“I began studying piano around four years old, and my first piano teacher, Louis Mucci, played jazz organ at a night club in downtown Boston. To this day, I still have the music books he used with me, including a torn and yellowed copy of The Beatles’ “Yesterday”. With him, I gained a large repertoire of various styles of music; classical, pop, rock, ragtime, blues, jazz etc.” ~ Ian Kasarjian
Years later, Ian’s piano studies became more serious when he attended The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. Here, of course, the focus was solely on classical repertoire, with advanced theory courses, music history, choir singing, and many piano recitals. Within a couple of years of attending The N.E.C., he began organ lessons there as well, which was a fascinating instrument. This led to his first job as a musician, becoming, at 16 years old, the full time organist at The Christian Scientist Church in Sharon. He still plays church services regularly to this day.
After graduation, he studied at Boston University, where he earned his bachelor of music degree in 1992. During his years at BU, he became the music arranger and accompanist of Mystery Du Jour, a dinner theater company in Boston. As music arranger, he took sung melodies from a tape, and turned them into full pieces of music that could be performed at the show. He especially enjoyed playing and improvising for the crowd during the intermissions.
In 1998, the music director of Moses Brown School in Providence, RI, invited Ian to teach piano there. The number of students he taught quickly grew, and by 2002 and 2003, he had about 40 students a week. In addition to the students, he began teaching several teachers, the school secretary, and other administrators including the principal.
In addition to his songwriting career, teaching, and organist positions, he regularly plays piano for the school plays at The Gordon School in Providence, RI, and the Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School in Franklin, MA. He has often been referred to as the “glue” that holds it all together.
“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.” – Buddha