Mona Aminian

About Me

I'm Mona, a teacher of daf, tonbak, and dayereh. I've been on the path of learning and teaching music for 22 years. I truly believe that anyone can learn to play an instrument and enjoy it — all it takes is dedication. So if you're passionate about music like I am, don’t be afraid to start. I’ll be right here with you on this journey. To me, learning music is like climbing a mountain. It may feel a bit challenging at first, but after a while, the view becomes so beautiful and rewarding that the difficulty turns into joy — and that joy inspires you to keep going.

Teaching Method

I tailor the class content according to the student’s needs and circumstances. Naturally, if the student has more practice time and interest, the content and volume of lessons will be greater; and if the student has less time to practice, the lesson volume will be reduced. What matters most is learning accurately and thoroughly while also enjoying playing the instrument. My teaching resources for the daf include: One Hundred Daf Lessons, Daf Training from Beginner to Advanced, solo and ensemble pieces arranged by myself, three volumes of Daf Playing Books, four volumes of Daf Practice Books from Didar to Sheydaei, and more. For teaching the tombak, I use three volumes of Tombak Basics, solo and ensemble pieces arranged by myself, Fifty Pieces for Tombak, and others. In children’s classes, I strive to incorporate poetry recitation to help kids become familiar with rhythm and music more enthusiastically and effectively. To review the lessons and ensure the student’s learning progress, after each class I send a recorded video of that session, so we can practice together throughout the week using my instructional video.

Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences from the University of Tehran • 20 years of in-person teaching experience at music schools including Rangarang, Afarinesh, Sonar, Concerto, Decapo, Rasa, and Avaye Zamin, as well as online collaboration with various music education websites • Holder of an official teaching qualification from the Ministry of Culture and a registered member of the Iranian House of Music • Trained under the supervision of masters: Mehran Rouhani (music theory), Kiawasch Saheb Nassagh (solfège and music theory), Jalal Amirpoursaeid (daf and setar), Sina Khoshkbijari (tombak), Mohammadreza Saki (daf and tombak), Shahram Gholami (oud), Hossein Rezaeinia (daf), Shayan Riahi (darbuka) • Collaborated in the visual album “The Cypresses Die Standing” (2019), composed by Hamed Saghiri, as a daf, dammam, dayereh player and vocalist; and in the audio album “Homayoun” (2025), composed by Hassan Zargani, as a performer on daf, dayereh, and bendir • Participated in the 29th and 30th Fajr International Music Festivals and the 33rd Fajr International Theater Festival • Won second place in the group choir category at the Gyumri Festival in Armenia • Collaborated with Now Music Orchestra, Iranian instrument ensembles Shaho and Foujan, as well as groups including Mahan, Dadmehr Women’s Ensemble, Huyar Daf Players, Medadrangi, and others