Our Teachers
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Nadia Lebar
Piano and Theory Teacher
Nadia Lebar, Piano + Theory
Nadia is an RCM Certified Piano Teacher and Theory Teacher. She began her piano studies at age seven, studying at the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) in Toronto with teachers Minnie McCurdy and Tanya Tkachenko. She later studied privately with the concert pianist Cecilia Ignatieff. Nadia also studied theory, harmony and history at the RCM and teaches Theory up to the Grade 8 level. After her studies, Nadia settled down as an accompanist for ballet schools, and also accompanied flute students in many concerts. In 1978 she joined her father, Ted Lebar, teaching piano at Lebar Music School's Kingsway location in Etobicoke until its relocation in 2004. She has extensive experience teaching piano to adults and children as young as 4 years of age, and several of her students have won prizes at the Kiwanis Music Festival. Her teaching method combines the RCM piano and theory methods, mixed with her own creative flair.
Nadia follows the RCM graded method, preparing students for the RCM exams, but incorporates theory, popular music, and her own Workshops into the lessons, to keep them creative and interesting. She also belongs to the Wunderkeys Teacher Group and teaches their unique music geared to Teenagers and students who want more of a creative approach to learning piano, whilst still gaining a solid foundation. One of Nadia's former students opened up her own piano school in 2004, and another student began teaching piano as a teenager and is now at the Music Program at York University. Nadia is passionate about all groups who come to her including very young beginners, difficult to engage teenagers, and adult beginners.
TED LEBAR
Guitar and Harmony Teacher, Founder
Ted Lebar, Classical Guitar + Harmony, Composition, Arranging
Mr. Ted Lebar passed away in December of 2023. He will be missed greatly.
At the tender age of one and a half, Ted Lebar asked his father for an instrument. In response, he received a miniature balalaika with 3 double strings. Since then, he's never stopped exploring the broad world of stringed instruments. Ted began his guitar lessons at the age of twelve, and received formal education at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Upon his arrival in Canada, Ted continued his studies at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. In addition to study of the guitar, he took flute and piano lessons and studied theory. Perhaps his greatest learning experience came from master classes with many of the world's great guitarists such as Alirio Diaz, Narciso Yepes, Oscar Ghiglia and many others. Ted Lebar's teaching career spanned from 1963 to 2023. In addition to classical guitar, his instruction included Theory, Harmony, Composition, Arranging and Ear-Training lessons. Many of his former students now occupy teaching positions around the world, and several are professional performers. Ted is the inventor of the 15, 17 and 19--string classical guitars, as well as the world's best guitar cases which are owned by noted classical guitarists such as Liona Boyd. In the past, he has performed on his 17-string guitar, and has been President of the Guitar Society of Toronto, as well as being a Teacher of Guitar at York University.