Daily Inspiration: Meet Jelena D. Yowell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jelena D. Yowell. 

Hi Jelena, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
European Ballet and Piano School is created in my wish to help children and adults to develop their brain and play wonderful music or dance Ballet on totally different unique way. I have been dancing Ballet and playing Piano since I was 4 years old and got all my ballet and piano education in Europe in my home country Serbia city Belgrade. I have danced in numerous Theaters throughout Europe and played piano in so many concerts. Experience and knowledge that I got during those years were so crucial for my life and existence of our school. Unfortunately, War in my country made me leave it together with all my family and I moved alone to my wonderful adopted country US when I was 28 years old. 

Moving to US Atlantic City New Jersey gave me opportunity to get two more degrees one in Business and one in Hospitality. Expending my knowledge to Business and Hospitality helped me open my own companies. 

However, after 10 years living in NJ recession hit in US and made me move to Phoenix with 2-year-old son. As mother, I knew how important is piano and ballet for chid brain development. So instead of just teaching my own child and helping him develop his brain through music or dance, I have created European Ballet and Piano School 2013. 

During all these years of our existence we witness numerous students developing and moving forward with love and passion studying music or ballet at university level. Our piano lessons offer not just one method of music education but all 3 Americans plus all my European Music Education where students play famous compositions and learn Solfeggio and how to compose their own compositions. We don’t just offer classes to Beginners, Intermediate or Advance but get them ready for university too so they can successfully pass entry exam. The most important part of our piano lessons are our concerts that we organize 4 times per school year. We don’t just teach students how to play piano and have fun with music but how to control their brain under lot of pressure and anxiety and still perform and think with full brain capacity. This type of concert experience is crucial for anyone and our students carries it to the rest of their lives. 

Our Ballet lesson not just offer Classical ballet class but Character dance, Barre, and Stretching. For ballerinas, it’s not just important to learn how to dance but how to properly build their muscles and eat healthy. So, we have Gym in studio where students work out building their muscles and strength. At the end of each Ballet class, we have Nutrition lesson where we learn how to eat healthy and where students develop healthy eating habits to carry to the rest of their lives. As with piano students’ concert are the most important part for ballerinas too. In order to perform ballerinas has to learn such a big choreographies, music, and dance which expands their memory span plus they learn how to think and still perform perfect under pressure and anxiety as performing in front of audience creates. 

2021 for us as school was one of the best years. We not only had very successfully concerts but we received award as The Best Piano School and Best Piano Teachers 2021 with A+ rating. Everything what we offer, how much we offer, how class is structured, my experience, knowledge, and expertise, our studio environment, and our student’s happiness made us get this award and distinguish us from others 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Oh no we didn’t have smooth road. We had moved to 3 different studios during past years and due to covid for quite some time we held classes at park on open air and space just to keep our students safe. Finally last year we move to new location with open space studio where we finally feel set up. We have Gym on site, stage where we can perform and more pianos so we can even play duets playing on two pianos at the same time. Struggles were hard but we did it and succeed so it was all worth it. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As I mentioned earlier, we are specializing in piano and Ballet education and as one of Awarded schools, we distinguish ourselves from others in what we offer, how much we offer and how happy we are, and our students in what we do. We are very proud of all our student’s success and the most important we love and care for each of our student as part of our family. As family operated business every student is family and together, we can do anything as it’s proven during all these years of our existence. We are very well known for love and care that we give to each of our student which makes them extra happy and motivated and that’s very important for us as school, not just knowledge and education we take care of student as entire human being. 

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Luck… what luck? Luck is not in our dictionary but knowledge, motivation, inspiration, hard work that led us to success. Maybe you can say that Covid was bad luck or moving from studio to studio, but we don’t look at it as that but as extra challenge that we needed to overcome which we did. And It’s just made us stronger and more successful. So, luck didn’t have nothing to do with it. 

Pricing:

• Piano lessons are $55 per lesson
• Ballet lessons are $ 170 per month

Contact Info:

• Email: jelenady1@gmail.com
• Website: www.europeanballetandpianoschool.com
• Instagram: european_ballet_piano_school
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/europeanballetschool