Kelly Ash — Faculty ; Instructor, Cornish College of the Arts ; Cornish College of the Arts ; Areas of Expertise: Voice | Piano | Theory | Ear-training | Songwriting .

Kelly Ash is a Seattle-based singer-songwriter, performer, educator, and curriculum designer currently serving on the faculty as Assistant Professor of Music at Cornish College of the Arts at Seattle University. She holds a Master of Music degree from New York University and has taught across a wide range of collegiate, community, and contemporary music settings, including NYU, LaGuardia Community College, the New York Jazz Academy, and the Brooklyn Music Factory.

At Cornish, Kelly teaches integrated Musicianship courses combining music theory, ear training, keyboard skills, and applied musicianship, along with coursework in songwriting, professional development, and private instruction in voice, piano, and songwriting. She has played a central role in developing, refining, and implementing Cornish’s contemporary Musicianship curriculum, emphasizing creativity, collaboration, stylistic fluency, and practical application for today’s working musicians.

Alongside her academic work, Kelly maintains an active career as a performer, songwriter, arranger, and bandleader. Drawing from backgrounds in jazz, pop, and commercial music, she has performed extensively throughout the Northeast and West Coast, leading original projects and collaborating with artists across a range of genres and performance settings. In addition to her own band (the Kelly Ash Band), Kelly currently performs regularly with Nearly Dan (performing the music of Steely Dan), Brian James Was Here, the Blue Wave Band, and Madman Across the Water. Her dual career as both educator and working musician informs a teaching approach grounded in experiential learning, creative practice, and the realities of contemporary musical life.