“My daughter A has been inspired and become more confident and sociable since she started to take music lessons at Hug Music. I couldn’t have imagined how happy our lives could get by her learning music.”
— Denys, Mother of a
“Kana and Hug Music have helped my son, E, in numerous ways in the four years that he has taken piano lessons with her and first began his formal music education. Kana challenges Ellis with kindness and patience to work hard and do his best, leading him to take pride in what he has accomplished. Kana’s encouragement has helped my son grow in confidence as a musician so that he now often enjoys making up his own pieces and singing along with them. He is now always eager to perform at every opportunity, whether for a talent show at school or camp or just to entertain friends or family. My husband also takes piano lessons with Kana, realizing his lifelong dream of learning to play the piano. Thanks to Kana and Hug Music, my husband and son can now play duets together, whether just relaxing at home or at one of the recitals that Kana organizes, and it fills my heart with such happiness!”
— Eileen, mother of E and wife of R, Hug Music’s students
“Since my boys started music lessons at Hug Music, their love for music has grown tremendously. Mrs. Kana’s class promotes not only music, but also self-esteem and confidence. Her creative ways to teach music has inspired my boys to explore new music, new melodies, new sounds and love for the stage!! Every week, the boys are excited to learn something new and they are happy to be part of Kana’s music program.”
— Lina, mother of boys S and E
“Ms. Kana, we feel very fortunate to have found you to work with him since many teachers I went to refused to deal with him because he was so antsy and would not sit still. I cannot express enough our gratitude for all the work you have done with him and for how far he’s come since your first meeting when he was just a little 3 year old. It speaks volumes of your talent with children and bringing out the best of their musicality to nurture their talents”
— M, Mother of G
“E. absolutely loves his music and piano lessons with Kana and especially enjoyed the improvisation. Kana is so in tune (no pun intended) with him that she enabled him to produce some fantastic music, way beyond his years. We have had other music teachers and I can say that Kana’s connection to my son is the best. Also, her comfort level with a variety of kinds of music—jazz, blues, classical, and improvisation— was very unique and much appreciated. Finally, I deeply appreciate how personally committed she is to E.—that is truly extraordinary and a wonderful gift she gives him.”
— Maria, mother of E
“When I first brought M (child’s name) to Ms. Kana, I did not know how far he could go; he was 3 years and 11 months old, could not engage himself in any activity for more than 2 minutes. He could not play one key at a time with his finger. But Ms. Kana made a miracle happen! Immediately after M started to work with her, I was impressed by her enormous effort and extraordinary skills to improve my son’s skills. She carefully observes M’s behaviors and tries to understand the reasons behind them in order to decrease inappropriate behaviors and increase proper behaviors. It was impressive that M’s attention span greatly increased within 8 sessions and he was able to maintain his focus and fully participate in a 30 minute lesson with no problems. After a few months of working with Ms. Kana, it was obvious that M started to make tremendous progress. When I watched a video excerpt she sent me of M’s playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on the color bells, my heart was beating fast and, at the end of the excerpt, it was jumping out of my chest. I was amazed by his progress and realized that he has great potential! He continues to develop his skills and now he is able to play more complicated songs such as Ode To Joy both on the bells and piano with both hands and fingers alternating – before training with Kana, this would have been an impossible feat for him. Another miracle to me is that M improved his cognitive skills through his work with Ms. Kana. He learned to play music games Kana introduced in the lessons. I just could not believe that he one day could put seven solfege cards in order, descending and ascending. She has also introduced him to reading rhythms in a way he can understand. Ms. Kana always designs musical games and activities that are just right for M and gradually makes it more challenging. In this way, M feels secure to explore himself in learning and grow his self-esteem and motivation in learning. I have noticed that those learned skills have transferred to his activities outside music lessons; M is now able to follow directions better, learn and play games successfully, demonstrate willingness to try new and