The training of qualified piano players is the most important direction in the activities of music educational institutions, as the piano is one of the most popular, universal and beloved musical instruments in the world. For this reason, in 1972, only a year after the opening of Aktobe Music School, the department of piano was one of the first to be included in its structure. The qualifications received by graduates as a piano teacher of the Children’s Music School and an concertmaster are traditionally among the most demanded in the field of music education, so the department of piano quickly became one of the most prestigious in the school.

Nadezhda Tkachenko, who headed the department of piano for almost 20 years, played an important role in the history of training professional piano players in Aktobe!          

N.I. Tkachenko

A great love for the profession, integrity, and demanding not only to others, but also to herself distinguished her throughout all the years of work in college. She was the first among the teachers to complete an assistant internship, for her selfless work she was repeatedly awarded diplomas of the Ministry of Education and brought up more than 130 worthy students.

Graduates of N.I. Tkachenko. From left to right: sitting – R. Bondarenko, G. Bureeva,

N.I. Tkachenko, K. Eremeev, G. Yuskeeva; standing – S. Zhansuigenova, V. Medvedeva,

M. Trekhmanenko, E. Blyum, G. Bazardinova. 1978 year

Larisa Nikolaevna Zakharkina, who has graduated more than 70 piano players, belongs to the older generation and was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor for her excellent pedagogical activity, which lasted in college for more than 30 years.

L.N. Zakharkina

She was also remembered as a talented and sensitive concertmaster, who accompanied a mixed choir for many years.          

More than 30 piano players, successfully working not only in Kazakhstan, but also far beyond its borders, were trained in special disciplines by one of the most extraordinary teachers of the department, A.D. Agafonov (senior), who was distinguished by creativity, bright emotionality and who managed to “infect” his students with these qualities.

A.D. Agafonov (senior) with students. From left to right: lower row – A. Khakham, A.D. Agafonov, L. Ulman, G. Burkhanova, I. Dovbysh; upper row – E. Lomakina, E. Novitskaya, L. Burganova,

O. Butova, G. Shevtsova. 1979 year

In addition to these most authoritative teachers of the Department of Piano, E.M. Moskalets and I.G. Krasnoshlykova began to work  in the Soviet 1970s.

Currently, the college employs graduates of the first generation of piano teachers: M.I. Trekhmanenko, M.D. Shargazina, N.A. Goshurenko. L.A. Samokhina, the best concertmaster of the city, invariably accompanies the stars of the national and world stage who come on tour in Aktobe.         Later, in the 1980s, after graduating from Alma-Ata State Conservatory named after  Kurmangazy professional training of piano players was continued by new interesting outstanding personalities. So, Sh.B. Kabdrakhmanova creatively developed the problems of musical psychology. The energetic and purposeful N.T. Chugunova raised and gave a start to the life of D.A. Niyazova, who became a leading concertmaster of Aktobe Regional Philharmonic named after G. Zhubanova, a laureate of international competitions, a public figure of Aktobe, who received the title of “Excellence in Culture of the Republic of Kazakhstan”. Another graduate of N.T. Chugunova Sh.B. Kulseitova, laureate of national and international competitions, holds the position of senior lecturer of the Department of Piano and Organ, head of the graduate school of Kazakh National University of Arts.

College teachers. From left to right: M.I. Trekhmanenko, A.D. Agafonov (junior), N.I. Tkachenko,

L.N. Zakharkina, Sh.B. Kabdrakhmanova. 1991 year

At the same time, more than 30 years of pedagogical activity of N.U. Gafarova began, which was replaced by her students O.P. Geniberg (Gnatiy) and Z.G. Zhazykbayeva.

Teachers and students of the college. From left to right: lower row – V. Veryasova, S. Kasyan,

O. Gnatiy, T. Khristoforova; upper row – A.D. Ismagulov, D.A. Niyazova, N.U. Gafarova.

2001 year

The staff of teachers of the college was constantly replenished by former graduates who graduated from Alma-Ata Conservatory named after Kurmangazy and those who returned to their native school are T.E. Semenova, A.D. Agafonov (junior), S.V. Samokhina, E. V. Teplinskaya.

In the 90s of the last century, A.S. Davletova was accepted to the Department of Piano after graduating from Ufa Institute of Arts.

College teachers. From left to right: standing – A.S. Davletova, M.I. Trekhmanenko, N.I. Tkachenko, L.N. Zakharkina, S.V. Samokhina; sitting – N.T. Chugunova. 1996 year

Paying a lot of attention to the initial period of educating piano players in Children’s Music Studios and Children’s Music Schools, she managed to achieve a number of victories for her students at competitions of different levels — from regional to international. Its graduates A.B. Daniyar, A.A. Dunaeva, A.A. Abdrakhmanova, A.E. Aripova became young college teachers after graduating from universities.         

A.S. Davletova with graduates A. Iskakov and A. Abdrakhmanova

Since 2010, the department has been headed by a graduate of the Kazakh National Conservatory named after Kurmangazy D.K. Faizova, who managed to unite the bright individuals working at the department into a single team capable of solving the most difficult problems of training highly qualified personnel.          

D.K. Faizova

Summing up the results of the half-century creative path of the Department of Piano of Aktobe Music College named after A. Zhubanov, who has brought up more than 360 professional piano players, it is impossible not to recall those of them who work not only in their native Kazakhstan, but also abroad — in Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Israel, Greece, the United States, the United Arab Emirates. Among them, T. Semenova – concertmaster of Odessa Conservatory; A. Dvorkina, A. Karabalina and V. Tregulova, who work as teachers and concertmasters in the United Arab Emirates; A. Aneshova – teacher of a music school in Florida (USA).

Many students of the Department of Piano of the college became laureates and diploma holders of various competitions and festivals – city, regional, national and international.       

Students of D. Shaukembayeva and A. Beisenoav are the first scholarship holders of the Foundation of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. 2017 year

M.I. Trekhmanenko and D.K. Faizova with the winners of the contests N. Kirichenko, A. Abdulova, A. Kulimova

All this gives reason to believe that the team of piano players is ready for new creative achievements, which will not be long in coming!

Teachers of the Department of Piano. From left to right: sitting -: A.S. Davletova, L.A. Samokhina M.I. Trekhmanenko.

      Standing – A.A. Abdrakhmanova,, M.D., Shargazina, D.K. Faizova, A E. Aripova,

N.A. Goshurenko, O.P. Geniberg. 2021year