Student results
Kanata started with me in 2021 at ABRSM grade three and by 2026 reached the eighth, the last of the school grades. From grade five on, every exam with distinction.
In three years Utako has taken two first places at competitions in Abu Dhabi and a third place in Dubai, moving up from the junior category to the senior one.
The marks in these lines were not given by me. They were awarded by visiting ABRSM examiners and by competition juries, and all nine documents are below.
Before you read the documents listen to how it sounds
Grades and points speak about the result. How a child holds the tempo, leads the left hand and plays a phrase through to the end, even after catching the wrong key, can only be heard in a recording.
Forty seconds, with sound. She cannot reach the pedal yet and sits on the bench with her feet up: for now she plays with her hands only.
Kanata Kato a grade a year, four years in a row
ABRSM is a British examination scale: eight grades and three marks, pass, merit and distinction. Distinction is the highest, and it is given by an examiner who sees the child for the first time in their life.
2023, the fifth grade. 2024, the sixth. 2025, the seventh. 2026, the eighth. Each one with distinction.
The eighth grade closes the school scale: after it come performance diplomas, not grades.
A ladder like this is built between lessons, not during them. A child who comes to the instrument only when I am there does not reach the eighth grade, and I tell the family that before we start, not six months later.
Kanata has two second places at competitions: Four Notes in Abu Dhabi in 2024 and there again in 2026.
In the Presented by field on the fifth and sixth grade certificates my name appears as Kateryna Linhovska.
Utako Kato from the junior category to the senior one, without losing first place
In 2024 Utako won the junior category of Four Notes in Abu Dhabi. In 2025 she entered the first Steinway Piano Competition GCC in Dubai and took third place in the classical programme. In 2026, first place at Four Notes again, this time in category A.
Moving up to an older category usually costs a child a year without prizes: the rivals are older and play harder pieces. Here it cost nothing.
The jury in Dubai was headed by Eteri Andjaparidze, and her signature is the first of the five on the certificate.
There is also a second place at the Fujairah International Piano Competition in 2025. I will add the document for it once I have it in hand.
Kanata Kato a grade a year, four years in a row
ABRSM is a British examination scale: eight grades and three marks, pass, merit and distinction. Distinction is the highest, and it is given by an examiner who sees the child for the first time in their life.
2023, the fifth grade. 2024, the sixth. 2025, the seventh. 2026, the eighth. Each one with distinction.
The eighth grade closes the school scale: after it come performance diplomas, not grades.
A ladder like this is built between lessons, not during them. A child who comes to the instrument only when I am there does not reach the eighth grade, and I tell the family that before we start, not six months later.
Kanata has two second places at competitions: Four Notes in Abu Dhabi in 2024 and there again in 2026.
In the Presented by field on the fifth and sixth grade certificates my name appears as Kateryna Linhovska.
Utako Kato from the junior category to the senior one, without losing first place
In 2024 Utako won the junior category of Four Notes in Abu Dhabi. In 2025 she entered the first Steinway Piano Competition GCC in Dubai and took third place in the classical programme. In 2026, first place at Four Notes again, this time in category A.
Moving up to an older category usually costs a child a year without prizes: the rivals are older and play harder pieces. Here it cost nothing.
The jury in Dubai was headed by Eteri Andjaparidze, and her signature is the first of the five on the certificate.
There is also a second place at the Fujairah International Piano Competition in 2025. I will add the document for it once I have it in hand.
Five years is not the whole distance yet there are students I have taught from the first lesson to graduation
My graduates have gone on to music college and to the conservatory. That says more about a teacher than a single exam: one grade can be forced through in six months, ten years cannot.
Almost all my students come to me on the recommendation of earlier students' parents.
My students' concert at Steinway & Sons Dubai.
What parents say
Katrina is a wonderful piano teacher. I really appreciate her approach to teaching. She is encouraging and supportive, but also firm and demanding when needed. She pushes the children to work hard and do their best, and I believe this is a big part of why they have improved so much. We can often see a real difference after just one lesson.
Our children have consistently achieved excellent results in their ABRSM exams and have also taken part in several piano competitions, with some great results along the way. We are very grateful to Katrina for giving them these opportunities to challenge themselves, gain experience, and discover what they are capable of.
Most of all, it has been wonderful to see how much our children have grown, not only in their piano skills but also in their confidence and attitude towards learning. We truly appreciate Katrina’s dedication and the high standards she sets for her students. We feel very lucky to have her as our children’s piano teacher and would happily recommend her to other families.
If you want a row like this for your child, it starts with a first meeting.
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