Angela Rey is a versatile pianist, educator, and collaborator with over 12 years of experience teaching students of all ages and skill levels. With a background spanning classical, jazz, and world music, she creates engaging lessons that balance strong technical foundations with creativity and self-expression. She is passionate about fostering a lifelong love of music and supporting students in developing confidence, curiosity, and independence in their playing—whether they are preparing for exams, auditions, or simply playing for the joy of it.
Angela comes from a multicultural family and the vibrant, diverse city of San Francisco, which has deeply influenced her musical approach. She enjoys incorporating culturally relevant curriculum that reflects the rich diversity of New York City, tailoring her lessons to be engaging and inclusive for all students.
Angela studied private classical piano with Alla Gladysheva at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and jazz with Arturo O’Farrill at UCLA, where she earned a B.A. in Music. She has extensive experience as a teaching artist and accompanist with youth music organizations, including the San Francisco Girls’ Chorus. With a deep commitment to inclusive teaching, Angela has worked with neurodivergent students and learners from diverse cultural and musical backgrounds.
Angela tailors her teaching approach to support different learning styles, incorporating both traditional and non-traditional teaching materials. She uses piano whiteboards, flashcards, worksheets, stickers, coloring tools, iPad games, and online resources to reinforce concepts in ways that engage multiple senses. She incorporates color to aid memory retention and uses interactive, tactile activities to help students with different sensory strengths absorb and recall new concepts more effectively. By integrating these tools, Angela ensures that each student can learn in a way that feels natural and enjoyable to them.
Beyond piano, Angela is an active percussionist specializing in Afro-Brazilian music. She is an alumna of Batalá NYC, an all-women, Black-led Afro-Brazilian percussion ensemble, and a current member of Mambembé, where she studies privately with its director, Everton Isidoro. Her passion for rhythm and culture enriches her approach to teaching, helping students develop a strong sense of musicality across genres.
Angela speaks English and has intermediate proficiency in Portuguese as well as heritage/familiar Spanish, allowing her to connect with students from a variety of backgrounds.
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