# Where to learn to play the cimbalom

> In Slovakia the cimbalom is taught at art schools, conservatoires and university level. An overview of the routes open to children, adult beginners and future professionals.

- Category: Learning to play
- Published: 29 August 2026
- Canonical version: https://cimbal.sk/en/articles/where-to-learn-to-play-the-cimbalom/
- Source: cimbal.sk, an independent guide to the cimbalom

In Slovakia the cimbalom has something other folk instruments might envy: a
**complete educational path**, from primary art school all the way to
university. Here is where it leads.

## Children: the základná umelecká škola

The most natural start. Slovakia's *základné umelecké školy* (ZUŠ) are
state-supported primary schools of art, and cimbalom playing is a full
department there with a national curriculum. It is taught in **Bytča**,
**Trenčín** (ZUŠ Karola Pádivého) and **Prešov** (ZUŠ Mikuláša Moyzesa),
among others. The practical advantages:

- the schools **own instruments**, so there is no need to buy a cimbalom to start,
- fees are nominal compared with private lessons,
- pupils play in the school's folk ensemble, perform and compete.

If your local school has no cimbalom department, ask about the nearest one
that opens it. Departments come and go depending on whether the school can
find a teacher. We are preparing a
[directory of schools and teachers](/en/directory/) to shorten that search.

## Adult beginners and amateurs

There are three routes, and none of them is wrong:

1. **Art school for adults:** some schools accept adult students.
2. **A private teacher:** often a conservatoire student or a member of a
   cimbalom band.
3. **Workshops and courses:** the Trenčín regional cultural centre, for
   instance, runs a cimbalom workshop for young amateur players.

**There is no online cimbalom course in Slovak yet.** In Czech you will find
only amateur YouTube playlists. It is a gap we would like to fill on
cimbal.sk in time; if you would be interested in such a course,
[write to us](/en/about/#contact) and you will hear about it first.

## The professional path

- **Conservatoires:** the cimbalom is studied in Bratislava, Banská Bystrica
  and Rimavská Sobota, among others.
- **Faculty of Performing Arts, Academy of Arts in Banská Bystrica:**
  university-level study; the faculty also runs a **summer cimbalom
  masterclass** with Slovak and international tutors.

The Slovak cimbalom school has an international reputation. Players such as
Viktória Herencsár, Enikő Ginzery and Martin Budinský concert and teach
around the world. We will come to their stories in a forthcoming interview
series.

## Read next

- [How much does a cimbalom cost](/en/articles/how-much-does-a-cimbalom-cost/): including rental and instalments
- [Cimbalom mallets](/en/articles/cimbalom-mallets/)
- [What is a cimbalom and how does it work](/en/articles/what-is-a-cimbalom/)

## Frequently asked questions

### At what age can a child start the cimbalom?

At Slovak art schools children commonly start during the first years of primary school. There is a national curriculum for cimbalom playing that the department follows.

### Can an adult start the cimbalom?

Yes. Some art schools accept adult students, private teachers exist, and there are cimbalom workshops for amateur players. There is, however, no online course in Slovak yet.

### Where can the cimbalom be studied professionally?

At conservatoires (Bratislava, Banská Bystrica and Rimavská Sobota among them) and at the Faculty of Performing Arts of the Academy of Arts in Banská Bystrica, which also runs a summer cimbalom masterclass.