Amanda Wai

Amanda Wai, an experienced piano and violin teacher at Music Box School in Staten Island, has been passionate about music since she began piano lessons at the age of six. Her dedication led her to perform in several youth competitions at Steinway Hall from 1999 to 2000. She later won her high school concerto competition, performing a movement of Beethoven’s 4th Piano Concerto with the Frank Sinatra High School Orchestra. 

During this time, Amanda was selected for the prestigious Music Access Project (MAP) program at the Bloomingdale School of Music, where she studied with Judith Olson, a Juilliard-trained pianist and active performer in New York City. As a MAP scholarship student, she won the Vincent Wagner Concerto Competition, earning the opportunity to perform with a chamber orchestra at Christ and St. Stephen’s Church. She also received gold and silver medals in Bloomingdale’s piano performance division, which awarded her the Mu Phi Epsilon scholarship. 

Beyond piano, Amanda is also a composer, violinist, and choral performer. During a study abroad program in Italy, her original compositions were performed at the Conservatorio di Musica di Perugia. She has also volunteered as a violinist with the Aaron Copland Chamber Orchestra, directed by Charles Neidich, and completed a choral conducting internship with Dr. Sandra Babb at PSIS 499. 

Amanda earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Performance from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College and currently studies with Dr. Donald Pirone. At Music Box School, she offers piano and violin lessons to students of all ages, helping them develop strong technique, musical expression, and confidence in performance.