“She is a natural born teacher, not to mention an excellent piano player.”
A Berklee College of Music Alumna, Aya Yuasa is a piano teacher and composer who’s pedagogy centers on the development of creativity and musicianship in her students.
Aya was born in Tokyo, Japan, and lived both in the city as well as in rural Hokkaido (and in Oakland, CA for a couple of years in between) before moving to Vermont.
Aya started piano lessons while living in Date, Hokkaido at the age of 8. Since then, the piano has been her constant companion. She studied with 5 different piano teachers pre-college, each offering unique insights into pedagogy and genre. One teacher emphasized popular music and rote learning, fostering her skills in arranging rock, folk, pop, and musical theater tunes. Another teacher helped her navigate classical piano repertoire, music theory and ear training. Another teacher was a professor of piano at UVM, who introduced her to jazz piano. In addition to bi-weekly piano lessons, she played in multiple small jazz ensembles, big bands and pit orchestras. This multifaceted training greatly influences her teaching methods today.
Aya received her B.M. from Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she graduated magna cum laude with a dual degree in Film Scoring and Composition. She was the recipient of the Lerouy Souther’s Award from the Composition Department as well as the Don Wilkins Award from the Film Scoring Department, and worked as the Film Scoring Department Assistant. Aya is currently pursuing studies in Dalcroze Eurythmics at Lucy Moses School.
Aya has seven years of private teaching experience, and currently teaches lessons in select neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn. Prior to establishing her own studio, she taught through AWSOM, a music lesson provider. During her year with AWSOM, she was awarded Teacher of the Month out of 90+ teachers for excellence in teaching. Aya is an affiliated member of the Music Teacher’s National Association, the New York State Music Teacher’s Association, and Dalcroze Society of America.
When not making music, she enjoys spending her time with friends, going on hikes and long walks, spending time at the beach, and cooking.