Get to Know Mrs. Henry

Hi everyone! I'm Kate, your piano teacher and also your friend.

Aside from piano, I also sing, write songs, arrange music, and play guitar and ukulele. I bring all of these skills into my teaching to make lessons creative, engaging, and fun. During the day, I work as a music teacher in an international school, and after school hours, I teach private piano lessons around Tokyo.

I look forward to making music with you and helping you grow, one note at a time.

I love classical music, especially the works of Chopin, Scriabin, Rachmaninoff, and Scarlatti. I also often listen to Debussy and Poulenc, and I'm a big fan of contemporary music, ranging from minimalism to avant-garde.

I also enjoy jazz and am currently deepening my skills in the genre. I play chords, practice improvisation, and love challenging myself through jazz. I'm always eager to grow as a musician and continue learning more about improvisation. I play as a lounge pianist in hotels in Tokyo, and I think that one of the best ways to hone your skills in improv.

I love to travel and explore new places. Over the years, I've been fortunate to visit many countries, including Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macau, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Mongolia, the USA, and Vietnam. I've always believed in exploring my home country first, and before leaving the Philippines in 2017, I made it a point to visit its top destinations so I could truly appreciate its beauty.

Since moving to Japan, I've traveled to 33 out of 47 prefectures and aim to visit them all. One of the great perks of being a musician is the opportunity to travel, meet people, and perform in different venues. You play, get paid, enjoy the journey, and sometimes it doesn't even feel like work at all.

I love animals! I grew up surrounded by farm animals in our home in Cagayan de Oro. When I moved to Japan, it was difficult to live without fur babies, so when we found our first apartment, we made sure it was pet-friendly. That's how we were able to adopt our black cat, Cafune (カフネ), in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka. He is a rescued cat from Gifu Prefecture. Our calico cat, Tsukune, is also a rescued cat, this time from Ibaraki Prefecture. We welcomed her into our home here in Tokyo. We are now a happy family of four.

I am a passionate music teacher who loves making music with my students, even when we're out of tune or offbeat at times. Sharing smiles and creating meaningful memories in class are what keep me inspired and motivated to grow in my craft. My students are the reason I strive to do better every day.

Teaching teaches you to be selfless. All you truly want is for your students to grow with you, because learning is a shared journey. Along the way, I also learn from them.

So, that's a little about me! I look forward to getting to know you better when we meet in person. See you soon!