Gail Lew is an author, editor, arranger, piano teacher, clinician, and nationally-respected leader in the field of piano pedagogy. She is an adjunct professor of piano at the college level, an independent studio teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area, Chairman of the National Guild of Piano Teachers-Castro Valley Center and as the New Music Reviewer for CAPMT CONNECT Journal, the official magazine for the California Association of Professional Music Teachers, and Contributing Editor for the American Music Teacher magazine, she is considered an authority on contemporary music. Gail received her B.A. in piano performance, M.A. in music history, and a Lifetime California State Teaching Credential with specialization in music education. Her master’s thesis on the history of piano pedagogy in the twentieth century garnered a coveted award for best master’s thesis at California State University East Bay. In 2011, she won first place for her pedagogy research paper at the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy in Chicago.
Highlights of her career included tenure as senior piano editor for Kjos Music and director of keyboard publications for Warner Bros. Music, during which time she served as an editor for major recording artists and wrote piano arrangements for the Harry Potter movies. She also served as Chairman of the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy Committee on Independent Music Teachers (Princeton, New Jersey) from 2010-2012 and continued serving on the national committee from 2013-2019. Gail conducts yearly piano workshops throughout the United States including presentations at the Music Teachers National Association Conference, many state music conventions, and the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy.
Her students have won first and second place in many events including Symphony Concerto Competitions, the U.S. Open Piano Competition, Music Teachers National Concerto Competition, and the Junior Bach Festival. In addition to a busy teaching schedule, Gail judges piano competitions at state, national, and international events. She adjudicates yearly for the National Guild of Piano Teachers and the Music Teachers Association of California. In 2011, she was selected to judge at MusiQuest in Pune, India. During the summer of 2016, Ms. Lew served as a judge for national piano exams throughout the People’s Republic of China. Gail continues to train students who have received state, local, and national honors, have earned their High School Diploma in piano through the National Guild of Piano Teachers, and who will continue to enjoy a lifetime of musical enjoyment.
