When working with students, I put myself in their place, get to know them well in order to guide in a positive way and ultimately enjoy their lessons.
About
Education
B.M. University of Hawaii at Manoa
M.M. University of North Texas
Affiliations
HMTA, MTNA, NFA, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Punahou Music School
Biography
Sabrina Saiki-Mita teaches flute at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the Punahou Music School, and has also taught music theory, dictation, and sight-singing at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She has maintained a private flute studio since 1990 and has extensive experience teaching students from elementary through post-retirement. Her students consistently win scholarships, top positions in honorary ensembles such as Select Band and Hawaii Youth Symphony, and superior recognition in Solo and Ensemble festivals. Sabrina is a regular clinician at local middle schools and high schools on Oahu, and has adjudicated for Solo and Ensemble festivals, Select Band auditions in Hawaii and Texas, as well as the State and Southwest Division Woodwind competitions for MTNA. Sabrina plays flute and piccolo with the Royal Hawaiian Band, performs chamber music with Reverie (flute and guitar duo) and Aires (woodwind quintet), and freelances on flute, piccolo, and alto flute on Oahu.
Sabrina received her Bachelor of Music from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and a Master of Music with honors from the University of North Texas in flute performance. Her primary teachers were Mary Karen Clardy and Jean Harling. She has also studied with Kathleen Chastain, Doriot Dwyer, Katherine Kemler, and Lin Keh-Ming.
While in Texas, Sabrina taught private lessons, gave flute clinics and masterclasses at middle schools and high schools, and performed with the University of North Texas Chamber Wind Ensemble. Soon after graduating, she became a faculty member at Texas Wesleyan University where she taught flute and woodwind methods. While there, Sabrina performed in faculty recitals and was a soloist with the Texas Wesleyan Wind Ensemble.
Sabrina actively collaborates with her students on piano. She has played piano for entertainers and theater productions in Hawaii and Texas. Her teachers were Ernest Chang, Whitney Thrall, Gabriel Sanchez, and Steven Harlos.
Contact
This directory is service provided to teaching members of the Hawaii Music Teachers Association and to the Hawaii community. While HMTA will do its best to connect Hawaii flute students with local flute teachers, the responsibility for fulfillment and content of flute lessons, as well as safety, rests solely with the individual teachers. If you are a flute teacher in Hawaii and would like to be listed in this directory, please consider becoming a member.