Silvia Viviana Cortés Ardila, a graduate of the Licenciatura en Música UIS, is an example of how perseverance can overcome any obstacle when there is a real desire to move forward.
After graduating in 2019, she conceived the idea of sharing her passion for music with people interested in learning to play the piano. This led her to establish her own online teaching school in 2020, overcoming the limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
“‘Your Piano School’ is a personal project developed through virtual classes. Since we couldn’t meet in person, I received many students not only from Colombia but also from abroad. I started this project, which gradually grew until I was fully booked. At that point, I decided to involve fellow pianists. In 2021, when in-person work could resume, parents began expressing a desire for their children and young people to attend in-person piano classes. This led to the opening of this service to the community of San Gil and Bucaramanga, offering in-home personalized lessons, which then expanded to the capital of the Guanentá province and the metropolitan area of Bucaramanga,” said the UIS graduate.
Teaching was combined with participation in national events, such as the “Pianissimo” Festival and Competition in Medellín, where she and her students have consistently participated to date.
Her alma mater soon welcomed her students, who managed to obtain the first runner-up prize in the 20th UIS Children’s and Youth Piano Competition with Steven Sandoval in the children’s category. This success in 2023 marked the beginning of achievements beyond Colombia’s borders, winning first and second prizes at the International Contest and Festival Música del Mar, Spain 2023, where she also received recognition for her excellent participation.
The prestigious Spanish competition extended a second invitation to “Your Piano School” to participate, and three of her students once again achieved success in the city of Tossa de Mar in the piano category, sharing the stage with instrumental musicians from various fields and genres.
“The first phase of the competition allowed my students to perform before a prestigious jury and share the stage with musicians from countries such as Turkey, Ukraine, South Africa, among others. The second phase of the Festival was a gala concert held at the Villa Vella castle by the Mediterranean Sea, where the awards ceremony also took place. We had the opportunity to raise the Colombian flag on stage by winning first place with Sophie Alejandra Fiallo Suárez and second prize with Ana Lucia Fiallo Suárez and Sara Sofía Prada Pico,” explained the UIS Music Education graduate.
It is worth mentioning that “Your Piano School” received special recognition for its consecutive and excellent participation during this competition.
“All these experiences have been more than just a reward for what they represent musically for our students. After these events, they are extremely motivated to play new pieces, tackle more complex works, set challenges, and spend more time practicing at home. Parents are also very pleased with this because they say, ‘My child is very interested in what’s happening, in what’s being done. I want my child to go to Spain next year,’ and so on. You feel that motivation not only to continue with the musical training processes but also to give these students such valuable experiences through these kinds of participations,” expressed Cortés Ardila.
She added, “I am always very proud of all of them because my students are very special to me, and having the opportunity to teach personalized classes allows me to build a very close relationship with them. In classes, we talk, and they open up to me a lot. Seeing them grow musically is a source of pride. Whenever I have the opportunity to tell them about competitions, about what we’re going to play, and when I see how professionally they handle everything related to the stage, it’s extremely gratifying and gives me a lot of motivation to keep doing what I do.”
Looking to the Future
With short-, medium-, and long-term projects, the founder and director of “Your Piano School” notes that they are working to ensure these initiatives come to fruition. Among these initiatives is participating with more than 20 students in the “Pianissimo” Festival and Competition in Medellín, and on August 2nd, they will offer a concert at the Escuela de Artes UIS.
“We want to create opportunities for students to receive master classes from other pianists, as this always allows children to broaden their musical vision. Additionally, we want the school to continue growing to expand our offerings with high-quality training processes,” said Silvia Cortés.
The strong will to push her professional project forward, combined with her love for teaching, motivates the UIS Music Education graduate, Silvia Viviana Cortés Ardila, to share a special recommendation with current generations of students. She noted, “Open yourself to the opportunity to gain experience while you are still students, because when we graduate, the first thing people will ask for, not only on your résumé but also in any work environment or training process, is your personal experience. The more experience you gain while working, the better service you will be able to offer when you become a professional. This is the secret or the key to success in any process you undertake because if you teach with love, empathy, and musical professionalism, you will undoubtedly achieve not only personal and professional success but also success with your students and with the musical process you are working on. Secondly, don’t be afraid to open your mind to possibilities, to be entrepreneurs, to seek opportunities not only here in Colombia but also abroad. But always with the goal of bringing what you learn abroad back to the country, because we need to grow musically in Colombia, especially in Santander, and strengthen our relationships as musicians and colleagues.”
Finally, the graduate stated, “I am very grateful to the Universidad Industrial de Santander because thanks to UIS, I am able to develop these types of projects today and continue growing as a professional, musician, cultural manager, and entrepreneur, while also working on the musical training processes taking place here in Santander.”