Teacher Profile: Manisha Maru

About Manisha Maru

Whether it be for family and friends at a community theater in Manila, Philippines, strangers at a restaurant on Mercer Island, Washington or a thousand people at the Berklee Performance Center (BPC) in Boston, Massachusetts, Manisha has always found indescribable joy when sharing music with others.

Manisha is an Indian-Filipino vocalist, pianist, artist and songwriter. Her musical journey began in her motherland, Manila, Philippines. She performed at local musical theater shows, learned piano under teacher Joonee Garcia and showcased her innate songwriting skills at school fundraisers. Her path took an unexpected turn when she and her family migrated to Mercer Island, Washington in 2018. Despite moving to a new country in the 11th grade, there was suddenly an opportunity to turn music into more than just a hobby. With guidance and encouragement from the Mercer Island High School (MIHS) Music Technology teacher Brian Lawrence and Drama teacher Daniela Melgar, Manisha applied and was accepted into the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.

At Berklee, Manisha studied and trained voice, piano and songwriting with the best of the best. She studied voice under Kaoruko Pilkington, piano under Sarah Brindell and songwriting under Pat Pattison and Rodney Alejandro. Not only did she learn the technicalities of music, but also the business behind artistry, nuances of networking and the power of putting oneself out there. She graduated Berklee with a Bachelor in Music, focusing on Songwriting.

Throughout Manisha’s musical journey, there was always a guiding professor or teacher along the way. Since moving back to Seattle, Manisha hopes to give back and share her musical knowledge and love with aspiring vocalists, pianists, artists and songwriters.

Other than teaching, Manisha is pursuing her artistry full-time. She released her self-written debut album “Sweet Until The Aftertaste” on all platforms, formed a six-piece band and performed her first headlining show at Seattle music venue Madame Lou’s (The Crocodile). She also works as an MC for Sofar Sounds Seattle.

Manisha has a dog named Sake, loves The Lord of The Rings and absolutely can not wait to share her love for music with her students.