About

Nikki Ty-Tomkins

A.R.C.T. Diploma First Class

Diplome de Solfège … Conservatoire de Musique du Quèbec 

Canada Council Scholar

B. Mus. Juilliard School of Music

Nikki Ty-Tomkins is a Canadian -born pianist and composer specializing in neo-classical music for budding musicians.

” There is a finite amount of classical music suitable for beginning pianists and  a need for simpler pieces for those students.  I hope to partially be able to fill the gap between the often dissonant and facile music offered in the early primers  and the wonderful early pieces by the masters.”

A fine teacher who has devoted herself to her own gospel of making music a joy for her students rather than “an extra burden or extension of school classes,” Ty-Tomkins is ruthless with ambitious and pushy parents.   “I will give my students a love of fine music for life  … I don’t guarantee Carnegie Hall and I don’t waste time on the primary graded exams.   I want my students to play the piano, not memorize pages of technical work, they’ll never use nor play one piece over and over again.  They will make MUSIC!”

Ty-Tomkins is also an acccomplished graphic artist and a pioneer in digital collage.   Her most recent passion is quantum physics which she says, “confounds and delights me simultaneously.”

Her other blogs are:

http://www.thehappypianoprofessor.wordpress.com       Tips on teaching and learning

http://www.thegleefulguru.wordpress.com      Inspiring and humorous tales of her life in India as well as modern parables and insights

http://www.thegimpwimp.wordpress,com        The only GIMP business card templates available online.  A legal hack allowing multiple card layout

http://www.nikkitytomkins.wordpress.com      Beautiful original digital graphics

“Bird Songs”    …  True  short stories … a tribute to her mother.    Available on Amazon.com