When Tatiana Kasman emigrated from Russia to the United States with her husband and young daughter, she spoke no English. But for the accomplished pianist and educator, music bridged the gap, opening the doors for her to use her skill and talent to teach students in her new country.

“Fortunately for me, music is an international language and is written the same around the world,” Kasman said. “I had a goal to start learning the language as soon as I could, and I memorized the words I needed to teach piano first.”

Tatiana Kasman was inducted into the Steinway and Sons Teacher Hall of Fame. (contributed)

Now, 23 years later, Kasman has become well-established in her career as a noted piano educator in Alabama and has recently garnered national accolades.

Kasman is an adjunct piano ensemble, private piano and class piano instructor in the Department of Music in UAB’s College of Arts and Sciences. She also has her own private piano studio, where she teaches children, ages 6-18 – many of whom have won local, state and regional competitions.

“Seeing children develop from little buds to full-grown flowers is special,” Kasman said. “At first, they can’t even move their fingers, then they play with one finger only and finally they develop until they can play big professional pieces. That’s special.”

On Sept. 29-30, Kasman was inducted into the Steinway and Sons Teacher Hall of Fame, a prestigious designation recognizing the country’s top piano educators for their passion and commitment. She is among 44 piano teachers from across the United States and Canada named in Steinway’s second class of inductees. The Alabama Piano Gallery, Birmingham’s local Steinway showroom, nominated Kasman for this honor.

“We selected Tatiana from this market because she is a longtime educator who consistently has had outstanding results with her students,” said Jon McClaran, general manager of the Alabama Piano Gallery. “Her students are always very focused, driven and talented, and have won numerous awards. Tatiana is a great role model and does a fantastic job of bringing out the best in her students.”

Tatiana Kasman was inducted into the Steinway and Sons Teacher Hall of Fame. (contributed)

Kasman and the other inductees were recognized at Steinway’s iconic piano factory in New York City. Their names are prominently displayed on a commemorative wall in the factory.

“I’m honored to be among the many fine piano teachers who were inducted, especially when it comes from Steinway, a brand with a world-renowned reputation and a long tradition,” Kasman said. “It’s the first time in my life that I’ve received national recognition. That’s significant because teaching is my passion and always has been.”

Raised in Moscow, it was no surprise that Kasman, whose father was a pianist and conductor, began tickling the ivories soon after leaving the nursery. She began studying piano as a 6-year-old at the local music school. In Russia, children often start early honing their talents in music or other art forms at a more specialized school after their “regular” classes end for the day, Kasman said.

“It’s hard to study something with excellence if you don’t enjoy it, especially when it comes to piano,” she said. “It requires a lot of patience, a lot of hard work, and you have to practice every day. It worked for me because I’m the one who wanted to excel.”

Her lifetime dream, Kasman said, was to teach piano, and she didn’t have to wait long for it to come true. At age 16, she was hired to teach piano to kindergartners and first graders at the music school.

After high school, Kasman studied piano at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, graduating in 1997. A year later, she moved across the ocean after her husband, Yakov Kasman, won a silver medal in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Texas and began performing concerts across the United States.

Tatiana Kasman, standing, teaches a student. (contributed)

Tatiana settled in Alabama, where Yakov was hired as the artist in residence at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and in 2002, moved to Birmingham when her husband, who had become a world-famous concert pianist, took a job as distinguished professor of piano at UAB.

The Kasman household has always resounded with piano music. Both their daughters are following in their parents’ footsteps. Aleksandra, 26, is pursuing her doctorate in musical arts and has won several international piano competitions. Dina, a senior at UAB, is majoring in piano under her father’s guiding hand and plans to continue her music education in graduate school.

“My daughters grew up hearing their dad practicing piano every day and attending his performances. They saw me teaching and talking about it, so they knew the backside and many of the secrets of the profession,” Tatiana said. “I believe it played its role. However, most importantly, they are both talented in music and enjoy it tremendously, and that’s what matters.”

Along with teaching privately and at UAB, Tatiana is active in the Birmingham music scene.

Tatiana chairs student recitals for the Birmingham Metro Music Forum, and is president and scholarship audition chairperson of the Birmingham Music Teachers Association. She performs for area music groups, lectures, organizes student recitals at nursing homes and other venues, and co-directs with Yakov at events, such as the annual UAB Polyphonic Festival for pre-college students, “Bach and Friends.” In 2019, Tatiana was named Teacher of the Year by the Alabama Music Teachers Association.

“I see myself not just as a piano teacher but as a guide for young people, helping them into their adult life,” she said. “I believe playing the piano helps develop children into better people because it develops qualities like self-confidence and self-control, and teaches them to believe in themselves.”