Our daughter has been taking violin lessons with Dr. Jim, the owner of Alma for three months now…read more We have been nothing but happy so far with him, the service, and the school in general. Our daughter looks forward to her lessons each week, and Dr. Jim makes learning the violin fun for her. When I needed to reschedule a lesson, as we had a conflict, they were happy to give us a different time slot that same week. We attended the open mic night, which was so entertaining and fun. Dr. Jim has a way of helping the kids feel comfortable performing in front of an audience. I'm guessing the reason that ALMA isn't open in the morning is because kids are in school, and they are not yet giving lessons. So, for the people who were continually getting frustrated by going to the store before noon, they maybe should have figured that out and gone later in the day when there are always people there. Haven't noticed that they seem like crooks, but if I do, I'll come back to the website to let you know! Hope this is helpful.

Don't send your kids here. Angry owner in attack mode:…read more I had an appointment in the building of 99 Brookwood Rd, Orinda, CA 94563. The person I had an appointment with told me that I could park in the ATMA/ALMA spaces. My dad dropped me off and wanted to wait for me, so I told him to park in one of the ATMA/ALMA spaces since he would be waiting for an hour and could take a nap if he wanted.  When I was done with my appointment, I walked to my dad's car and we got ready to leave. We saw a car stopped on the street and thought the driver was waiting for the space. After we pulled out of the parking space, that driver waved my dad down and got out of his car. I thought, "oh, maybe we didn't close all the doors in our car and he was trying to be nice." Not the case. This man, while blocking traffic, walked towards my dad and took a photo, then started yelling that we can't park there and that we were disturbing the businesses. My dad doesn't speak fluent English, so he told me to explain to the man what we were doing there. I got out of the car to tell the man that I was here for an appointment in the building and was told that I could park in one of those spaces. That man did not stop yelling to hear my explanation. He continued to yell that it was his spot. There was no point to this, so my dad and I got back in our car and drove off. I called the person I had an appointment with and found out that the man who yelled at us was the landlord of the building. He received a complaint from a tenant, SaraBella (florist), who described my dad as a creepy man walking around. My dad was stretching and admiring the scenery outside of his car while waiting for me, nowhere near the florist, minding his own business. No one, not the florist nor the landlord, talked to us and just assumed that we did not belong. We were judged by our appearance and treated unfairly. What happened to my dad and me happens to many people and I'm not going to be silent about it. His name is Dr. James Fiatarone, aka Dr. Jim. He is a landlord and a music teacher at the Academy of Language & Music Arts (ALMA), located in that same building. Stated on his webpage, "James is a Bay Area native who holds a Ph.D. in language and literature from the University of California, Berkeley". I expect better language and understanding from someone with such esteemed credentials, at the very least a common decency to speak maturely. Instead of introducing himself as the landlord and seeking to understand, Dr. Jim chose to block traffic and cause a scene in order to exercise his own judgment and bias. I want to get my message out and let him know that the way he conducted himself is not okay, especially in a place of business.

Matt Luetza has been a great support for my daughter in Advanced Math at Stanley, starting 2nd half…read moreof 7th grade. She fell behind in the first half of the year and he was able to help her catch up and excel by the end of last year as well as tailor a program to refresh her on some of the things she initially struggled with before launching into this year. Highly recommend!

We've had a great experience with Matt for my high school son's geometry class. He has been…read moreexcellent at explaining concepts in a way that really makes sense. My son's math teacher at school sometimes explains things in a way that confuses him, but Matt is able to break everything down clearly and make sure he truly understands the material. He's also been very flexible with scheduling, which we really appreciate with a busy high school schedule. Most importantly, my son genuinely likes working with him and feels much more confident in geometry because of the extra help. We're very grateful for Matt's support and would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a patient, effective math tutor.

She is very good teacher She is very patient and knowledgeable…read more My son loved her lesson We had have only one lesson because of distance and traffic I wish she would be closer to us But I would definitely recommend her

Out of all the tutors I've had in my life Becker-Weimann has been by far the most helpful. Sabine…read moreis extremely patient and truly wants you to understand the topic. I've always had difficulty in mathematics and science but she has provided me with so much understanding for the subjects. I always feel like I'm improving when we study together. I really appreciate all the help she has been providing me with. I honestly don't know what I'd do without her support during test time.

