Asa Schiller

I am a Wesleyan University graduate with a degree in Music (High Honors) and 17 years of piano training spanning classical, jazz, and gospel styles. I also have 4 years of pipe organ training and hold an American Guild of Organists Service Playing Certificate.

At Wesleyan, I studied under Alcee Chriss III and completed a senior thesis on Jazz Organ, culminating in a full recital of organ repertoire from the 1950s to 70s. I was an active member of the Wesleyan Jazz Collective and performed regularly in ensembles and live music settings throughout college and into my professional life in New York.

My teaching experience began as a Course Assistant for a pipe organ class at Wesleyan, where I gave private piano and organ lessons to individual students and helped break down complex musical concepts for learners at all levels. I also have extensive experience working with children of all ages through roles at Brooklyn's Trail Blazer Camps and the Bay Area Discovery Museum, where I led educational programming and activities.

I welcome students of all ages and levels. Whether your goal is classical technique, jazz improv, or simply playing songs you love, I will make sure every lesson is engaging, personal, and tailored to you.

My teaching style is student-centered and adaptive. I believe every student learns differently, so I tailor each lesson to meet each student where they are, in both skill level and musical interest. I focus on building a genuine emotional connection to the music because when a student truly feels something in a piece, their motivation and progress accelerate naturally. I balance technical rigor with creativity and joy, making sure lessons never feel like a chore. I ask students to outline their goals for pursuing keyboard lessons and check in with them to make sure we are still moving in the right direction. For beginners, my first lesson consists of introducing exercises that accustom the student to feeling the weight of the keys and how their fingers, hands, and arms become comfortable with the instrument. I introduce the names of the white notes and the numbers for fingers. I introduce the C scale and how it is played. I will teach a simple melody for the right hand and a different one for the left hand (This is often based on what the new student is musically drawn to)