challenging tasks, and communicate better with me. Furthermore, Ms. Kana closely working with me has helped me understand the therapeutic and educational process. She sends me weekly lesson report and describes my son’s progress and learning process. She shares my son’s accomplishments in the lesson through video and audio clips as well. These help me understand the therapeutic purposes of music activities and how I can help him at home. Moreover, Ms. Kana’s confidence in M’s potential has encouraged me to believe in him and has helped me notice subtle positive changes in his behaviors. For all of these reasons, Ms. Kana is a remarkable music therapist/teacher, an indispensible asset to my family and a major contributor to the fields of music therapy, music education, and special education ”
— Lisa Mother of a boy M
“Mr. Sasha is the best teacher that my daughter could have... his passion for music and love for teaching together with his smile are so inspiring that learning guitar seems easy”
— Maryela, mother of a 12-year old daughter
“Hug Music provided my daughter to find her voice through music”
— MOTHER OF M., A 7-YEAR OLD GIRL
“Words cannot express how happy we are to have found Hug Music’s program. We always knew our little girl enjoyed music and we wanted to find a special program that would help contribute to her enthusiasm and joy music brings to her. Not only did we find the right program, but in doing so, we discovered what a beautiful gift and talent our little girl has. It’s amazing to see the progress our little girl has made in such a short amount of time. Watching her perform in her very first recital was such a special moment. We are thankful to her teacher/therapist for being so amazing with our little girl! Her therapist does such an excellent job and her warm and caring approach is just the perfect touch! Thank you so very much!”
— Mary, a mother of 4-year old daughter
“My son, E. has flourished under Kana’s guidance. He now seems to rely on his keyboard as a place/instrument he can go to relax and have fun. We often find him banging around on the keyboard and composing his own songs. I particularly enjoy how you (Kana) made his practicing into something that he controls — by asking him how many times he should repeat a song during practice. Kana’s music and piano lessons provide a non-threatening, enjoyable environment in which to learn while at the same time give E. clear milestones, expectations and structure which he depends and thrives on to succeed.”
— Karen, Mother of E.
“Hug Music has helped my son to improve his social skills, attention, listening, fine motor skills and most important, his language. Every time my son finishes his session, I have a happy confident child and I’m grateful that Hug Music has provided a such positive impact on my son. Thank you.”
— Lina, mother of a boy
“I’ve noticed my son, J, has been using his fingers more appropriately at home and does not bang on the piano as often. I’ve also noticed him singing while playing. This is something he did not do before. He used to hum the music. Now he’s singing the words. I’ve already seen great progresses in J.” (The mother sent this message after J has taken 3 lessons at Hug Music) ”
— M, mother of J
“My husband and I are so happy with Hug Music’s program and how much our son has grown and developed. With his therapist’s guidance and expertise, he has become an accomplished pianist and, more importantly, loves playing the piano. With her understanding that there are many ways to teach music, she promotes his love and passion for music by encouraging and challenging him to grow. I would highly recommend Hug Music to any child who wants to learn in a fun and creative way. It is special and unique for your child’s progress”
— Kim, a mother of an 11-year old son
“I have been so surprised and happy to see my son grow and develop so much since he began music therapy session at Hug Music. When B. (son’s name) started music therapy he was reluctant to say anything or even answer questions from teachers and new adults he met. He took weeks to say his own name during the “Hello” song. He gradually came out of his shell, thanks to his therapist’s patience, encouragement, and her ability to try different approaches, songs, instruments and activities with him. Now, about 5-6 months after starting music therapy, B is chatting, happy, social, and affectionate; he answers his teachers’ questions in class and is no longer anxious about separating from his parents when it is time for school or other classes. Teachers and other therapists who knew him before and after he started music therapy have remarked on how different he is.
In sum, I am very appreciative of how Hug Music has helped my son through music therapy. He can also now figure out how to play new tunes on the piano on his own, and has developed a true love fore music.”
