The Etudes Studio: Piano and Fine Art

03/09/2026

🎹 Proud Teacher Moment! 🎹

We are thrilled to share that several students from our studio have become winners of the Minnesota State Piano Contest!

Congratulations to our talented pianists:
✨ Vinh Kettler
✨ Claire Zhong
✨ Eric Zhong
✨ Tad Ware
✨ Alex Biles

Your hard work, dedication, and love for music truly paid off. We are incredibly proud of each of you and grateful to your families for their support. Keep making beautiful music! 🎶👏

12/22/2025

🎶 Congratulations, Ivy Jiang! 🎶

Ivy has passed her Level 2 Theory Test with High Distinction—an outstanding accomplishment! 🌟
We’re very proud of you!

12/22/2025

🎉 A Big Thank You to Sasha! 🎉

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank-you to Sasha Nikonov for teaching a cybersecurity course to our students as part of his service-learning project. Over the course of 20 hours, Sasha shared valuable knowledge, sparked curiosity, and made a complex topic engaging and accessible for our students.

It was truly a pleasure to have him at Etudes, and the experience was both educational and fun for everyone involved. We are grateful for his dedication, patience, and professionalism, and we wish him continued success in all his future endeavors!

👏 Thank you, Sasha, for your hard work and for inspiring our students!

09/27/2025

We are so proud to celebrate Ruinan Lin and Eugene and Yilong Hou for earning MMTA Awards this summer! 🏆🎶

These awards are given to students who achieve outstanding scores on their piano exams, and all three of them worked incredibly hard to earn them. Their dedication, persistence, and love for music truly shine through every note they play. 💜🎹

Please join us in congratulating them on this well-deserved recognition, and let’s cheer them on as they continue their musical journey toward even greater achievements! 🌟

09/26/2025

🎉 Congratulations to Ms. Elena Nikonov! 🎉

Her painting “Golden Hour” has won an award at the Minnesota Artists’ Association 2025 (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064770273987) Juried Fall Show! 🌅✨

The exhibition is on view through October 31 at the White Bear Center for the Arts. Don’t miss the chance to see all those beautiful works in person!

👉 More details here: https://whitebeararts.org/exhibitions/maa-fall-juried-exhibition/

📸 Featured: Ms. Nikonov standing proudly with her award-winning painting.

09/10/2025

✨🎨🎹 Now Enrolling – Limited Spots Available! 🎹🎨✨

Looking for quality piano or art lessons right here in the Apple Valley / Eagan area? Our cozy home-based studio offers personalized, one-on-one teaching in:
🎶 Piano (all ages, beginners to advanced)
🎨 Fine Art (drawing, painting, creative projects)

We keep classes small and individualized so every student gets the attention they deserve. Spaces are filling quickly as we start our Fall enrollment, and we only have a few openings left.

🌟 Why families choose us:
• Warm, supportive learning environment
• Flexible scheduling for busy parents
• Experienced teachers with a passion for both music and art
• Local, convenient, and affordable

📍 Located in Eagan Royale neighborhood (on the Apple Valley/Eagan border).

👉 Message us here to reserve your spot before they’re gone!

Let’s make this school year creative and inspiring! 🎶🎨

03/16/2025

🎶✨ Congratulations to our amazing students! ✨🎶

We are so proud to celebrate the achievements of our talented pianists! 🏆🎹

🎖 Congratulations to our winners of the MN State Piano Contest: Eric Zhong, Claire Zhong, Emily Zhang, Adelyn Liu, Ivy Jiang, Jaylen Chen, Aylen Chen, and Alex Biles! Your hard work, dedication, and passion for music have truly paid off.

🌟 A big round of applause to our students who received a Superior rating at the National Federation for Music Clubs Festival: Summer Grace, Kasey Costley, Gabrielle McCabe, Alex Biles, Ivy Jiang, Aylen Chen, Jaylen Chen, Vinh Kuettler, Nathan Yang, Ruinan Lin, Tad Ware, Anson Chen, Eric Zhong, Claire Zhong, Adelyn Liu, Amanda He, Emily Zhang, Amos Keronche, Thomas Maru, Mary Biles, Arvin Shrestha, and Finn Dolmar! Your commitment to excellence and artistic growth is inspiring.

Your success is a testament to your dedication, perseverance, and love for music. We are honored to be part of your musical journey! Bravo! 👏🎶

03/13/2025

Exciting News!

Our studio’s art show at the Minnesota State Capitol has been featured in a news piece by Minnesota Senate Media Services! This special segment highlights the incredible talent of our students and the importance of fostering creativity in the community.

The feature includes an interview with Ms. Elena and her student Meera Joseph, showcasing the dedication and artistic growth that makes our studio so special.

A huge thank you to everyone who has supported our students and their artistic journeys! Watch the full piece here: https://youtu.be/tWiYTJJYdPU?si=7kBKzbqn0bxQXFrw.

Congratulations to our participating young artists: Sophia Abress, Adelyn Lu, Eric and Claire Zhong, Khanh-Linh Kuettler, Tristan Serrano, Meilyn Caughron, Ruinan Lin, Aiden Huang, Meera Joseph and Victoria Nikonov!

Let us know what you think in the comments!

From large murals and stately statues to historic photos and modern paintings, you can find all kinds of artistic talent on display at the Minnesota State Ca...

10/16/2024

Our student art show is live at the beautiful State Capitol!

10/09/2024

MS. ELENA’S STUDENTS’ ART SHOW

October 14 - 26, 2024

Minnesota State Capitol
North Hall
75 Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard
St Paul, MN 55155

09/04/2024