I hold a B. Social Work and a B.Mus degree in Piano Performance with pedagogy emphasis, both from the University of Southern Maine. For my music degree, I studied with Master Christine Kissack, Dr. Laura Kargul, and Dr. Annie Antanacos. I graduated in 2011 and began teaching independently as a side gig. In 2015 I began working at Stone Coast Music where I remained for five years, and under the mentorship of my colleague and friend Elizabeth Hasbrouck, received my certification as a Nationally Recognized Teacher of Music through the Music Teachers National Association. In 2020 I left Stone Coast Music and opened my own private studio, Music With Maya. Over the past three years I have become a board member of the Maine Music Teachers Association and currently serve as VP of programs, as well as secretary for the Southern Maine chapter.

The piano sparked my interest when I was four and I started playing songs by The Beatles by ear. I began formal lessons at age nine with Martha Feeley of Auburn, Maine, until I graduated from high school, attending various music camps, schools, and competitions. I put my piano passion on pause while studying social work at USM, graduating with a Bachelor’s in Social Work in 2005. After working with various populations in the field, I was eventually employed at an Alzheimer’s assisted living facility in the activities department.

It was here that I saw how powerful music’s impact can be: sometimes patients couldn’t remember their own names but could remember the lyrics of their favorite songs, and even harmonize. I decided to return to school to study music to fulfill my goal of using music as a way to help people.

After graduating with a piano performance degree, I began teaching some private students while maintaining a full-time job working intensely with children with special needs, including autism, using the Applied Behavioral Analysis model. During this time I was employed as an educational technician at the Reach School in South Portland, and then the Mabel I. Wilson School in Cumberland.

I reside in Harpswell with my husband Ian, and our two daughters.