Justyna Chęsy-Parda received her Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in piano peroformance with chamber music emphasis from The University of Texas at Austin in 2007, and Master of Music degree in piano performance and piano accompaniment from University of Massachusetts in Amherst in 2003. She graduated with honors and received her Bachelor degree in piano performance from I.J. Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań, Poland in 2001.

Ms. Chęsy-Parda’s talent was recognized at early age as she won first prize in “Young Talents” piano competition in Bydgoszcz, Poland in 1988 and a third prize in 1989 in the same competition. She was a semifinalist in F. Chopin Piano Competition in Szafarnia, Poland in 1991. She was also awarded a Z. Drzewiecki Prize for the best pianist of the year in J. Zarębski State School of Music in Inowrocław, Poland in 1996.

In 1999 Ms. Chęsy-Parda won the second prize in the International Piano Competition of Berga City in Berga, Spain and was also awarded the scholarship of Minister of Culture and Sport of Poland for distinctive achievements for 1999-2000 year.

Ms. Chęsy-Parda’s biography was published as an honor in “The Chancellor’s List”-Honoring America’s Outstanding Graduate Students in 2004-05 and 2005-06. In 2007 Ms. Chęsy-Parda received an award for outstanding graduate solo recital at the University of Texas at Austin.

Ms. Chęsy-Parda was an Accompanying Assistant while pursuing her master degree at University of Massachusetts in Amherst and a Teaching Assistant while pursuing her doctorate degree at the University of Texas at Austin. In the Fallof 2007 Ms. Chęsy-Parda was a member of Austin Eurythmy Ensemble and participated in their concert tour in USA. Currently Ms. Chęsy-Parda is a member of collegiate chapter of Music Teachers National Association, a piano instructor at Clavier-Werke School of Music and a freelance accompanist, and a chamber music coach.

What does it really mean to teach music?

People in Africa believe that music is a spirit, which everybody has. Everybody is a musician inside. For me teaching music is finding a way to awaken that spirit. I strongly believe that a teacher is a guide who should show to students this new world of music. He should carefully explain the rules and teach the students skills which would allow them to survive by themselves. In other words, I think that a good teacher makes his students independent. A good teacher helps a student to find his own way, his own voice.

If music is a spirit, it means that it is impossible to capture it and put it in frame and display it! Music lies between the notes and that is why it is so hard to teach. I think that a good teacher should first of all inspire and open the minds of students and extend their imagination. A teacher should help them develop not only physical skills to play music, but also mental and spiritual ability to understand the incomprehensible. A teacher should help to develop their creativity, sensibility, imagination and sense of personality by exposing them to different kinds of visual arts, literature, poetry…

For me personally, playing music is a way to express myself – my thoughts, feelings, my whole being. Teaching music for me is an amazing opportunity to share my passion for music, knowledge, skills, enthusiasm and curiosity with my students. - Justyna Chęsy-Parda