This is a well run and has quality tutors for your students. We joined with them in the summer and…read morethen became permanent this fall and the experience has been wonderful. We had a private tutor for years, but once my child hit her current grade level the private tutor was no longer able to assist. So I searched tutors far and wide across Lamorinda. While their prices are a bit more than most in the area, my daughter and I have been pleased with the service. Her tutor is highly educated and skilled in most subject areas. She's been a great fit. We have also had another tutor within this company when our girl was ill and she too was wonderful! Also the communication with the owner is always great.

Devon and her team are amazing! My son, who used to dislike math, has gained so much confidence and…read morean active interest in math because of Devon and her amazing team! He's made so much academic gains because of them and they do such a great job of breaking down difficult concepts for him. They're also super helpful about scheduling extra tutoring sessions before tests which has helped with his grades. Devon Rossler Tutoring is super professional, super effective and delivers results.

Rita has taught all of my children piano -- over the course of almost 20 years. She provides an…read moreexcellent foundation in performance and theory and her more physical style of teaching is especially effective with boys. I cannot recommend her highly enough.

Rita is an excellent teacher. She put my daughter in the MTAC reviews, which my daughter completed…read morelevel 10 (the highest) and passed each test she took. She made my daughter a much better pianist. I have also referred several people to Rita because we like her so much. She is a very generous and giving teacher who wants her students to be the best. I agree with someone else who reported a hands on style. In addition, she has become a family friend, not just a piano teacher.

We have been very happy with Instrumental Music for Children…read more The convenience of my child having his piano lesson at school is perfect for busy working families. Not to mention the countless benefits of having music be a big part of his life. My son loves Mrs Kaminsky!

Instrumental Music for Children has been providing our kids with piano lessons for 3 years. At…read morefirst, they provided in-school lessons at the elementary school as an after-school program. But we have continued with them for in-home piano lessons over the summers, and (due to scheduling conflicts) during the school year last year. Bottom line, this kind of school is all about the teachers. We have had two piano teachers so far, and both of them have been absolutely top notch! The first one was a jazz pianist in her spare time. She was very sweet to the kids, and they still remember her and say hi when they see her. But due to scheduling conflicts, she no longer does lessons in our neighborhood. Their second teacher is a multi-instrumentalist, he is a lot younger and plays in a rock band on the side. I think this has had a lot of benefits for our kids. My son especially needs to see the "fun" side of playing music, and this teacher is very good at that. At the end of each lesson, he lets my son bang away at the keys, or improvise, or learn songs that are more fun to play. I've also noticed he is very good at helping the kids return their focus to the lesson if it starts to wander, as it is likely to do with kids their age. Every year they hold an end of the year recital for the kids to strut their stuff and the parents to get some video. It's not Carnegie Hall, but it is very sweet and fun experience for everyone. Administratively, they have been great too. They have worked to make sure our kids could stay with the same teacher as much as possible. Their billing has always been very easy and very fair.

I highly recommend AJ Tutoring and Krista Vanuska. My daughter worked with Krista and she found the…read moresessions very helpful in improving her knowledge of the subject and preparing her for assignments and exams.

My daughter works with James Sekigahama a test prep and tutor at AJ tutoring. He is phenomenal…read more James is professional, caring, and knowledgeable. He's very patient, provides in depth explanations and brings in content from outside the curriculum and textbooks. His ability to convey methodology and processes has been so helpful. My daughter has developed problem solving skills under his guidance and has learned how to learn as well as the confidence to take more advanced coursework.

Great Reading & Writing Tutor! Ms Estevez has been really…read morehelpful for my son. She explains things clearly, gives useful feedback, and creates a comfortable space to learn. My child's writing has improved, and he feels more confident tackling school assignments. We appreciate the support.

From the owner: Based in the East Bay region of California, we offer virtual tutoring to students around the United…read moreStates and in-person tutoring in Lafayette, Moraga, and Orinda, CA. We specialize in English and History tutoring, creating customized sessions that meet each student’s specific interests, needs, and goals. As a part of the student’s educational team, we believe that communicating with teachers and parents is imperative to creating the best plan of action for each student. Setting us apart from other tutoring services, we offer FREE drop-in virtual mini-sessions during the tutor’s office hours to those purchasing tutoring packages.