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.
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 to shorten that search.
Adult beginners and amateurs
There are three routes, and none of them is wrong:
- Art school for adults: some schools accept adult students.
- A private teacher: often a conservatoire student or a member of a cimbalom band.
- 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 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: including rental and instalments
- Cimbalom mallets
- What is a cimbalom and how does it work
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.