Akie Kadota
Faculty: Early Childhood
Education:
Northwestern University, BM in Music Education & BS in Social Policy
Bio:
Akie Kadota is a flutist, conductor, and educator based in Chicago. During her time at Northwestern, Akie has performed with the Miami Classical Music Festival, Northwestern Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and Northwestern Symphonic Orchestra and was a semi-finalist at the Coltman Chamber Music Competition. Akie is currently an active musician with the South Loop Symphony Orchestra and Windy City Winds and loves freelancing across the city. As an educator, Akie has taught a variety of music genres and age groups across the Chicagoland area from elementary general music to high school band to music production at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center. As a supporter of arts in Chicago, she also serves as a member of the Arts & Culture subcommittee of the Chicago Community Trust’s Young Leaders Fund and is a Founding Young Professional Board Member of Apollo’s Fire Baroque Orchestra. In her free time, you can find Akie finding the best restaurants in Chicago, cuddling with her cats, cooking a crazy dinner spread, or romping around the city!
Favorite Musicians:
Thundercat has been one of my longtime favorite artists! He just knows how to lay down a groovy bassline and is absolutely electric to hear live! Emmanuel Pahud has always been my flute role model. He just has such a beautiful sense of lyricism in his playing.
Quote:
“Music education is a powerful catalyst for students to learn the values of resilience, interdependence, and joy! Making music is such an incredibly vulnerable act between figuring out how to self-evaluate your progress, learning how to collaborate with your peers, and developing the confidence to perform. Merit School of Music is such a safe space to be able to develop these skills alongside supportive peer musicians and faculty.”
