UNIONDALE, NY / ACCESS Newswire / October 23, 2025 / Marquis Who's Who honors Rumi Smith among professional women of influence, highlighting her expertise in music education. With more than three decades of experience in her current profession, Mrs. Smith is dedicated to her work and helping her students achieve success. Her contributions to the world of music reflect her unique talent and a willingness to promote growth in her piano studio.

An Early Love for Music Education
Originally from Hirosaki, Japan, Mrs. Smith began piano studies at the age of four with her father, who himself graduated from the Musashino College of Music in Tokyo as a pianist. Having grown up with a love for the piano, she chose to become a piano major in college. While still in high school, she studied with prominent professor and pianist Makoto Takahashi of the Musashino College of Music in Tokyo. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in music education and piano performance from Miyagi University in Sendai. Her mentor and teacher for her piano studies in Sendai was pianist and professor Fukuko Matsuda.

Moving to the United States and Succeeding as an Instructor of Piano
Following her graduation in 1991, Mrs. Smith moved to the United States. She has maintained her role as adjunct professor of piano at the University of Alaska Anchorage ever since, while also maintaining an active private piano studio.

Notably, Mrs. Smith's piano students have won awards in competitions -over 300 to date- including at the Music Teachers National Association at the state and division levels, and have also proceeded to the national level. Her students have received many awards at the Marguerite Downey Piano Competition and the Alaska Piano Competition. Recently, two of her students won local concerto competitions and performed with the Anchorage Civic Orchestra, as well as the Anchorage Youth Symphony.

In addition to her role as an educator, Mrs. Smith remains active as a performer. Her schedule includes annual performances, whether featured on YouTube, in local venues, or on tour. Mrs. Smith has performed widely across Japan. In 2011 she toured six cities in China alongside her husband. That year, she also gave a master class at the Chongqing School for the Arts. More recently, she and her husband performed in a two-piano concert at Bringham Young University in Provo, Utah.

A Love for Travel
In her personal life, Mrs. Smith enjoys traveling, an interest reflected in her international performances. Through her travels, Mrs. Smith gains insight into new perspectives that enhance both her expertise in teaching and music. This way, she continues to contribute new knowledge to her students and the field of music education as a whole.

Ambition for the Future
Over the next three to five years, Mrs. Smith ambition is to continue in her efforts to establish Alaska as a premier location for piano studies. While this goal may be difficult to achieve, her determination to promote music education on a global scale remains consistent and aspirational. Already, Mrs. Smith's students have found significant success on national and global stages, reflecting the effectiveness of her teaching.

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SOURCE: Marquis Who's Who