Matthew is, hands down, the best music instructor I've ever had, on any topic…read more My musical background - both in theory and technique - is pretty scattered. After college, I decided I wanted to learn the cello, so I searched Craigslist to find a teacher. I recognized Matthew's name from Ifshin's and he had a good review from the Berkeley Parents Network, so I decided to schlep up to El Cerrito (from South Berkeley, without a car, with a large instrument) to attend a lesson. Matthew was able to quickly, accurately, fluidly gauge what topics I understood and which I needed help on, and immediately cobbled together a lesson in which I felt not a single minute was wasted. I came away from that lesson feeling like I'd learned more from him in an hour that I'd learned from other teachers in six months. I was hooked. Since I already had a basic background in music theory, Matthew jumped pretty quickly into teaching me straight from repertoire. Matthew himself is quite an excellent musician - very artistic and expressive - and gives similarly excellent instruction on musicianship. He has the unusual ability of being extremely precise about what he wants you, the student, to do to achieve a given effect. (And is very good at being precise from several different approaches until you have that 'a-ha!' moment.) He's been very patient with me on the days that my head just hasn't been in the game and very persistent in making sure I get something out of those lessons, anyhow. Because of his high degree of achievement in cello and his patience, innovation, and keen intellect, Matthew would probably be a wonderful teacher from everyone from complete novices to seasoned professionals. (He does, in fact, teach both these levels, but I can only speak from my own experience. :P ) I have moved towns twice since I started taking lessons with him and, six years later, he is still absolutely worth the transbay drive.

I am very lucky to have found Matthew as a cello teacher. I started to learn to play the cello as a…read morebeginner since almost a year and can strongly recommend him as a teacher. It has been an amazing experience for me to play the cello ever since I started my lessons with Matthew. He is amazing, extremely patient and explains musical concepts and the cello as an instrument to an adult with great precision. In addition, he has a great ability to communicate and can provide explanations to you that suits perfectly well to the way you can understand, which is essential for learning. He always has an analogy to an everyday movement when you learn a new technique that is a great help. Matthew is a remarkable person and has a great personality. He can combine his understanding of humans with his teaching extremely well. Although sometimes your own performance might not be the best (e.g. because you could not practice enough for the lesson) at each lesson you learn a lot and have a smile on your face after you leave the lesson. What I like the most about Matthew's teaching is that he has an exceptional sense of creativity and tries to unmask this ability in his students.

I had a great experience taking Ryk's beginner ukulele class online with my brother-in-law and his…read moresister. We were all in different cities, along with other families joining from different places, and it still felt fun, connected, and easy to follow. Ryk is a great teacher who made learning approachable and enjoyable. I even unlocked a skill I've wanted my whole life, being able to play and sing at the same time! Thank you, Ryk. His classes are a great value and I highly recommend Ryk's Uke Class to anyone wanting to start playing ukulele or grow the skills they already have.

Ryk is a wonderful ukulele teacher! I highly recommend his class if you're looking to improve your…read moreuke skills. I took his virtual class during the pandemic and learned chords that I was previously afraid to play (hello flat keys!), expanding my ability to really play any song. At the time, I was teaching music classes to a group of preschoolers, and improving my own uke skills helped me have a tool to teach the kids. Thank you, Ryk! Even though the pandemic is over, I would still recommend the online class. Ryk has a clever setup with two cameras that's very effective for learning.

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.

