We rented here over the 24/25 school year for my daughter to pick up the Viola. The shop owner (at…read morethe time) was swamped with multiple people in the shop since it was the beginning of the year and he had some help. They were fairly helpful coming from someone who knows nothing about orchestral instruments. They had a wide range of instruments late after the local school started which was a bit odd but a sigh of relief for us since it enabled my daughter to play something. They had all the sizes needed in both Viola and Violin so that was good. The shop keeper's daughter helped size my daughter for the right sized viola and we were on our way! Or so we thought. His daughter said we're good but he insisted we get a chin rest for the viola. Repeating the fact that I know nothing about these, I listened and bought a $25 rest. Why? because I thought she needed it. Fast forward 8 months, my daughter NEVER used it. Apparently the rest is for kids who have trouble fitting it. So if you get one that's too big/small it is an intermediary. Problem is, she was sized for the right one! Again, thinking about the end of year, we are there to return and the shop keeper asks if we're going to play next year (in 3months). I tell him yes and he keeps drilling the statement, "It doesn't make sense for you to return. It's a waste of money because of your rental credit" The words rental credit in most peoples' minds would flag a "Oh i don't want to miss out on that money". I asked him to clarify what it was and what it was applied to and he kept insisting I'd be losing out on it. When he realized I wasn't budging on that front, he said that I would have to pay for another fitting fee too when we returned. I asked him how much it was and he didn't really give specifics. I told him we were going to not even touch it for 3 months because of travel and other activities and that I didnt' want to pay the 3 months rental. He kept insisting it's not worth it. He was talking a lot and honestly was confusing me so I said, "Hold on, let's do the math here." His tone changed completely. He realized what was going on and finally started talking straight. The fitting fee was $28... or you could say ONE month. The rental credit? It's in your contract (which you should review) and is a credit of 50% of your rental fees towards purchasing the viola you rented... Let's think about this. You've got a kid who's NOT fitted for a full size. Why on earth would I buy a 3/4 size viola? I told him we're never going to buy and he did the sensible thing of saying "You never know" and he was right. I don't, but I know i'm not buying a 3/4 viola. In the end, I thanked him for trying to "save me money" but told him I'm not interested. I'm not trying to say he was trying to swindle us but he was sure trying to get us to not return it when I made it clear, we weren't going to keep returning. On top of all this, he doesn't have a computer system for the rentals. That's fine in many aspects, just weird. I'd rent from here again since they were helpful and it's reasonably priced, but the return process was like trying to cancel your xfinity subscription

I went there to get violin for my 5th grader. Environmental is very Friendly and professional…read more Great instruments and very experienced

This is a barbershop not a music academy! Our son was being coached here for 3 months. We were out…read morefor just a week long vacation last week during which our credit card on file was declined so they apparently emailed us daily (we did not have access to email and phone) and then cancelled our registration (unknown to us). When we showed up for our session today (the day after our vacation) we were told rudely that we have been de-registered and we cannot attend the class today. Additionally, they expect us to pay a registration fee again to restart classes and then reschedule for a following week onward. Unbelievably dismal customer service and unfriendly business policies - bottom line - they don't seem to have any trust in their customers. They could have easily given us a chance to fix the credit card issue when we showed up for our class today! The "makeup" sessions (when your child misses a session due to illness or other reason) is a joke - where they have a group lesson with a random lesson plan that has no continuity with the weekly learning. Additionally, twice we were "unenrolled" from a scheduled makeup session without warning or even a courtesy notice only to be informed that rescheduling now will be weeks out. FWIW, our experience with the piano teachers here was average but we expected more engaging teachers given the age group (7-8 year old) of the student. Given poor business etiquette, I would be surprised if the teachers stick around for long! Sadly, we will not be giving them a second chance after our poor experience here.

My 2 kids have been going to Bay Area Academy of Music for almost 2yrs now & I wanted to share how…read morehappy I have been with our lessons. My son has been taking guitar lessons with Sean & I really could not be happier. Sean is a very patient & easy going guy who makes learning fun for my son. I am a laid back mom when it comes to music, just want it to be fun so this works perfectly for me. My son has done amazing in my opinion & I attribute it almost entirely to Sean's teaching! My daughter has taken piano lessons with 3 teachers and altho my favorite teacher is no longer working there I have been extremely happy with how much she has learned. The office has treated me very fairly when we need to put lessons on hold over summer & once when my daughter broke her arm. I wanted to review because when I was trying to find a place for lessons there were no reviews here & it was hard to make a decision to try it or not! I am very glad we picked this company for our music lessons...great staff plus the convenience of being able to do my grocery shopping during lessons is a big plus.

I have been going here for over a year and it is a great place to rent an instrument, as well as to…read morehave my daughter take instrument lessons. The staff and owners are super nice and knowledgable. Also, my dad took his vintage clarinet to another shop for a tune up. After less than a year, pads were falling off, and it didn't sound great. He brought it here, and after they found and repaired a crack that the other place missed and did their own tune up, he says it sounds like it is brand new!

We used this spot to rent an instrument for middle school. They are super helpful and very…read moreknowledgeable. They have very fair rates too. Will use again in the future.

My daughter has been taking lessons at Graham Piano for awhile now. Not only my daughter loves her…read moreteacher, she also practices piano on her own and is learning very fast. She loves her teacher, Natalia. Ms. Natalia is very professional, very patient and is a very good piano teacher. I highly recommend Graham Piano Studio to anyone looking to learn to play piano.

Just had my Taylor guitar set up here. It sounds, looks, and plays better than it ever has, and…read morethey had it done in three days. If I could give them more than 5 stars, I certainly would.

