Photo by Takehiko Tak Tokiwa
“I am so honored to announce this great news,” Yoko wrote this week. “I’ve been teaching at Berklee College of Music in the Piano Department since 2011. Recently Berklee did an international search for two full-time positions in the Piano Department. Including me, 181 people applied. I was selected as one of five finalists and had to teach a lesson, which was video recorded. I also had to give an hour-long presentation to the search committee. It took more than a month for them to reach a decision … but I GOT THE JOB!”
Also this week, Jazz At Lincoln Center (JALC) asked Yoko to play in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on July 30 for their annual Jazz and Leadership Workshop for The National Urban League’s Youth Summit. It’s a 100-minute workshop during which a JALC band performs some music and uses that performance to teach teens about leadership and trust.
A great week for Yoko!
12 Responses
Good news, Yoko. Happy that Berklee recognized your value to the music world.
Congratulations. Looking forward to listening to you again, soon at Les Zygomates or elswhere.
Peter and Deb
Hi Peter and Deb,
Thank you so much for the kind words! Hope to see you soon too 🙂
Yoko
Yoko-
I am delighted to hear the news. Didn’t I say that they would have been more than stupid not to grab you for the position. You will be a great addition to the full-time faculty.
Nancy
Nancy-
Thank you for your support and words of encouragement, it means a lot!
Yoko
No surprise. Well deserved. She’s a great person, great talent, and now it’s confirmed as I thought….. a great teacher!
Nice that the trio is playing in Florida. All well deserved. Congrats on everything.
I watched your Log O’ Rhythm video from NYC last weekend. Just the best number ever!
John,
How can I ever repay you for your support? You are simply the best!!! I’m not really teaching as much as i am just sharing what others gave to me. Oh and Log O’ Rhythm is definitely going to be on the next CD!
Yoko
Yoko, Fantastic news for you, Berklee and the Boston music scene. Cannot wait to hear you again. You are my favorite jazz pianist.
Thank you Mike! I appreciate your kind words so much!!
Yoko
Yoko, Fantastic news for you, Berklee and the Boston music scene. Cannot wait to here you again.
thank you again! 🙂
Ahh, heartfelt congratulations, but, man, I thought you were full-time. Hopefully now you’ll have the sense of security to be able to just focus on your continuing work. And teaching is like performing, right? You soak up so much from others then develop a personal point of view. No doubt that comes across to your students as it does to us listeners. And, yeah, so glad you will remain as a pillar of the Boston music community and continue bringing such good vibes to the city.
You are so right Scott, I’m just passing on a tradition that was passed onto me. Thank you as always for your kind words and support, it means so much to me!
Yoko