Our NVMTA spotlight teacher for January is Alina Kirshon-Goldman. She was born in Kiev, former Soviet Union. Alina moved to Israel when she was twelve. Some of the teachers who influenced her include Rachel Shulov, Gilah Aaron, and David Chen. “In the United States, Elizabeth Vrenious played a huge role in shaping me as a human and as a pedagogue,” she said.
Alina started playing the violin at the age of 6. When she turned 15, she discovered the viola and began her journey of singing. She enjoys singing because it allows her to tell a story, connect with people around the world, learn about different cultures, and be in opera productions. She enjoys this because it allows her to pretend to be someone else (which is fun!)
The Tragedy of Madame Butterfly with the Loudoun Lyric Opera.
Educational Background
Alina holds a doctoral degree in voice performance from Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, VA and received a Dean’s Scholarship Award for her research about Israeli composer Paul Ben-Haim. She is a certified Suzuki teacher, and holds a Bachelor degree in viola performance. She recently obtained the certificate of Coaching Fundamentals and is working towards a Certified Professional Coach (CPC) certification.
Lifelong Learner
Alina is a lifelong learner. This can be seen in several aspects of her life. This year, she started to train as a Life Energy coach. One of the values she espouses is to contribute to her community and help people. With her new coaching skills, she is able to help young teachers start their music business. She also hopes to help more seasoned colleagues who experience teacher burnout. She hopes to help them look into making changes in their studios and in their lives.
Another way that she continues to learn is gaining exposure to new styles of music. While she mostly listens to classical music, her students have shared music theatre, jazz, pop, folk music, and even rap styles with her.
Continuing on the learning theme, she always has a project (or two or three) going. Currently, she is working toward an upcoming audition with the Washington National Opera, a performance at the May NVMTA teacher’s recital, and a new solo program that she plans to perform in May.
Proud Moments
A proud moment for Alina was seeing one of her students perform at the Kennedy Center. The student played at the Millennium Stage and right after his performance Alina had to go and change into her costume, as she was in the show with Washington National Opera. Another instance was when the same student had his graduation recital at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He played beautifully and he wrote a beautiful tribute to the time he studied with me. Thanks to the swiftly developing technology, she was able to watch his recital virtually from the comfort of her home. The tribute was a complete surprise, which made it even more powerful and meaningful to her.
Value of NVMTA
Alina is an active member of the Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association and contributes a lot of time and energy to the group. She said, “Over the years, I served in a variety of positions. Some of the more notable ones include being the first chair of Musical Theatre Competition. I am proud to know that it is still going on and provides much needed experience of performing two cuts instead of full songs.” Alina expanded the Strings only judged recitals to two annual events. She co-chaired the String Achievement Award and String Concerto Competition, educational programming for NVMTA, and served as an advertisement chair and she was the piano maintenance chair for 1 year. Other ways that Alina has participated in NVMTA is attending the meetings (virtual and in-person), entering students in NVMTA festivals and competitions, giving presentations at NVMTA meetings, and receiving an NVMTA grant to attend the National Convention in Reno, Nevada..
By participating in the Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association, Alina says, “I have learned the importance of community, camaraderie, and the value of continuing education.” Her best advice to new members is to get involved and explore how you can contribute and how you can benefit from being involved. NVMTA is a volunteer based organization. What makes NVMTA a vibrant and valuable organization is its members and volunteers.
Conclusion
When asked if she would do anything differently in her profession if given a chance, she said, “Probably not. I am who I am because of the experiences I had, positive, and negative.” Her musical goal is to keep balancing her performance, teaching and coaching careers with raising a family.
Thank you Alina for all your generous service!
