Emily Asher is a trombonist and singer of “”buoyant charm” (Nate Chinen, The New York Times) in strong demand as a bandleader, sidewoman, and educator nationwide. As a leader, Asher has produced five CDs and led US and Israel tours with her band Emily Asher’s Garden Party and earned a prestigious Banff Centre Residency with her Endangered Species Trio. She recorded and performed with Wycliffe Gordon on his “Hello Pops!” tribute to Louis Armstrong, and was a member of Nicholas Payton’s Television Studio Orchestra. “Ms. Asher plays with both grit and grace” (Will Friedwald, The Wall Street Journal) and has shared the stage with a wide variety of artists including Tony Bennett, Carol Burnett, Mø, Talib Kweli, Chaka Khan, Terri Lyne Carrington, and many others. Emily’s debut album, Dreams May Take You, featuring Wycliffe Gordon, was released in 2012. Emily Asher’s Garden Party’s most recent and eclectic album, If I Were a Window, was recorded and released in 2020 with eight original compositions.

Originally from Seattle, Emily earned three Bachelors degrees from the University of Washington and completed her Masters in music performance from CUNY Queens College.

In 2020 Emily returned to her first love of teaching and in 2022 became a National Board Certified Teacher with an emphasis in early and middle childhood vocal music. She served as an Elementary Music Specialist in the Bellingham Public Schools and in the NYC Department of Education and was on the Jazz and Education Faculty at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington.

Personal Teaching Statement: I believe that all students deserve access to fun, rigorous, culturally responsive music education. Through a combination of inquiry-based and skill-focused approaches I empower each student to feel a sense of ownership and belonging in their musical experiences.

Musical Inspiration: I fell asleep many nights as a child listening to the sound of my father practicing Chopin and Debussy on the piano below my bedroom.

I perform primarily with my band, Emily Asher’s Garden Party: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEgJPe6FcEY