Dr Kat Kelly
Dr. Kat Kelly is a piano instructor at Wright Music Academy. She is the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) testing coordinator at Wright Music Academy/WMA. Dr. Kelly also teaches all the ensemble classes and the Mommy/Daddy and Me classes at WMA.
Dr. Kelly was the pianist for the Maydell Jenks Elementary Jazzy Jags Choir from 2023 -2026. She also was their pianist during the spring of 2017. Dr. Kelly performed with the Jazzy Jags Choir at the 2025 Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) state convention in February in San Antonio. They were one of five Texas elementary schools chosen to perform at the 2025 TMEA Convention. The Jazzy Jags Choir also performed at the State Capitol in March of 2026.
Dr. Kelly received her Master of Music degree and Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California. She was a teaching assistant at USC during her DMA studies and taught group piano classes and private piano lessons.
Dr. Kelly taught at a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles for eight years. She taught piano performance major students and music majors as well as piano classes and piano literature. She coached various ensembles such as piano ensembles, chamber music groups, and accompanying. Many of her students have gone on to become successful music teachers. One of Dr. Kelly’s former college students is a band director who was named Louisiana State’s Middle School Teacher of the Year in 2023 and was a finalist for the Grammy Music Educator of the Year award in 2022, 2023, and 2024. One of Dr. Kelly’s young pre-college students received a Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) National Gold Medal for the highest mark in the country in their grade level exam.
Dr. Kelly serves as a board member for the Katy Music Teachers Association (KMTA) where she is the social media and publicity chair. She was nominated as the KMTA Teacher of the Year in 2022. Dr. Kelly is ensemble chair for KMTA. She directed one of the 2026 KMTA Piano Ensembles and her group performed at the Texas Music Teachers Association State Conference. Dr. Kelly chairs the KMTA Fall Musicale, Winter Musicale, and Summer Musicale. She is also on the committee for the KMTA Musician Award. Dr. Kelly volunteers for the Texas Music Teachers Association and helps out with their social media.
Dr. Kelly is involved in the local community in Katy. She served on the PTA board at Jenks Elementary School during her son’s last year of elementary school in 2025-2026. Dr. Kelly served on the Jenks Elementary Campus Advisory committee in 2024-2026. She volunteered at Jenks Elementary as a homeroom parent for 5 years and helped out with various school events for 6 years. Dr. Kelly also teaches Junior Achievement every year. She was Jenks Elementary Volunteer of the Month in December of 2023. She organized the fall and spring music themed assemblies at Jenks Elementary in 2025-2026. Dr. Kelly was nominated by the school principal to be part of the 2024-2025 Leadership Class Katy ISD and the class graduated in May of 2025. She was a mentor for the Katy ISD Keys Mentoring program for two years. Dr. Kelly also served on two Katy ISD textbook selection committees, a junior high science textbook and a preK curriculum. She received the Texas Congress of Parents and Teachers Honorary Lifetime PTA Membership in recognition of distinguished service to children and youth.
Dr. Kelly’s teaching philosophy is to develop piano players that love music. She gives her students the tools to enjoy music and play piano long term, even when the students go off to college and beyond. Dr. Kelly’s specialty is teaching kids how to learn piano effectively and practice efficiently. She hopes that her students become musicians for life.