Welcome from Kenji:
I’m Kenji, founder of Willan Academy of Music and a Suzuki certified guitar teacher. My teaching philosophy is centered around helping students discover a love for music by connecting lessons to their daily lives. I blend Eastern and Western cultural experiences to create a unique and engaging learning environment. My goal is to inspire students aged 4 and above to grow both musically and personally. Some of my students have even been accepted into prestigious schools like Special Music School High School and LaGuardia High School. Let’s embark on this musical journey together!
Kenji
KENJI H.,
Kenji is a founder of Willan Academy of Music, formerly known as Studio K. The eastern and western cultural experiences influenced him to be a unique and creative teacher. Kenji was raised in Japan, and came to US in 2001. Kenji believes that the learning of music is not simply to develop musical and technical skill, but to help develop students’ character through the study of music.
He is Suzuki trained guitar teacher and has taught various style of music, from Rock to Classical. Also, he teaches all ages from beginners to advanced levels. Kenji has taken a workshop with Michiko Yurko, the founder of Music Mind Game , to teach students music theory with tons of fun.
Kenji received Master of Music in guitar performance from Manhattan School of Music in 2009. He is an active performer of contemporary music, with over 20 pieces of music written for and premiered by him, including works featured in classical guitar magazines in Japan as well as the US. He found an award-winning guitar-cello ensemble, Duo Anova with cellist, Susan D. Mandel. In 2014, Duo Anova won an award in SMIA chamber music competition. At the same year, Duo Anova made its debut at prestigious Carnegie Hall presented by Composer’s Voice.
He is also an active solo musician and performed throughout the States, including in New York, New Jersey, Tennessee, Nevada, Kentucky, Georgia, South Carolina as well as in Japan. In 2013, Kenji Haba was interviewed and appeared in Classical Guitar Magazine in England as well was Gendai Guitar in Japan. www.kenjihaba.com
Kenji teaches private guitar lessons, group guitar classes and group music theory classes.