Dr. Belsky is privileged to have a musical pedigree reaching directly to Arthur Rubinstein, Theodor Leschetizky, Ferruccio Busoni and Heinrich Heuhaus. She considers it an honor and a duty to pass on the great traditions of piano playing to a new generation of students. It is Svetlana Belsky’s goal in a masterclass setting to nurture the enthusiasm and love for music of each student, and to encourage students to fulfill their potential, whatever it may be (usually much greater than they think!)

Recent masterclass appearances include:

Beijing Central Conservatory, China, ISMTA Annual Convention, (2010)
Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois; Norwest Suburban MTA, Park Ridge, Illinois; Cardinal Stritch College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (2009)
Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois (2008)
Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa (2007)
Brooklyn Conservatory, New York (2005)

“With the contagious enthusiasm of a co-conspirator in piano playing, [she] drew from each child the most engaging and eager responsiveness, relaxing the worry of a teenage perfectionist, introducing concepts of artistic shading to an eight-year-old, or describing layered voicing techniques to a high school senior. We were reminded of the need for rigorous preparation and judicious pedaling, while at the same time [we were] entertained with tidbits of history and encouragements to search for poetic freedom.”

- Dr. Emily White (Piano Department Chair, Prep Center of Brooklyn College)

“Thank you again for your marvelous master class with us here at Wheaton College! You were amazing - so insightful and inspiring musically and incredibly astute psychologically: engaging, encouraging, friendly, and humorous, while raising the level of musical awareness and being persistent in getting to the musical result. I learned so much from your work with the three students as did my colleagues

- Dr. Karin Redekopp Edwards (Professor of Piano, Wheaton College)

Dr. Belsky has presented lectures on wide-ranging topics, from Psychology of Piano Playing to Competition Repertoire to many music teachers’ groups, the Piano Pedagogy program at Roosevelt University, Music Literature program at Northeastern Illinois University, and the Illinois Music Teachers’ Association State Convention. Sample Lecture topics include:

Ferruccio Busoni: Revolutionary of the Piano

Based on Dr. Belsky's recently published annotated translation of Grigory Kogan's Busoni as Pianist, this talk will discuss Busoni's unequaled influence on contemporary piano playing.

The Psychology of Practice and Performance.

If what we call technique is the art of reproducing with the fingers the sound picture in the performer’s mind, true musical artistry lies in the ability to form the clearest possible, and the most convincing mental picture of the work. In this lecture, Dr. Belsky will analyze the psychological aspects of preparing a piece – imagination, memory and design. The questions of concentration and performance anxiety will also be discussed.

Secrets of the Russian School of Piano Playing

Based on the writings of Heinrich Neuhaus, the celebrated teacher of Richter, Gilels, Radu Lupu, and Grigory Kogan, Russia’s foremost historian and theoretician of pianism, this program will address questions of tone-production, phrasing, pedaling, and various other aspects of piano technique.