It all started with the little red keyboard my uncle gifted me for my 4th birthday. I loved playing songs from TV and the radio by ear, and one day my mom noticed me playing on my swing in the garden, that’s when I started private piano lessons. From there, I progressed through the UK’s Royal Schools of Music classical piano exams, performed pop music on stage with high school bands, and eventually studied and grew into a professional musician.

Hi, I’m Begüm! I’ve been teaching piano and vocals for almost ten years, ever since graduating as the top student from the Music Education Department at Near East University in Cyprus in 2016. I later completed a Master’s in Music Education at the same university and a Master of Music in Jazz & Pop Vocal Performance at ArtEZ Conservatory in the Netherlands, where I developed my skills in contemporary performance and pedagogy.

I teach piano with a holistic approach that combines technique, music theory, interpretation, and improvisation. This way, my students don’t just learn to read and play notes on a page, but they understand the music they are performing, can express it with confidence and even start to create their own. I enjoy working with students of all ages, from children discovering their very first melodies to adults developing their long-held musical dreams.

Alongside teaching, I am an active performer and songwriter. I have collaborated with the orchestra of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, where I debuted my original song, and I’ve written soundtracks for cinema productions, including The Divided Island documentary, now streaming on Amazon Prime. My original songs have won and been finalists in numerous international music competitions, and I’ve performed at events such as the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam.

At Musikschule Yuzu, I bring together my experience as a performer and my passion as a teacher to inspire students to build both their skills and their love of music, helping them grow into confident and creative musicians.