They have a great choice of instruments. My daughter bought her first guitar. They were very good…read moreat explaining all the information so we could take an informed decision. It was well priced. Overall a good experience.

This is an amazing music school!! I have my 8 years old…read moredaughter here for piano class and my daughter has enjoyed it so much!! The classroom and environment is cozy, clean and you can really focus on learning! My daughter piano teacher, Ms. Natalia Pedtrikovska, is amazing! She is knowledgeable, kind, sweet , flexible and very patient with kid ! We are thankful to have her

My kid has been studying at this school for over two years, and we have had an absolutely wonderful…read moreexperience. Her teacher, Yulduz Abduraimova, is incredibly patient, kind, and caring. Her deep love for music truly shines through her teaching and has had a beautiful influence on my kid. Because of Ms. Abduraimova, my kid genuinely loves learning piano and looks forward to every lesson. She creates a supportive and encouraging environment where kids feel confident and motivated. From classical music to pop pieces, she is able to guide her students with great skill and flexibility, making learning both effective and enjoyable. We feel extremely blessed and fortunate to have found such an amazing teacher. I sincerely hope that more kids who love music will have the opportunity to learn from Yulduz Abduraimova. She is truly a gift to her students and families.

So many music schools, which school is the right place to choose? We chose Inspire Academy of Music…read more& Arts. I also highly recommend to other families. All teachers at Inspire are kind and professional with love, power and the magic of music to teach each kid either in private or group lessons. We always feel so lucky that we have such wonderful school nearby for our kid to have his music lessons. My ten years old son has been learning piano at Inspire Academy since August 2015. He loves having his piano lessons. My son has learnt and achieved soo much for his age. Every time when we watch him performing at recitals like a young artist/pianist, we feel so proud! Every time when we watch other higher level students performing truly like a professional pianist at recitals/stages, we feel inspired! We feel so grateful that we had chosen the right and the best music school for our son to learn piano.

This place is so awesome! In a world with so many music schools, sometimes it's hard to find one…read morethat is everything it should be. Inspire Music delivers on every front, and the whole experience is fantastic. The staff is wonderful, the location convenient and the prices very reasonable. Whatever instrument you're learning, no matter your age or level, definitely enroll here!

My two kids have been attending Oclef for about a year now. My son just shifted into Late Stage 1…read more The thing I think all parents should know about this school is that they care about developing the kids beyond piano. I had a talk with my son's Professor the other day and he told me why they are doing what they are doing for him. I was surprised since I signed both of them up for piano lessons initially, but this school cares about helping the students build time management skills, critical thinking, and discipline through consistency. My kids do actually play 'piano every day' - as the school says. So far so good.

From the owner: Oclef is the SF bay area's most advanced piano school. We offer: Piano lessons (private) Piano…read moreclasses for practice (Kaizen) Recitals Every Day (Performance Seminar) Music Theory Pop Music Composition Electronic Music Non-Western Folk Music Pedagogy AP Music Theory We believe environments shape outcomes, so we encourage our students to connect every day. Our average student takes class 6 days a week and spends 30 minutes to 2 hours each day. We have a minimum age of 7 years old, to ensure that parents get the best value for their children. We do everything we can to increase our student's successes. Our students have: Launched albums on Apple Music & Spotify Created their own music education apps Published their own compositions as books on Amazon Won international piano competitions Passed CM Level 10 in 6th grade Parents have access to our custom built software - Oclef Pro. This allows them to book classes and track their children's progress. We track and manage student engagement, performance and efficiency and we map these short term outcomes to long term goals. We are not just a piano school. We are Oclef. Our piano teachers have a passion to make piano education better and we're showing that in our school design, student successes, and daily engagement. Learning piano is challenging and seeing a teacher once a week is an old system that causes most students to dropout. Make the right decision for your family and join us. Oclef. Piano Every Day.

My son has been with Rimma for the past 4 years. Rimma is a hard working teacher. Not only does she…read moretakes her time to teach her students, she arranges for recitals, competitions and festivals so students can showcase their talents, learn how to perform and enjoy music other peers play. All activities are voluntary and base on individual experience. Other teachers in the studios are excellent and experienced with teaching, holding high professions standards. They all have compassion to motivate students to learn and reach their highest limit. You have options to switch to other teachers according to your time availability and music levels. Overall, my son has become so much more confident and mature. He is now a member in school orchestra. Thank you Rimma, for providing such a nurturing environment for all yo

I am a music teaching professional with 10+ years of experience in the field. Believe me when I say…read morethis school is far above many other schools in the area. The teachers are very highly qualified and sought-after teachers, who produce very high-level players. All the teachers are different with different styles. Many are international with experience performing on an international stage. The atmosphere is supportive and relaxed, and that of high-level achievement. Unbelievably, the studio manages to keep prices below other music schools in the area! I am impressed with this school, and would recommend it to any student looking for a quality classical education in music.

My 14 year old daughter enjoys her vocal lessons here. Her confidence and technique have improved…read moreso much. The teacher is encouraging and knows how to bring out her best. Highly recommend!

When deciding where to start my then 6 year on piano classes, we did a few trial classes with…read moredifferent places. We initially did our trial with Stella and were sold on her combination of approachability but also discipline. Jane has since become our primary piano teacher. I think it can be challenging to have children do something week after week but Jane is an enthusiastic, loving cheerleader of your child's progress. I also really appreciate that she holds her students to a high standard, emphasizing technical aspects of piano that I think are harder to master for young kids but will ultimately set them up for success. Also, there are tickets given out at the end of each class which can later be exchanged for small gifts and works as a sort of background reward process to keep kids coming back! We've had a great experience so far and hope to enroll our second kid in the upcoming years.