Hellene Hiner - the Author of "Soft Way to Mozart" and Hiner Method

Hellene Hiner (Elena Nikolayeva) was born in Leningrad (currently St. Petersburg, Russia) on February 21, 1961. In 1964, Hiner’s family moved to Ukraine.

With a concentration in piano performance, Hiner graduated from a state music school in Pokrov, Ukraine, in 1976.  She continued her piano studies at the university, and in 1980, graduated from Kosenko Music College in Zhitomir, Ukraine, with a Bachelor of piano, music theory and music history. In 1987, she graduated from University of Arts in Kharkiv, Ukraine, with a Master’s degree in musicology, music criticism, music history and music theory—all preparing her to become a music educator.

Since 1980 her main field of study has been music pedagogy, psychology and education.  At Hiner’s graduation in 1987, Moscow Conservatory recommended that she publish her thesis “How to Teach Students in Public Schools to Hear and Appreciate Sonatas and Symphonies.”    

An image from University of Arts' Encyclopedia about the most notorious graduates from 1917-2017

In 1980, she started her career as a piano/theory teacher in a state music school in Pokrov, Ukraine. During 1987-93, after graduation, she was a teacher in Zaporogiye state music school #2.

After immigration to the USA in 1993, she opened her Music Developmental Program “Little Mozart” in 1995 (Houston, USA). From 1998 to 2001 she worked as a Music Director of Cottage Montessori School system.

Her new findings in teaching music and piano were featured on ABC tv. In 15 minutes on a live talk show, she taught a 7-year-old student chosen at random from the audience to play the piano.  

In 2001 she created the software component to her method and the company name was changed to “Do Re Mi Fa Soft.” Using her digital tool, she further developed her system, named “Soft Way to Mozart” or “Soft Mozart.”  NBC and CBS channels featured her method and the achievements of her students for their outstanding performances.See all the TV stories here

From 2011 to the present, the company has become Music Vision International, LLC.

The system has been translated into Russian, Spanish, German, French, Chinese and Japanese.

Her first publication was made by Moscow Conservatory in the book How to teach Solfeggio in the XXI century in 2006 (Publishing house Classics – 21 ISBN: 5-89817-166-5, Russian Federation).

Her research on the most effective ways of teaching music literacy has been further developed and described in a series of scientific publications made with the leaders in the field of music technology and pedagogy: Irina Gorbunova from Herzen University, Russia, and Michael Zalivadny from St. Petersburg Conservatory, Russia.

Ms. Hiner’s articles on piano pedagogy have been published by several Russian universities in compilations, journals, and conference proceedings.  Her article “Computer Way to Mozart” appeared in the book How to Teach Solfeggio in the XXI Century (Moscow, Russia: Moscow Conservatory Publishing House Classics 21, 2006). 

Another article focused on an undeserved audience for studying piano: “Inclusive Music Education: The Methodical Recommendations of the System ‘Soft Way to Mozart’ for Children with Special Needs” (St. Petersburg, Russia: Herzen University, 2017). 

Three of her articles have been part of a series titled Internet and Digital Space: Post Material Values of Youth, A Child in the Modern World (St. Petersburg, Russia: Herzen University, 2018).  These three writings are entitled “The Main Features of Attention Span and the Most Efficient Ways of its Development in Children (‘Soft Way to Mozart’ Music Training Method),”  “Motivation as an Important Factor of Successful Teaching of Music on the Piano and Music Recitals Online,” and ”Building Student Self-Respect and ‘Soft Training’ as the Main Principles of Teaching Music with the ‘Soft Mozart’ System.”

She has also collaborated with other authors.  With I. Gorbunova, Hiner wrote “Interactive Network Technologies for Training Music in the School of the Digital Century: The Program ‘Soft Way to Mozart’” (Orel, Russia: Oryol State University, 2014).  The two authors also presented the paper “Music Computer Technologies and Interactive Network Systems of Learning Music” (Oxford, UK: 190^th VIIER International Conference on Psychology, Language, and Teaching, 2018). 

Presenting the invention in Oxford, UK

Hiner and Gorbunova have also published with a third author, M.Zalivadny.  Their articles include “About the Value of Mathematical Methods in the Study of Music and Professional Training of Musicians” (St. Petersburg, Russia: St. Petersburg University Consortium, 2015) and “Musical-Computer Technologies as an Information-Translation System in the School of the Digital Century” (Orel, Russia: Oryol State University,2014).

A video speech for the Exhibit of scientific achievements of Herzen University (St. Petersburg, Russia, 2018)

Hellene Hiner’s publications:

1. Hiner, H. “Building Student Self-Respect and ‘Soft Training’ as the Main Principles of Teaching Music with the ‘Soft Mozart’ System.” In Internet and Digital Space: Post Material Values of Youth A Child in the Modern World. (St. Petersburg, Russia: Herzen University, 2018).
2. Hiner, H. “Computer Way to Mozart.” In How to Teach Solfeggio in the XXI Century (Moscow, Russia: Moscow Conservatory Publishing house Classics 21, 2006). ISBN: 5-89817-166-5
3. Hiner, H. “Inclusive Music Education: The Methodical Recommendations of the System ‘Soft Way to Mozart’ for Children with Special Needs.” (St. Petersburg, Russia: Herzen University, 2017). ISBN 978-5-8064-2358-8
4. Hiner, H. “The Main Features of Attention Span and the Most Efficient Ways of its Development in Children (‘Soft Way to Mozart’ Music Training Method).” In Internet and Digital Space: Post Material Values of Youth, A Child in the Modern World. St. Petersburg, Russia: Herzen University, 2018). ISBN 978-5-8064-2519-6
5. Hiner, H. “Motivation as an Important Factor of Successful Teaching of Music on the Piano and Music Recitals Online.” In Internet and Digital Space: Post Material Values of Youth "A Child in the Modern World. (St. Petersburg, Russia: Herzen University, 2018). ISBN 978-5-8064-2519-6
6. Hiner, H. and I.Gorbunova. “Interactive Network Technologies for Training Music in the School of the Digital Century: The Program 'Soft Way to Mozart.'” (Orel, Russia: Oryol State University, 2014). ISSN: 1997-9878
7. Hiner, H. and I.Gorbunova. “Music Computer Technologies and Interactive Network Systems of Learning Music.” (Oxford, UK: 190^th  IIER International Conference on Psychology, Language, and Teaching, 2018). II-PLTOXFD-19098-1253
8. Hiner, H., Gorbunova, and M.Zalivadny, “About the Value of Mathematical Methods in the Study of Music and Professional Training of Musicians.” (St. Petersburg, Russia: St. Petersburg University Consortium, 2015). ISSN: 2222-5064
9. Hiner, H., Gorbunova, and M.Zalivadny. “Musical-Computer Technologies as an Information-Translation System at the School of the Digital Century.” (Orel, Russia: Oryol State University, 2014). ISSN: 1997-9878