Kai-ya Chang as the Educator & Lecturer


Kai-ya Chang

Kai-ya Chang is a jazz pianist, educator and writer from Taiwan. She studied classical piano from the age of 4, and after completing her undergraduate degree in Classical piano in Taiwan, she went on to study jazz at the Royal Conservatory Brussels, Belgium, graduating with a Master’s Degree in Jazz and Latin Piano. After graduating, she returned to Taiwan where she has been active as a professional musician crossing easily between the worlds of jazz, pop and classical music.

Kai-ya is a passionate educator. Apart from her teaching at Shi-Chien University, she has been active in establishing and promoting jazz education in Taiwan, and beyond. Together with jazz violinist, Chi-pin Hsieh, she co-founded the Taipei International Jazz Education & Promotion Association, which organizes and annual International Summer Jazz Academy, Jazz Festival and many other related educational programs in Taiwan and neighbouring Asian countries.

Kai-ya has conducted workshops and master classes at educational institutions all over the world, including ICOM in Malaysia, Sezoku Gakuen College of Music, Japan, Jerusalem Academy of Music & Dance in Israel, and at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Her students have gone on to establish the next generation of Taiwanese Jazz performers and school music teachers.

Kai-ya is an accomplished performer and composer, and has released 6 albums, and authored 3 jazz education texts. 


Workshop/Master Class Topics offered: 

1. A Practical way to Understand Harmony & Theory

2. Constructing Jazz Voicings on Keyboard and Guitar

3. Rethinking Pop, R&B and Hip Hop with a Jazz Approach

4. A Concise Music History from Africa to America with Demonstrations

5. Improvising on Jazz Standards: Finding a Jazz Sound

6. Integrating Classical and Jazz: A New Approach to teaching jazz

7. Teaching Jazz to High School Students

8. Making Instant Arrangements: (Intro, Rhythm, Form, Vamp)

9. What Is Effective Comping (Spontaneous Accompanying)?

10.Creative Composition Skills from a Jazz Perspective