Meet Kiwa - Piano Teacher

Originally from the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan, Kiwa moved to the United States 9 years ago in order to pursue a career in piano performance after completing her studies at Ueno Gakuen Music School in Tokyo. She holds a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Music at the University of Washington, studying under Dr. Robin McCabe. She studied under Willard Schultz in Seattle and Mieko Yanagihara in Japan.

In 2020, she was awarded an honorable mention in the National Young Artists’ competition. She also took 1st place at the UW School of Music Concerto Competition and performed Mozart's piano concerto with the UW Symphony and McDowell’s concerto with Philharmonia Northwest. She also collaborated with the University of Washington Wind Ensemble and played piano concertos. She also has a lot of experience performing in recitals and private parties such as dinner parties for Masada Children’s Fund and University Rotary.

She has been playing the piano since she was 3 years old and from that moment and into the future, she discovered piano as her true passion and of the best tools to express her emotions. Kiwa desires to show students how to discover and develop a passion for music, something that they can treasure throughout their lives. First and foremost, her main focus is to ensure that students truly enjoy any time spent learning piano. Keeping piano fun and seeing the inspiration in students is her most beloved aspect of teaching. She firmly believes that developing music skill is deeply enriching across all age and skill ranges and enjoys teaching anyone who has a willingness to learn. Kiwa combines a unique approach of both English and Japanese teaching methods and is fluent in both languages. She places great emphasis on building strong technical fundamentals as they are paramount to the early learning experience, as well as future growth. Learning music is a journey and a teacher is responsible for guiding the student along an enjoyable path. Kiwa highly values the needs and interests of the students, working with them to create a curriculum that is both effective and engaging.