Harry is clearly a very talented pianist, but not suited for teaching in my opinion. Granted that I…read morehave had only had one lesson with him and am not making this decision off of much personal experience, I think it is important that I share this experience with others so that they may take any of the given information into consideration when selecting a piano instructor. I think it's important to preface this by saying that quality instructors, regardless of the subject matter that they are teaching, will share a common set of characteristics that make them so. They will be good listeners and adjust their teaching style to the student's needs. They work with the student to understand the student's goals and devise a structured plan to help them get to that point. An effective student-teacher relationship cannot be achieved without sufficient student-teacher interaction. Just as the teacher questions the student on his/her current skill level and goals in an effort to gain a solid understanding of how he/she can help the student, the student should question the teacher and ask about the teacher's background, skill level, and how he/she will help the student achieve his/her goals. This is not the experience I had with Harry during our first lesson. As a college student, I am financially limited and thus have to make the best use of the money that I have. This means I have to put a lot of effort into finding a quality instructor, which further implies that I must spend time working to understand the instructor's methods, techniques, and plan for helping me eventually get to the point where I want to be. During our lesson, I asked Harry a lot of questions, to say the least. I told him my goals with learning the piano and throughout our lesson kept asking questions about whether I will be able to do ___ or achieve ___ given the path that we were going to follow. Harry wanted to stick to the absolute basics during our first lesson, which is completely normal and fair, but interpreted my questions as my "being a very resistant and skeptical learner", and that I "didn't trust his methods". I kept trying to clarify that this wasn't the case and that I trusted his methods but I was rather trying to gauge him as an instructor, our curriculum, and thus get a more structured and comprehensive idea of how we were going to proceed with future lessons. He kept cutting me off and I had to repeatedly (3 or 4 times) request him to let me finish my train of thought before he let me do so. When I repeated myself to try and clarify that I wasn't trying to be rude or skeptical, he replied "Yeah, that's about the tenth time you've mentioned that today" in quite a snarky manner. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I felt as though he crossed the line for basic human decency and behavior. He was rude and off-putting, which is rather unacceptable even outside of professional or student-teacher contexts. The worst remark that he made, in my opinion, wasn't even rude but was rather shocking to hear a teacher say. I told him that if I sounded skeptical, it was because I was trying to make the best use of my money and find an instructor that suits my personality and learning style. He complained that all of my questions were eating into our time, and when I mentioned how I would have been okay with not even touching the piano given that it is our first lesson and I wanted to use it to get a solid understanding of the teacher, his style, and how we would progress throughout our learning journey, he replied "well that's just a waste of money". Just as one should not select a cosmetic surgeon without understanding the procedure, the surgeon's personality, and how they will help you achieve the look you desire, one should not select an instructor without gaining a comprehensive understanding of the teacher, his/her teaching style, and their method of helping you achieve your goals. Given my experience, I would strongly recommend that individuals looking to receive piano instruction look elsewhere.

Harry is a passionate and knowledgeable teacher. With decades of experience as a performer and…read moreeducator his love for playing is contagious and inspiring. I thoroughly enjoyed studying with him and he has provided me with a refreshed foundation in jazz and a wealth of information that I'll continue to build upon for many years to come. Highly recommended!

Dylan is a very talented teacher…read more As an adult beginner, it's hard to find the balance between having fun and playing some songs, while also learning the less fun but necessary stuff like theory, chord construction, triads, major, minor, dominant chords, etc. Dylan was really able to right away hone in on what level I'm at. We worked together to figure out how to motivate an adult beginner, which is very different from motivating kids. As adults, we tend to be more self-critical. You can hear that it doesn't sound as good as what you know sounds good even after months of practicing, and that is discouraging. His strengths are that he's very patient, good at meeting you where you're at, and finding ways to help you progress without overwhelming you. He's also teaching you enough theory that you're not just parroting a song. His goal is for you to become a true musician, someone who can play with other people, improvise, and not just karaoke through a guitar song. He and I also had similar musical tastes so his song options aligned with songs I loved such as Beatles, Chili Peppers, & Ozzy Osbourne. I highly recommend giving him a shot and seeing if he's a good fit for you.

My daughter Lyla has been taking guitar lessons from Dylan DiMartini for a year-and-a-half, since…read moreFebruary of 2025. In that time, she has embraced the guitar as never before and is in the process of becoming a complete musician. Maestro DiMartini is the whole package: a superb and superbly trained performing guitarist, musician, and composer, someone who leads by example. But even more than his musicianship, it is Dylan's empathy and psychological insight that make him a true teacher. He understands when to push and when to pull back; when to compliment and when to challenge. And perhaps most importantly, he knows how to listen: to my daughter's playing, yes, but also to what's going on in her life and heart at any particular time, and to adjust her lessons accordingly. As a professional musician myself (a composer and pianist) who, among other gigs, was a professor at the San Francisco Conservatory for 16 years, I know a good music teacher when I see one. And Dylan DiMartini is more than that: he is a great teacher. We are so, so glad to have found him.

