Pianist · Educator · Scholar
Dr. Carla
Salas‑Ruiz
Costa Rican pianist, educator, and scholar Carla Salas-Ruiz brings together performance, pedagogy, research, and community engagement through her artistic and academic work. She has appeared as a soloist and collaborative pianist in the United States and Latin America and regularly participates in academic, artistic, and community-centered projects.
“Through curiosity, empathy, and a never-ending desire to learn, teachers can begin their own healthy musicianship journey while sparking practical ideas that serve their students’ needs.”Carla Salas-Ruiz, My Journey to Healthy Musicianship: Practical Ideas for Exploration and Self-Reflection in the Piano Studio, Piano Magazine, Autumn 2022, Vol. 14, No. 3.
Biography
Carla earned a PhD in Music Education with an emphasis in Piano Pedagogy from Louisiana State University, where her dissertation explored motivation and interest development in adolescent piano students. She also holds a Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy from LSU, along with Licentiates in Piano Pedagogy and Piano Performance from Universidad de Costa Rica.
Her teaching career has included faculty appointments at Brazosport College and the Universidad de Costa Rica, where she served as Assistant Professor of Piano and Coordinator of the Music Precollege Program. She currently serves as Associate Director and Faculty at The New School for Music Study, a division of the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy. Her work there includes teaching students ages 8 to 89, mentoring postgraduate students and teachers, and developing educational programming grounded in thoughtful and engaging approaches to music learning.
As a scholar and pedagogue, Carla’s work has appeared in publications including the International Journal of Music Education, Visions of Research in Music Education, Piano Magazine, and Research Perspectives in Music Education. She serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Piano Research and Piano Magazine and is recognized as a Steinway & Sons Educational Partner Teacher.
Featured Performance
Sandpainting for Piano No. 1: White Shell
Connor Chee · The New School for Music Study Faculty Recital · Princeton, NJ · November 2025