Anna Shmidov describes her life as a dream come true. She came to Maple Grove from Russia in 1980 as a political refugee, along with her husband and two children, and brought a vast musical knowledge with her.
Shmidov began playing piano when she was 6 years old. She continued playing piano through her childhood and began teaching lessons by the time she was 16. She became passionate about teaching, and after about 20 years of playing piano, obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music while still in Russia, where she worked her way to the head of the music department at a school in the city of Minsk.
Shmidov says that teaching music was completely different in Russia than it is in the United States. “In many places in Russia, music was part of elite society,” she says. “It was a government program at that time. You had to audition for the music program, and if you weren’t one of the best, you were kicked out.”
When Shmidov arrived in the United States, she didn’t speak English, but began looking for jobs teaching piano. “Music is such an international language that if you have a good knowledge, it can give you a basic skill in communication,” Shmidov says.
Shmidov began learning English and now speaks the language fluently. As she became more comfortable in a new country, she became more involved in music education. In addition to teaching private lessons, she was hired to start a community music program called “Musical Offering” in Minnetonka, which still provides music lessons to students in the area.
The same year, Shmidov joined other local musicians to start a music festival that focused on a variety of musical styles. The group launched the Upper Midwest Musical Festival, which focuses on collaboration and helping students hone their skills rather than competing against one another. Shmidov is now the executive director of the event.
In 1989, Schmidov wanted to start a program similar to Musical Offering closer to her home. She launched Music for Everyone in New Hope, and in less than three years, had 17 instructors on staff who taught 300 students per week.
Throughout all the years of starting programs and building a life in the United States, Shmidov continued to teach private lessons, which she does to this day.
Grace Deckert, a 14-year-old freshman at Heritage Christian Academy, started taking weekly lessons with Shmidov four years ago. Grace began playing piano when she was in kindergarten because her older siblings played, but things changed when she met Shmidov. “I really didn’t like piano when I took lessons before, but she makes it different,” Grace says. “It is about making music and telling a story.”
Grace says Shmidov describes each song as a story and shares background on the composer. “It gives it more meaning,” Grace says.
Over her 45 years of teaching piano, Shmidov has seen plenty of students of all ages. She credits her career for being able to pursue her dream in America, which allowed her to spread the universal language of music.
“Even if you aren’t a piano teacher, once you understand the details of music you see how universal it is, and how it helps for so many skills in life,” Shmidov says.