Do not attend this school--I attend the classes and paid for the entire DJ course early and never…read morereceived my certificate

I started my music journey awhile ago, but didn't really feel like I was progressing so reached out…read moreto Anthem to see what my options were. I found the classes well worth the price, and also realized I completely missed the value of music education in general. After so many years of youtube tutorials and tips I knew all of the lingo and how the fx worked etc, but not really the process. This truly helped unlock that, music is a process and not a collection of facts that lead you to something great. This paired with a focus on developing and understanding myself as an artist has made music so much more refreshing and exciting, it's truly a pleasure to create all over again-kudos to kyle and team!

I started lessons with Kevin about 20 months ago with literally zero guitar knowledge, and I'm so…read moreglad I did. His teaching style is grounded and patient, and the structure is basically "as much as you want," which keeps things moving without feeling rigid or intimidating. I came in hoping to learn rhythm guitar, a bit of theory, and some fingerpicking, and he's done a great job balancing foundational skills with songs that are actually fun (and that I'm excited to practice). I've made a ton of progress with rhythm guitar - I can learn and play most songs pretty easily now, and can play with other people too, which was a huge goal. Fingerpicking has been slower for me, but I'm finally making steady progress there too. Kevin tailors lessons to my taste in music and pace, gives clear practice goals, and uses helpful tools like metronome work and written notes. It still blows my mind how he can tab out basically any song on the spot and make it approachable for my skill level. He's also personable, punctual, and scheduling is always easy. I'd recommend him to anyone wanting to learn or refine their guitar skills, especially adult beginners!

I've been taking lessons with Kevin for close to a year now and have found him to be an exceptional…read moreteacher. He creates a super supportive environment that encourages growth and creativity. I also find him intuitive on where you need to go next in your journey. In my time with Kevin , my skills and growth with the guitar has increased . He's the best best!

When I went looking for a piano teacher I searched on Yelp and found no suggestions. I ended up…read morefinding a teacher through a friend, and after more than two years with Sam Rudin I felt it was time to tell the world. It's not easy studying an instrument for the first time as an adult. What I wanted was a person who was smart, knew something about teaching (and not just playing), demanding (practice, practice, practice!), but also gentle and understanding, because hey, I mean, I have a job and a life and as much as I would like to, I can't spend all my waking hours playing piano. If you're an adult, from beginner to professional studio musician, and you are interested in studying with a brilliant player, who is also a talented and thoughtful and remarkably patient instructor, I have two words for you: Sam Rudin. (From talking to other students I also hear he's great with kids, but I think teachers for kids are somewhat easier to find.)

Here is the review I wrote six years ago, in summer 2009:…read more When I went looking for a piano teacher I searched on Yelp and found no suggestions. I ended up finding a teacher through a friend, and after more than two years with Sam Rudin I felt it was time to tell the world. It's not easy studying an instrument for the first time as an adult. What I wanted was a person who was smart, knew something about teaching (and not just playing), demanding (practice, practice, practice!), but also gentle and understanding, because hey, I mean, I have a job and a life and as much as I would like to, I can't spend all my waking hours playing piano. If you're an adult, from beginner to professional studio musician, and you are interested in studying with a brilliant player, who is also a talented and thoughtful and remarkably patient instructor, I have two words for you: Sam Rudin. (From talking to other students I also hear he's great with kids.) Here is my review in summer 2015: Sam Rudin. Now I have kid myself, and the minute she is ready for lessons, I'm shipping her off to Sam. I am a player, now. Not a pro, but definitely a real player. Sam has nursed me along, given me the occasional kick in the butt and the occasional pep talk as needed. I have no idea when our student/teacher relationship will end, but I can tell you without reservation that you will not find a more serious, dedicated, professional, or kind piano/music teacher out there.