I particularly enjoyed solfeggio and creative tasks. Music literature was enriching my inner world with knowledge about composers, their biographies, and the uniqueness of their music. I was especially inspired by Beethoven’s creative path — he had a very difficult childhood with a tyrannical father, but the spirit of the composer remained unshaken. I loved sight-reading new pieces — everything from Chopin’s mazurkas and preludes to Bach’s inventions and preludes, Ukrainian and Russian folk songs, and popular hits by international artists like Whitney Houston, Madonna, The Beatles, Joe Dassin, and many others.
     But what I loved the most was creating something new. I often composed my own music based on poems by classical poets. Unfortunately, after many relocations, most of my early compositions, diplomas, and certificates have been lost. But one piece remained in my memory — a prelude in D minor called The Sea. It was part of a solfeggio assignment: to write a short composition in a classical style using triplet rhythm. (You can listen to the audio here.)
     I graduated with honors, and for a long time my photo hung on the school’s Honor Board. It brought me genuine joy and inspired me to continue on my musical path.

Music College (1999 – 2003)
     At the age of fifteen, I managed to pass a highly competitive audition and was accepted to the music college on a fully funded state placement with a monthly scholarship. That’s when the real hard work began — focused on developing technique and musical mastery.
     During my first year, I prepared for the S. Prokofiev International Piano Competition. I still remember how I used to wake up at 4:00 a.m., make myself breakfast, get dressed, and leave by 4:30 to catch the early bus to the city center, where the college was located. By 5:00, I would take a practice room with an upright or grand piano and spend three full hours practicing before classes began. Lessons started at 8:00 a.m., followed by other disciplines throughout the day. Then, from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m., I practiced again. I’d return home around 10:30 and go to bed by 11:00 — and the next day, it all repeated. This intense rhythm gave me motivation, but after the competition, where I didn’t win a prize, I was left emotionally broken.
     Then came the realization that I didn’t want to work this hard anymore. I didn’t want to devote my whole life to classical music — I felt I needed space and time for myself, not just for the piano. So I loosened my grip and simply focused on doing well. I eventually graduated with a red diploma (with distinction).

     Between my second and fourth years, I spent several summers in Sweden and Norway, where I played piano outdoors and in restaurants. Though these performances were informal, they became my first real experience of sharing heartfelt emotions and inner feelings with people through the sound of piano music. They taught me how to stay true to the moment, to play sincerely and openly — not for grades or recognition, but simply to communicate soul to soul.

     Toward the end of my studies, I gradually returned to composing — remembering how much I used to enjoy it in childhood. But at that time, I still didn’t have enough awareness or clarity to pursue it seriously.

University (2003 – 2006)
     After college, I decided to leave music altogether and initially enrolled in a program for international tourism management, moving to Kyiv. But after just three months, I realized how unbearably boring it was. I felt a strong pull back to music and, without much hesitation, transferred to the Faculty of Music Pedagogy and Art Culture at the Dragomanov Pedagogical University.
     There I met the love of my life, a man who was in awe of me and my musicality, and at the same time deeply touched me with his poetic talent and unusually sensitive soul. He dedicated a beautiful and heartfelt poem to me. This was the beginning of our romantic and creative partnership, which led to the formation of our rock band MyMoVilni. In our free time, we poured our energy into writing one song after another — he wrote the lyrics, and I composed the music. (You can watch some of our rehearsal videos here.)

My Early Creative Path (2006 – 2013)
     We actively tried to promote the band and took part in various festivals. Twice, we were awarded diplomas at the Chervona Ruta Ukrainian music competition in the rock music section. But despite our efforts, we couldn’t move forward — mostly because we didn’t have like-minded musicians or producers around us, and because our lyrics carried difficult, honest messages that most people didn’t want to face.
     Eventually, we had to stop. After that, I fell into a depression. Nothing seemed to work out. I couldn’t make a living as a music teacher; at the time, it was nearly impossible to find work as a pianist — all the opportunities were abroad. I seriously prepared to join a choir as a singer, but once again, the door closed.
     I switched jobs again and again — from secretary, manager, and administrator at a massage salon to hostess in a restaurant. Eventually, my inner voice cried out: enough. A clear realization came — I no longer wanted to live like this.

My Professional Path (from 2013...)
     At some point, my maternal instinct took over completely, and I firmly decided to change direction and have a child. I left my job and fully stepped into this new role.
     During the early period of motherhood, I was invited to serve as a cantor in a church choir, and also sang in the choir myself. I carried out this service responsibly and diligently almost until the very beginning of the war.
     Later, when my son was about four years old, I was offered a job as a composer — to write about 45 minutes of music in different styles for a musical comedy performance. I gladly accepted it. It was a challenging and interesting project, since writing something joyful was a personal challenge for me. But I handled it very well. A short fragment from the performance has been preserved — you can watch it here.
     Around the same time, I also began performing again — this time not on academic stages, but in more relaxed and heartfelt settings. I played piano at evening events in cafés and took part in several pop and contemporary music projects as a keyboard player. These experiences brought a fresh sense of freedom and self-expression, gave me the opportunity to choose my own repertoire and improvise a little, and also offered the unforgettable experience of playing with an orchestra. A short excerpt from that concert has been preserved — you can watch it here.
     Soon after, my husband and I came up with the idea to create a YouTube channel, and we started uploading our creative work there. If you're curious, you can take a look at some of my earlier works as well.
     At the same time, I began working intensively as a music teacher. I created my own creative system for learning to read the notes: I taught children not only how to play, but also how to express their character and emotions through music — to improvise, to compose, and to write their own melodies to their favorite poems. If you’d like to take a look, here was my teaching account in Ukraine.
     Two years later, the war came and destroyed all our plans.I had to start from scratch in the Netherlands — to adapt, to learn the language at a basic level, and gradually find my way back to the art I truly love — the art of bringing something new into the world, of turning the invisible into reality. And since I’ve been able to return to this path, I’m now sharing my new musical works with great joy — beginning with the collection The Path to the Unknown, which is available in the “Shop – Library” section of this website.
     The creative path is endless. And it doesn’t really matter how many failures or victories there have been, or how many still lie ahead — what matters most is the process of creation, this very moment, which gathers within itself everything: the past, the now, and what is yet to come. And when you are fully present in it — that is the greatest treasure in the world, and the most genuine, unconditional love.

Yuliia Khai