent music school for children in all ages. Many students have won various music competitions every year, including high-level international competitions. There are also many performance opportunities in CAM, such as performance classes, students concerts, music camp, master classes, and etc, which very much built up students’ confidence.Eric’s teacher is Dr Ivona Kaminska. She is always so enthusiastic and encouraging in class! Her lessons were full of joy because she is so experienced and with sense of humor. She not only teaches students how to play the music but also explains why. After taking her class, Eric has improved his piano skills a lot, at the same time he has become really interested in music and learned how to appreciate the beauty of music. She is really care about the growth of students, as she said to Eric, “If you make 100% effort, I will make 180% effort for you.”CAM is just like a big warm family!

From beginning pianists to advanced performers, CAM is the place to not only develop fundamental skills as a musician, but also a place that nurtures passion and excellence for the fine arts. Highly recommend for anybody looking to both start and advance their music career. -- Henry Gao, studied under Dr. Ivona Kamniska since 2005.

CAM is the place to go for all type of students. Those who just want to learn for fun the right way, those who enjoy competitions, and those who are serious in pursuing higher degree and are passionate about music. Speaking from personal experience, when we were searching for piano teachers in the area, we interviewed quite a few teachers from different backgrounds. We stumbled upon CAM and had an interview with Dr. Ivona K. Bowlby. That was in 2007. We were impressed from the get go and decided to have Dr. Ivona be our kids’ teacher. As far as Dr. Ivona goes, she is extremely passionate about classical music and about the improvements and skills of her students. She not only teaches the kids how to play, but also incorporates the history behind each piece and interpretations of each movement. The kids not only learn piano with the right technical skill and musicality, but they also learn music history! She has her own special way of working with the kids, firm but encouraging, tough but reasonable. For those students who work hard, they can be even qualified to perform in prestigious venues such as Benaroya and Carnegie Hall. Aside from piano lessons, the teachers made themselves available for performance classes outside of class time so the kids know what to do before performing their piece, how to bow, what to wear and everything related to performing in front of an audience. I would rate CAM as the best piano school in the Pacific North West!

My son has been studying in Chopin Academy of Music for 6 years under the teaching of Dr. Kaminska and can not be more happier! Dr. Kaminska help my son to learn proper technique, keep him motivated, and inspire him to venture outside of his comfort zone and using positive reinforcement by introducing him to recitals and competitions. Dr. Kaminska is caring, patience and has a positive attitude.The school of Chopin Academy of Music has a group of very dedicated and highly educated teachers who teach piano, violin, flute and also vocal performance! At times, my son also has opportunities to be adjudicated by different teachers in the school. Every year the school gives my son a lot of opportunities for recitals and stage performances in prestigious places like Benaroya Hall, Fyre Art Museum, Seattle Art Museum or even Carnegie Hall in New York.I would highly recommend this music school to anyone who wants to get their or their children’s wet feet to music!

This is a world class music academy. The directors, Dr. Chris Bowlby and Dr. Ivona Kaminska are qualified to teach at any college, but they love to teach children and take them from zero to professional level. My son just graduated from Chopin Academy. He started at age 6 and studied piano for 12 years under the tutelage of Dr. Ivona Kaminska. He has played at Benaroya Hall and Carnegie Hall and has won high placements at international competitions. Most importantly, he was given the gift of love of classical music. There are many music teachers around, but none rise to the level of the teachers at Chopin Academy. My daughter studied under a different teacher in Southern California. She was a good teacher too. CAM however, is on a totally different level. Chris and Ivona perform regularly and are amazing musicians in their own right. The rigorous music education at CAM has enabled several students to enter excellent college music programs. However, even if that is not a goal for your child, consider the immense benefits music education has for your childs mental, cultural and aesthetic development. Many of CAMs graduates study Engineering, Medicine, Math and Science at top US universities.

As a student of Chopin Academy of Music for 11 years ongoing, I can say from my personal experience, that CAM is the place to go for an elite education in classical music. Since starting my piano studies in 2007 under Dr. Ivona Kaminska, I have been privileged to partake in several competitions every year, watch world-class pianists in live concerts, and perform in beautiful concert halls, such as Benaroya Hall, and Carnegie Hall. Dr. Chris and Dr. Ivona are extremely dedicated to every one of their students, and their hard work has led us students to many successes in competitions and concerts. Dr. Ivona has always been praised by adjudicators for her excellent interpretation of classical works, and she continually inspires me to delve deeper in search of the meaning behind the pieces I play.Truly, if you are looking for a place that will further your passion for music and maximize your potential, Chopin Academy is the best place to go!

My son has been studying piano at CAM with Dr. Ivona Kaminska since 2009. Above and beyond just the teaching of music lessons CAM is a very professional music school. Ivona is an excellent teacher who has fully nurtured my son’s talents and his passion for music. The entire time of her lessons is dedicated to teaching the music, and her communication with parents and students outside of lessons is consistently strong and proactive. Ivona and her husband Dr. Chris Bowlby devoted many of their weekends to holding performance and master classes as well as recitals throughout the year.

As a student that recently graduated from Chopin Academy, I must say that I could not have asked for a more encouraging and inspiring environment to develop my passion for classical music. I studied piano for almost 11 years here, first with Dr. Christopher Bowlby and later with Dr. Ivona Kaminska. They are extremely knowledgeable in classical music and piano performing and their suggestions during lessons have frequently led to high prizes in top-level piano competitions. I studied with Dr. Kaminska from 2013 to 2018; in those years I frequently received comments about my “mature” playing due to Dr. Kaminska’s great taste in music. She really knew how to bring the best out of me and at the same time allowed me to develop my individuality as a pianist by being very open to my opinions.Most importantly, Dr. Bowlby and Dr. Kaminska are great people; they are kind and genuine and really cared about my goals. They never hestitate to recommend a masterclass or competition or concert opportunity or anything that could help me become a better musician. I never felt pressured during lessons because CAM has a very healthy environment to make mistakes in. There are a lot of performing opportunities.Thanks to CAM, I’ll be attending the University of Michigan to study piano performance this fall. I highly recommend studying at CAM if you want to develop your passion for music.

Excellent piano/violin instruction and numerous opportunities to be involved with the classical music community. Glad to see this school kindling the gift of music in young people in the community.

Unprofessional - first of all, they take a long time to contact people. They contacted me after my second time of filling out their web form and me making several phone calls. Secondly, after finally setting an appointment with Dr Kaminska, and she stood us up (no show on their part). We got to the appointment 5 minutes early and waited outside in the cold for 15 minutes before we left. Its been several hours since our appointment and I have yet to get a phone call or email from anyone with an explanation. Very unprofessional and rude.