It's been almost two years now and I'm taken aback by my progress. I'm playing pieces that seemed…read moreintimidating and out of reach, but now they're naturally flowing. I've played in front of family, friends, strangers, and peers (and even look forward to it now). By the time I presented my own compositions to Miranda, we had built up the rapport for her to give me frank criticism that a professional musician would have trouble digesting it. Without losing the essence of the piece, I went through several iterations with her that made it infinitely easier to read. Miranda goes the extra mile to immerse herself in what you're trying to accomplish. Now I have a strong foundation and am on a roll transcribing past work that's been confined to my head for years. I'm extremely grateful for the journey I've been on, and couldn't imagine a better coach and guide!

I've been learning piano from Miranda for three years as an adult student. She has truly helped me…read moreplay several of J.S. Bach's preludes and some well-known pieces from film scores. I never thought I would ever be able to play like this. Miranda is a devoted and highly skilled teacher. She pays close attention to the mistakes her students make and corrects them with patience and care. A great teacher recognizes where the student struggles, and she gently guides me, finding new ways to help me understand and creating methods that fit my ability so I can succeed with every piece. I truly appreciate and admire her as my teacher.

Daniel taught my son for many years, starting in 2nd grade. He gave him a firm understanding of…read moretechnique, and also is great at keeping students motivated over time. He listens and tries to understand all of his students as individuals. I also studied with him for a year, and I loved his choice of material-lovely music at my level.

Daniel has been teaching piano for 50 years! He's not just good at teaching kids the basics, and…read morehelping experienced players increase their knowledge and understanding of the incredible instrument. Anytime you can catch him in concert he provides deep and interesting insight into the music and lives of the composers. (Invite him to do a house concert!) He's a great teacher because he's a lifelong learner. And by now, a classy and eccentric institution!

Juliana is an amazing teacher! I started self teaching January of this year and quickly realized I…read morewould need more professional guidance and help, and Juliana has been a fantastic tutor for all things piano and music theory. I get to practice what I want and she is always accommodating for the pieces I bring in. I get a lot out of our sessions and find good motivation working with her, cannot recommend enough!

We have been taking classes for about 4 months with Juliana via zoom. My daughter is eager to…read morelearn. She is being challenged every week, gets practice assignments and is making consistent progress. My daughter has LD and not once has she felt frustrated with her lesson plan. She is always happy to take her class and looks forward to hopefully take her classes in person in a near future.

My daughter has had a wonderful experience at the Golden Key piano school. The teachers are highly…read moreadaptive and well-versed in teaching methods. Their rigorous hiring process ensures that only the most suitable candidates are hired. While their emphasis is on the Russian method, they are able to tailor their teaching to individual students' needs. Not only are their abilities versatile, but their personalities as well. I find that incredibly valuable considering each individual students' personalities may coordinate better with a given teacher based on their similarities or differences. Thus, they are truly able to accommodate students' individual characters. They provide ample assistance in certification preparation, work outside of the classroom, and music choices. They constantly encourage students to do their homework to ensure its completion and therefore the students' improvement. Their philosophy is that "[they are] being paid to teach. Thus, you practice on your own time." Katrin, the owner and my daughters' teacher, is truly wonderful. She is both patient and firm when necessary. She encourages students to focus in unique ways that promote creativity. She has helped my daughter work with many methods through mastering different songs. The institution itself has one individual and one duet performance a year, as well as one top ten performance. Also, they sometimes host an animal-based recital where the song performed has to be related to animals. The children wear animal costumes. There are other recitals, as well. Therefore, there is diversity within the themes of these recitals. I am grateful to the school and the community of peers and families I have met through Katrin and the Golden Key piano school, and I am especially thankful for all of the knowledge and experience my daughter has gained throughout her time with this remarkable institution.

I have an autistic son. My mom called and asked if they would take him as a student, they said yes,…read moreto do a trial lesson and if he passed they would take him. I took him and he "passed" his trial lesson. The next time we went over, my four year old wanted to sit on the instructor's lap. She refused several times, which confused him because at home I let him practice while sitting on my lap. Finally she allowed him to sit on her lap for maybe 3-4 minutes and then told him he had to sit on the bench. Later, my son wanted to copy something we did at home, wrote the names of the keys on the keyboard with an expo marker (those wipe off easily with alcohol). The teacher said absolutely not, took the expo marker from him. So my son started crying. While he was crying, the teacher was lecturing me on keeping the piano clean and neat, and to focus on just two keys. She wanted to show him fat cat, but he was so upset he just kept crying. At one point he said he wanted to play the birthday song, the teacher's response, "It's not your birthday." There were zero accommodations or open mindedness when it came to my son. Then she was lecturing me about how I overwhelmed him by introducing all the keys. He's autistic. Lectures don t go well. Finally, it was time to leave. She wrote the fat cat song down and was talking to him while he was crying so he cried louder. When we left the individual room, the owner was outside the door and told us that my four year old son's crying was bothering the other students. She said this in front of my son, he understands. And she said that if he cried again next time, he would no longer be allowed to take classes there. I told her we don't want to bother anyone, we will never stay somewhere we are not welcome. And that based on what she said we didn't need to come back a third time and deal with the rigid instructor we were assigned. 1 thing: I was under the impression the individual rooms were soundproof, I guess they're not. 2nd: four year olds cry. He's not a robot. 3rd: getting irritated and threatening to kick us of the school while giving me negative feedback on my son should not have been done in his presence. If you come to this school expect to be treated with coldness and harshness. Unless you're perfect. Definitely not a place for neurodivergent kids. Expensive as heck. The very same day a found a wonderful piano instructor who will work with neurodivergent kids. We met him today and he made us feel welcomed and valued as human beings. The complete opposite of how we were treated at golden key piano school. I asked for a receipt, I got an unofficial email that I was forced to accept. Heartless. Lacks humanity, basic decency and kindness toward a child with special needs that they accepted only to humiliate him on our way out. I hope this school goes bankrupt for hurting me and my child the way they did. Not one ounce of tactfulness or kindness. I wish I had never set foot in their "perfect" school that only accepts "perfect" people. You can shove your school up your nose. One day my son will be a great pianist, in spite of his disability. And I hope you see him in concert you judgemental, rigid jerks. Please don't support this school. And to the teachers grow the hell up. You're dealing with humans not robots.

