Ashlee Chao has been playing piano since the age of 5.  Winning numerous awards and accolades as a child, Ashlee has always had a love of music. She was pre-selected to Taipei National University of the Arts, Tapei, Taiwan, for her Piano and Voice performance under the instruction of Professor Ling-Mei Huang, Constance Kuo-Yuan Lee and Angelo Marenzi. Ashlee relocated to the United States in 1998 in pursuit of her Masters in Music Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.  While there, Ashlee specialized in piano pedagogy, studying under the direction of late Dr. Hadassah Sahr and Dr. Lori Custodero.

Ashlee has been teaching private lessons in Austin for over nine years. Her students are active performers and have received high ratings in various local events. Her teaching philosophy is reflected in her masters project “Helping Children to Play with Ease in Piano Studying”. Her instruction style is lively, creative and imaginative to keep young students engaged, but also demanding and structured to help strengthen the students’ musical facilities.

Besides participating in the Austin District Music Teachers Association,  Ashlee is also a local pianist who regularly accompanies choirs and soloists. Her improvisation skills were highly influenced by Dr. Bert Konowitz, her jazz instuctor when she was at Columbia University. While in Taiwan, Ashlee’s passion for music and professional skills led her to the field of composition and she is was chosen to compose for a published video game.

In her spare time, Ashlee enjoys sewing and is also a certified graphic designer.  You can find her graphics work in local area businesses.