KELLY ASH MUSIC EDUCATION

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Kelly returned to Seattle in 2014 to teach at Cornish (spring 2015) after four years in NYC, where she completed her Masters, performed at clubs around the city, recorded her first album, and taught at various schools (NYU, New York Jazz Academy, Brooklyn Music Factory, and LaGuardia Community College). Her teaching experience during that time was wide-ranging, from teaching Voice classes at LaGuardia Community College, to working with international students and creating intense jazz-oriented curricula at the New York Jazz Academy, to designing game-based learning (pop music and songwriting) for kids and adults, both in private lessons and rock/pop bands, at the Brooklyn Music Factory. 

 

As a bandleader, Kelly writes and arranges music, manages her band, and has organized tours for her band both in the Northeast (Washington, D.C., New York, Boston) and the West (Montana, California, Nevada, Washington, and Oregon), playing at various clubs, performing arts centers, theaters, and house concerts.

 

Kelly offers private lessons, which are customized to student goals and interests, for voice, piano, songwriting, musicianship (theory, ear-training, rhythm, etc), arranging, recording/producing, and more. Lessons are offered online via Zoom, and/or in-person at her studio. As a creative, seasoned music educator, Kelly infuses traditional, foundational concepts and principles with fresh new ideas from contemporary influences and current research. Kelly also teaches group workshops periodically throughout the year, on various topics such as Songwriting, Vocal Workshops (including working with a band), and Recording & Producing, offering innovative curricula for vocalists, pianists, and songwriters.

 

Coming in 2021: online video library with hours of video lessons, customizable for various student goals, and/or packaged into individual courses by subject. The video library will be available for monthly subscription, individual download purchases, and also as a supplemental add-on for private lessons and group courses or workshops.

 

“I love teaching and sharing music with others; the joy that lights up a person’s face when they figure out how to create the sounds and music that they want to make, or when they discover how their voice can sound… it’s so rewarding and I want to share that with as many people as possible. I am passionate about music, and I have a lot of knowledge to share! With over 13 years of teaching experience, working with all kinds of people from all different backgrounds, I strive to make lessons and classes fun and enjoyable, while also giving students really clear tools, systems, and goals, so that they can get the results they want. And I don’t think you have to sacrifice fun to make progress.”

 

Teaching Experience (brief summary/highlights, 2008-present):

• Cornish College of the Arts

  • Private lessons — piano, voice, songwriting, & musicianship

  • Musicianship III, IV — theory, ear-training, piano, music technology, history

  • Art of Songwriting

  • Ear Training I, II

  • Piano I, II, III, IV

  • Vocal Jazz Ensemble

  • Vocal Standards — band-leading & arranging skills for vocalists

  • VOX: Body/Mind — voice science, mindset, career development

• Cornish Extensions Program (Adult and Continuing Education, Summer Workshops)

  • Songwriting & Recording

  • Voice @ Cornish — vocal technique, style, songwriting/arranging, and band-leading

  • Voice 101

• NYU

  • Private lessons — piano & voice

  • Independent Study (course) — jazz piano & jazz history

• Brooklyn Music Factory

  • Private lessons — piano, voice, songwriting, & musicianship

  • Adult Band 

  • Girl Pop (band)

• New York Jazz Academy

  • Private lessons — piano & voice

  • Jazz Voice Workshops

  • Summer Jazz Workshops (vocalists & instrumentalists)

• LaGuardia Community College

  • Voice I, II, III, IV (group voice class, including theory & musicianship)

• Seattle Jazz Night School

  • Essential Skills for Vocalists

  • Singing with Jazz Trio

• Independently run workshops (Kelly’s studio):

  • Vocal Workshops 

  • Songwriting Workshops 

  • Songwriting, Recording & Producing

• Private Lessons (Kelly’s studio) - active since 2008

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