Olivia Grace Colomaio, DMA, NCTM, is Instructor of Piano Pedagogy and Coordinator of Group Piano at the University of South Carolina School of Music. A dedicated pedagogue and researcher, Dr. Colomaio teaches piano pedagogy courses, leads collegiate group piano curriculum development, and helps train emerging teachers.She served as the Director of the Center for Piano Studies last year, and remains devoted to the support of high quality community programs in her current role. She has presented her research on teaching students with dyslexia and other types of neurodiversity in webinars, podcasts, Q&A panels, and sessions at state, national, and international conferences including the MTNA National and State Conferences, the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, and the MusicAlive International Conference at the University of Silesia Institute of Music in Cieszyn, Poland. She is especially passionate about creating inclusive, engaging learning environments for all types of learners, and she adores her beautifully neurodiverse piano studio. 

As a collaborative pianist, Dr. Colomaio has accompanied choral ensembles across the United States and abroad since the age of 14. At UofSC, she collaborates with Dr. Alicia Walker and the Choirs of Carolina, and outside the University she serves as the staff accompanist for the Sandlapper Singers under the direction of Dr. Augusto Gil.

Dr. Colomaio holds a DMA in Piano Pedagogy from the University of South Carolina, where her dissertation Approaches to Teaching Music Reading to Students with Dyslexia: A Guide for Piano Teachers received the 2025 UofSC Outstanding Dissertation Award. She holds a MM in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Campbellsville University where she was the recipient of the Meskimen Piano Scholarship, and a BS in Piano Performance from Roberts Wesleyan University where she received the Presser Scholarship. She currently resides in Lexington, SC, with her husband, the other Dr. Colomaio.