My daughter has been taking Clarinet lessons with Ms. Farris for several years now. We transferred…read morefrom another teacher and noticed an almost immediate improvement in her ability, tone and confidence. My daughter enjoys her lessons, has done well in the school band and participated in competitions due to Ms. Farris' approach and dedication. I would recommend her to anyone seeking to hone their musical abilities.

Merav is a wonderful violin teacher who is very patient and kind. I have been taking lessons for…read moreover 2 years as an adult learner and have made a lot of progress! In the summer, I have attended her small group lessons with young and older children. I felt as if we all had fun. Her exceptional knowledge of violin methods, positive outlook and creativity make each lesson worthwhile. Overall, a great value for each lesson and for becoming a real violinist.

Merav is a wonderful violin teacher! I've learned so much in the short amount of time that I have…read morebeen taking lessons. She adjusts her lessons to me personally and is very encouraging when teaching. I am learning how to read music as well as how to play violin. I enjoy my lessons very much!

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 have studied viola da gamba with Amy Brodo for more than a year. I am an intermediate player with…read moresome learning challenges (learning disabilities). I have studied with a handful of teachers as an adult returning to music after several decades of not playing -- and I must say that Amy is the best teacher by far. I have had difficulties in the past persuading my instructors that no, I really couldn't reproduce the gesture or technique being demonstrated to me, my brain and hands just didn't work that way. Amy has been delightfully open to problem-solving along with me so that together as pupil and teacher we figure out how to work *with* my learning challenges, rather than against them, or around them. She is a gifted teacher: she inspires me, makes me want to play, commiserates with tricky fingering and bowing, slows down when I need time to write something down or record her on my phone. She is funny, and gracious and encouraging. AND she plays divinely. She is truly a teacher for adults as well as for kids. You will thrive if you are ready to throw yourself into the total experience of making music. She plays with a gorgeous resonant velvety tone. You will sit back in awe in how she draws exquisitely rich tones from her instrument. AND she will do her best to show you how to do this too!

Mike is an incredible instructor. I am an adult learner, and having never played an instrument…read morebefore in my life, I was intimidated to say the least. I've now been with Mike for 4 years. His guidance, patience, and passion demonstrate that it is never ever too late to learn. I've had the chance to meet fellow students - of all ages and walks of life - and Mike does an excellent job of meeting the student at their level and connecting 1x1. Whether you intend to learn for school, fun, or professionally Mike can certainly help guide you and progress at a pace that's comfortable for you.

I have to disagree with the previous review of The Yamaha Music Center. My five year old has been…read moreattending the Beginners class for the past 6 months and we are very pleased with it. I don't know if his child's teacher was the same as my daughter's but I have a feeling she is. Miss Gloria, as the students call her, is fabulous, in my opinion. It is obvious that she herself is very talented musically and she runs a very engaging, fun, and active class. It is true that she runs the class at a fast pace, but, as a teacher myself, I know that with this age group, one must keep them moving. She does a great combination of seated piano work and a more active 'get-up-on-your-feet' time, where the students put movements to lyrics of song or do Solfege. She is, in fact, very strict about discipline and behavior, but I appreciate this greatly because it maximizes the students' learning and minimizes wasted time, eliminating the chance that kids will just be goofing around and, therefore, increasing the value of the class. She is in no way stern, though, as she is effusive with praise and encourages the students at every turn. At every lesson, students are rewarded with either two or three stickers (a universally loved reward, it seems, for any age) depending on how well they followed the day's lesson. The bottom line is that the students enjoy the class, they are engaged, and they learn something. They also respect their teacher greatly and they follow her guidance intently. She encourages the students to practice (essential to musical training and a good discipline to establish) at home so that they can be even more prepared once they get to class. Just a side note because I need to rant. Since when do teachers have to be liked? I'm in no way suggesting that Miss Gloria is unlikeable in any way, but, to me, why should it matter if she is? Teachers need to be respected, especially when they are teachers like Miss Gloria who have a lot of great knowledge to impart. Education is not about liking the teacher. Teaching shouldn't be a popularity contest where teachers are judged by how entertaining they are. How spoiled and lazy our society has become when we expect this from our teachers. Education should be about gaining knowledge, discipline, and skills that last a lifetime. Accomplishing something like learning the piano will bring with it a reward much deeper than merely liking a teacher for a short period of time in your life. Forget about whether you like the teacher. Respect should grow from whether the teacher has something to teach and can do so, not whether or not she/he is likeable.

Gloria is definitely an accomplished teacher and knows how to engage children. No doubt about it…read more But it seems she is too busy to care for the kids or patience to engage with parents. As some other reviews indicated below, she seems very busy and has little patience - or care for the kids, it seems. We have been taking private classes with her for some five months, first in her studio and later via Zoom. Yesterday, I've asked her whether we would need to pay the same monthly fee for December and January, as she is taking time off and only teaching 3 classes each month due to holidays. It seems a little unfair to pay the same monthly amount, I said, but I would be willing to pay anyway as my daughter loves taking piano classes. Instead of engaging or caring to explain, Gloria said she will cancel classes with my daughter immediately... Which seems like a very stark overreaction, particularly when you think how kids get attached to teachers. I hate to break my daughters heart and tell her that Gloria decided to "retire". Very disappointed to see such behaviour from a person who we entrust our kids with.

My son and I each started taking music lessons with Mitch several months ago and it has been a…read morewonderful experience for both of us. Mitch has been great with my 5 year old son James- blending just the right amount of music reading with free play while always keeping things fun. James and I always look forward to "music school" each week! I highly recommend Mitch Schrift for piano lessons for young and old! Michael Witwer (510)776-8409

We would like to add our highest recommendation for Mitch. Our son has been taking classes with…read morehim for nearly a year and we could not be happier. When we moved to Albany from Seattle, we tried out a lot of piano teachers before we found Mitch and, once we did, we knew we had found the right teacher for our son. Mitch is an extremely talented and well educated musician and an equally excellent teacher of young people. He not only teaches our son music and piano, he also teaches him how to learn and practice, which are life lessons. Mitch is patient but he also knows how and when to gently nudge and challenge a student to do his or her best. He builds on a student's existing musical interests and abilities while challenging them to reach a little higher. My wife and I can't say enough good things about Mitch who teaches out of his professional home studio.

My mother and I have had guitar lessons for almost 3 years now, and it has been amazing. Even…read morethough I was better at memorizing single strings and my mother was better at chords, we still learned at a similar pace and were able to get through songs without much trouble. Ken was great at helping us with challenging strings or complex parts of songs. He has helped us tremendously.

This is LONG overdue!…read more Ken has been teaching my son guitar for a couple of years now, and we couldn't be happier with his lessons. He's not only super knowledgeable about guitar but also plays multiple instruments, which makes his teaching well-rounded. What I really appreciate about Ken is how patient and encouraging he is. He tailors lessons to my son's interests and goals, making learning both fun and challenging. My son has grown so much as a guitarist, gaining confidence and skills that have really made a difference. Ken is a great teacher and an even better mentor. If you're looking for someone who truly cares about their students' progress, I highly recommend him!