I fell in love with music around the age of 5. My parents bought me a toy grand piano for Christmas and I would sit there every day and play. They decided to enroll me in piano lessons and that’s when my journey began.

My childhood teacher of ten years, Ellen Masaki, was such a positive light in my life. She believed in my talents and nurtured them so I could reach my full potential as a piano player. She knew exactly how to connect with me as a student, but was also there for me as my “safe space” while I was growing up. She really pushed me to try things out of my comfort zone like multiple piano competitions, master classes, and even performances with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra (all while I was in high school). She took me under her wing and after I graduated from high school, she made me her teaching assistant where I did private lessons. I realized then that I loved working with kids and watching them fall in love with piano, the same way I did.

Once I got to college, I studied piano performance and graduated with my Master’s in Music degree (MMus). I accepted a job at Kamehameha Schools and taught private lessons there for about 5 years before branching off and starting my own business.

I have been teaching for over 40 years and I love what I do every day. Working with my kids brings me so much joy and fulfilment knowing that I could be their “safe space” and the one who gives them the gift of loving music. After being in the industry for this long, I know that not all kids may learn in the same manner so I like to customize my teaching to what best fits the child’s needs.

In my free time I love going to concerts, traveling, and spending time with my husband, my two daughters, my two son-in-laws, and my dog Koa!