Mickey & Yaco
Founders / Instructors
Our Story
Piano is our life—performing, teaching, and composing.
The mystery of the piano has fascinated us all our lives. That lifelong curiosity has taken us across different countries, cultures, and musical traditions, shaping how we experience both music and life.
Music and piano playing exist beyond the ordinary world.
Joy brings us there.
Throughout more than 30 years of professional experience, our piano journey has revealed so much to us—and we love sharing those discoveries with our students.
As our own understanding of music continues to evolve, so does our approach to teaching—staying in tune with the changing world and the way we live and learn.
Yet one principle has never changed:
Every student's uniqueness is precious.
Our Piano Journey — Japan, Europe, and the United States
Our professional training began in Japan, where we were immersed in its traditions of Western classical music and piano education.
Our journey then took us to Europe, where we encountered a wider world of musical possibilities and felt increasingly at home in a musical culture where feeling the core energy of the music and letting our own musical voices flow with it came naturally.
Above all, private studies in Paris with two world-renowned concert pianists opened our eyes to an extraordinary musical world far beyond conventional training—shifting our perspective from that of students seeking approval to that of performers sharing music with an audience. This experience profoundly shaped the musicians and teachers we are today.
Our path eventually led us to the United States, where we found the freedom and opportunity to bring together everything we had experienced and discovered.
And so, Greendog Piano Studio was born.
Our Professional Background
We hold bachelor's and master's degrees in piano performance and have pursued further studies at Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Heidelberg-Mannheim (Heidelberg-Mannheim State University of Music) in Germany. We have also won prizes in international competitions.
We also had the privilege of studying with renowned pianists Hans Graf in Vienna, Austria, and Nicole Henriot-Schweitzer and Gaby Casadesus in Paris, France.
Our performing careers have taken us across Japan, Europe, and the United States, with appearances in Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Portugal, and Monte-Carlo. →Explore Our Piano Lessons