Jonathan is an EXTRAORDINARY voice lesson teacher. He is incredibly well-trained and a very…read morepersonable instructor. In addition, his lessons are very helpful for students of all levels. I am a beginner in singing and truly enjoy his instruction. I highly recommend Jonathan for voice lessons!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!…read more If you want to learn how to sing well, Jonathan is the way to go. Not only does he have impeccable credentials (SF opera, gigs around the world), but he is also a very good teacher. I've been taking lessons from him for almost three years now. I started as a student in Davis, and continued even after graduation. He's very nice, funny, and personable - not hoity toity like you would expect an opera teacher to be. I really appreciate his patience and encouragement. I also appreciate the biannual recitals he organizes for his students. After three years of weekly lessons, I had the chance to perform four times at UC Davis and four times at the Berkeley City Club. I can't recommend him highly enough. He is like the Burj-al-Arab Dubai hotel of voice instructors - 7/5 stars!

Amy taught my daughter and, now that she's left for college, Amy is teaching me! (By zoom, per my…read morepreference -- Amy will see you in person but this is so easy.) Amy is great with never-ever beginners of any age but also with adult returnees like me. There is so much I've forgotten since my childhood lessons, and so much I never learned in the first place. Amy has such breadth and depth as a musician combined with terrific flexibility as a teacher. Whatever kind of music interests you she can help you develop - classic-classical, jazz/blues, pop, improv/composition, you name it. Meanwhile Amy will help you build your musicality and, importantly, also a sturdy foundation -- Amy's music theory chops are as strong as her playing (she gigs professionally) and pedagogical skills. I now have a repertoire I really enjoy and am proud of, while I continue to advance my skills and understanding of music. I recommend Amy without reservation, for all ages and skill levels!

Amy is an accomplished music instructor and built a good foundation for my child with the piano. We…read morestarted lessons with Amy over two years ago when our child was in second grade. She always loved her lessons with Amy and came home with new skills and songs to practice.

Kathryn is a wonderful piano teacher! She taught my 15 year old daughter piano for 9 years. My…read moredaughter showed up at age 6 to her first lesson not knowing a single note of music, and over the past 9 years Kathryn helped shape her into a mature pianist who has developed a true love of music. Kathryn has a very gentle, organic approach to teaching piano, and before your child knows it, they are reading music and counting rhythm. It is a tears free approach to teaching and learning! Kathryn does hold her students to high standards, and will expect that your child will practice daily, and it is worth it! http://kathrynwinterpiano.com/

A little over a year ago I read the only review on Yelp of this instructor. I was looking for a…read morepiano teacher close to our house for my 9-year-old son. I figured it would take a while to find the right teacher for him. But we were lucky. Kathryn is the real deal. She lives to teach, and she's really good at it. She and my son seem to have a soul connection; she understands him, finding music that she knows he'll enjoy playing. This keeps his lessons and his practice alive for him--piano is exciting and interesting. There's love and care and time put into everything she does to prepare for lessons with my son. Kathryn has healthy, realistic expectations for him, and I appreciate this. A teacher myself, I see the wisdom in how she works with him. Kathryn taught both piano and music theory in Cal's Gifted Young Musicians program for 30 years--her many years of experience are a BIG asset, and she is whip-smart and fun. I love the twinkle she has in her eye, and the special way she is able to connect with children of all ages (we have strayed a while as she teaches other children who come after us). I also love that she is slow and methodical in her thinking and speech--she works with great intention. If there were a "slow-food" version of piano teaching, my guess is that Kathryn could really market her approach. My son started with her without having any knowledge of musical notation or instruction; a little over a year later he is playing advanced musical pieces, and understanding complicated music theory. My son, as it turns out, has a "gifted" capacity for music. Kathryn knows how to work with all capacities and arranges the lessons so they are appropriate for each child. She doesn't take children under 5 years old normally ... she prefers to start at a more developmentally appropriate age. That said, Kathryn never turns down anyone without meeting them and the parents for a tryout lesson. You can learn more about her on her website: http://kathrynwinterpiano.com/ Or contact her via phone: 510.527.3839

My 4 1/2 year old son (Mason) has been taking weekly lessons from Dylan for a few months now. Dylan…read moreis incredibly patient, treats Mason with respect and humor, and has been super thoughtful about coming up with creative ways to teach such a young kid. Mason has committed about 20 chords to memory and has even started to play along (poorly, mind you ) while we sing kids' songs together. It has been a lot of fun to watch Dylan and Mason working together; I would definitely recommend him for anybody looking for a thoughtful and extremely talented guitar teacher. Mason's review: "Dylan is a GREAT guitar teacher - I learned chords! And he has bunnies that look cool and are black."

Updating to say that now both my 10.5YO son and I each take lessons with Dylan twice/week, and I…read morestill have only the best things to say about him. He's very patient, and adapts to the individual student while still emphasizing music theory and technique. My son focuses on electric guitar and bass, while I'm obsessed with acoustic.