About
Birch & Bay Music Studio — Our Story
Birch & Bay grew from the communities and neighborhoods where Emily began teaching piano in students’ homes during the pandemic. The name reflects those local roots: Birch Street, where Emily’s lessons take place today, and Upper Newport Bay, the nearby coastal estuary known locally as the Back Bay.
What started as a small travel-teaching studio has grown into an established Orange County music community serving families through in-studio, in-home, and online piano instruction.
In-home teachers are carefully selected and mentored, with support from Birch & Bay behind the scenes. Families receive the convenience of lessons at home while remaining connected to the structure, curriculum guidance, and care of an established local program.
As Birch & Bay grows, our commitment remains the same: thoughtful instruction, strong musical foundations, and a warm, memorable experience for every student. Birch & Bay is also proud to support rising music educators as they develop their teaching voices while serving local families.
Emily Jones — Studio Owner
Emily specializes in teaching beginner through intermediate piano students, helping them build foundations in reading, rhythm, technique, creativity, and musical expression.
Early in her teaching career, Emily traveled to students’ homes throughout the Newport Back Bay area. Those lessons shaped her relationship-centered approach and gave her a deep appreciation for the trust families place in a music teacher.
Her teaching philosophy is rooted in the belief that music lessons are the vessel through which students build a lifelong relationship with music while discovering confidence, expression, independent musicianship, and their own potential.
In 2022, Emily opened her brick-and-mortar Newport Beach studio, where she continues to provide thoughtful, patient, and individualized piano instruction.
Emily is an active member of the Music Teachers National Association and the California Association of Professional Music Teachers, and is currently working toward national certification in piano pedagogy through MTNA.