”Creativity brings joy to life, strength and courage to believe in yourself and your dreams.”
Hi!
I am Tiina Kukkula, music pedagogue from Oulu (YAMK), pianist and owner and CEO of PianoBased Oy. I have worked as a piano teacher for more than 20 years and completed the YAMK degree in music pedagogy with excellent grades in 2020. My thesis ”Composing during piano lessons” was awarded by OAMK as the best YAMK thesis of 2020. The website for the thesis can be found at https://savellyttaminen.fi/. The website has teaching material for piano teachers to compose with students in piano lessons. I have also completed OPH’s administrative studies, with which I am qualified for the job of principal of a music school and civic college. At the moment, I work as a music teacher at Ii civic college and art school. In the season 2023-2024, I took acted as a principal’s debuty of our college for six months.
The magic of composing
Composing has brought a whole new dimension to my life. Its freedom and the state of flow inspire and bring energy into the middle of everyday life. I have also seen the empowering effect of making one’s own music when guiding my students to compose. It is incredibly wonderful to be able to bring the music playing in my head into a playable form and bring it to life by playing it together with my talented musician friends.
I have composed lied music, piano pieces and compositions for various chamber music ensembles. My compositions have been performed at various concerts in Ii and Oulu, including at Uuden Musiikin Lokakuu – October Contemporary Music Festival 2023 in Oulu. In autumn 2022, I held a concert of my own compositions at Haukipudas. On October 5, 2024, I will premiere the song series The uncompromisingness of gloom for baritone and piano at the concert of Uuden Musiikin Lokakuu – October Contemporary Music Festival 2024.
The composers Sanna Ahvenjärvi and Jouko Tötterström have guided me in the composition. My compositions can be listened to on my YouTube channel and sheet music for my compositions can be downloaded for free from this site.
For the love of teaching
Although I am an artist, I feel that I am above all an art pedagogue. Working with children and young people is close to my heart, and their growth into creative, strong and self-expressing people gives my work a meaning. In addition to classical music, I teach free accompaniment, pop music and composition. Time flies in my work and I am lucky to be able to do a job that I love. My enthusiasm and love for making music is also contagious to my students, and they eagerly join the various music projects that we do in addition to studying playing.
In the middle of joie de vivre and creativity
I live in the northern part of Oulu in an idyllic old fishing village. My family includes my husband, three children and two rottweilers. In my free time, I run with my dogs, work out in the gym, do crafts and read books.