Today we’d like to introduce you to Eva Anna Brandys.
Eva, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in communist-era Poland, started playing piano at 8 years old. My training in arts and music was always very strenuous. It was kind of like a military regime. From the very beginning I had to practice a lot. I very quickly realized that it wasn’t for fun. It was serious training. My hours of practice began with 1 hour at age 8 and ended with 8-12 hours by time I was a teen. Communism in Poland ended around the time I graduated from high school, so there was an influx of western European and American colleges that held auditions for talent. I auditioned for several and was accepted to Dallas Baptist University on a full scholarship. I studied for 9 years on full scholarship. I graduated with a Piano Performance Bachelor degree from Dallas Baptist University and Double Master degree from Southern Methodist University (one in Piano Pedagogy and other in Music Education). After graduation I worked for 5 years for one of the most prestigious music school in Highland Park and Dallas Metroplex Dallas/Music in Snider Plaza. This is where I learned how to run music school. I always had a dream to open a fine arts Conservatory in which all types of arts can be taught. I want it to teach students music in a different way than what I had experienced. Not with fear but with love, patience, and nurturing care. I want it to bring to Dallas community highest levels of music education and the best music training. In 2008 I opened my own studio where I was the only teacher, driving to students houses in Park Cities and Lakewood Area. I had an opportunity to teach children of Texas Senator John Corona, Hunt family, Carlson family, and many others. When my studio out grown my possibilities (I have taught 7 days a week for at least 8 hours a day) I have decided to move to the next step and opened a studio and started to fulfill my dream on a bigger scale. In 2010 I have opened Park Cities School of Music where students of all ages could study any instrument of the orchestra. I started with 70 piano students and within a year we tripled in size to 200+ students who studied 13 different instruments. In February 2015 together with my business partner, Ewa Korzeniowska, we have opened Lakewood Conservatory of Fine Arts (LCFA), which is further extension of my dream. LCFA combines all fine arts under one roof: dance, music and visual arts.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I believe that everything great in life comes with a sacrifice, hard work, dedication, and determination. Anytime when I hit low times (seasons) those attributes helped me survive and actually made me and my business stronger. I never give up! First of all, how can I give up on my dream and passion? And, how can I leave my students?
My initial challenge was the fact that all my life I was trained to be a concert pianist not a business owner. I didn’t have any business training what so ever. But I have decided to educate myself and completed Goldman Sachs program, training for small business owners called “GS 10,000 Small Businesses.”
In the spring 2015 I have decided to follow my dream even further by adding dance and visual arts in addition to music classes. Now, students can receive a complete fine arts education. It was probably the hardest time of my life to try to carry on with Park Cities School of Music and opening, Lakewood Conservatory of Fine Arts, a brand new place of much bigger scale.
I really think that all the above struggles were nothing considering I came to USA without knowledge of English. I arrived to the other side of the world with two suitcases and $100 cash, half of which I spent on a shuttle to the university. I was almost completely cut off from my family. I occasionally made brief calls to my parents on a landline and every week I hand wrote them a letter. Nineties were hard times for young foreigners; no Skype, face time, cheap cellphones. Being cut off from my family and extremely home sick was the hardest period of my life.
Park Cities School of Music and Lakewood Conservatory of Fine Arts – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Park Cities School of Music (PCSM) offers music classes for all ages 4 months to 99. You can study all the instruments of the orchestra. We also offer group music classes for infants and toddlers. This year we are starting a new program. We will teach Spanish language classes and teach music classes in Spanish as well. Music is an international language and I want to add to PCSM curriculum languages starting with Spanish.
Lakewood Conservatory of Fine Arts (LCFA) offers music, dance, art and theater education. What is unique about this entity is that students can experience and study different forms of Fine Arts education under one roof, learn to collaborate and expand their interests.
What sets us apart from other music school is our diversity, high level of music, dance, visual arts education, and involvement in the life of community. We offer lessons at the studio, students’ home and online. We have classes for adults and we are flexible with their work schedules, we offer an extensive program for special needs students. We offer a special training for gifted and talented students who want to pursue professional career and desire to be signed with an agent, or audition for college. Each year we offer many performing opportunities from recitals, community performances to musicals and competitions.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success of one of my student is my success. I measure success by number of students which took lessons at my schools. It shows me how many lives I had a chance to impact and how many lives I have enriched. I love to hear hallways and classrooms filled with music, dance, and education. It makes me so happy when I see students going beyond their comfort zones, standing up to the challenge, seeing them grow, looking at the proud parents, grandparents, singing how arts unite and draw closer families. When I see all that my heart is filled with happiness and that happiness is a success for me! Another part of success is to have a time that supports me, is dedicate to me and my vision. I am very lucky to have, Kathleen Arellano, PCSM managing director who takes care of business when I am on concert tour or recording my new album.
Contact Info:
- Address: Park Cities School of Music
7979 Inwood Road Ste 113
Dallas TX 75209andLakewood Conservatory of Fine Arts
7328 Gaston Ave. Ste 130
Dallas TX 75214 - Website: http://www.parkcitiesschoolofmusic.com
- Phone: 214.455.1477
- Email: info@pcsom.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parkcitiesschoolofmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParkCitiesSchoolOfMusic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/PkCsSchoolMusic
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/park-cities-school-of-music-dallas-2
- Other: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+ParkCitiesSchoolofMusic
Image Credit:
1. Photo: Park Cities School of Music (PCSM) and Lakewood Conservatory of Fine Arts Facilities (LCSA)
2 photo: Sunny Courtwright at KRLD 1080 Radio News performance
3 photo: Caroline Jackson (left), Mathew Sherman (middle), Luke Herda (right)
4 photo: PCSM Choir and Orchestra at Texas Legend Basketball
5. photo: Guitar Instructor, Moe Ramos (left) with his student Malachi DeOliveira
6 photo: PCSM Chamber Orchester at the concert
7 photo: PCSM & LCFA musical “Lion King”
8 photo: Fox4 perfomance: Eva Brandys (piano), Andre Echeverria (guitar), Lia Kerkman (right), Sunny Courtwright (center), Carolin Jackson (left)
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