My experience with Golden Gate Guitar Lessons has been nothing but positive. I really enjoy the…read moreconvenience of having the lessons in my apartment, as opposed to having to travel all over creation. Nathan's a great guitarist, a good teacher and an extremely professional dude. He takes his job really seriously, does lots of prep work and wears a suit everyday. I highly recommend Nathan, I've tried other teachers and he's definitely the best in San Francisco.

I feel so fortunate to have Nathan as a guitar teacher! He is an excellent listener and puts me on…read morethe right path towards accomplishing all my goals. I can now even play my favorite piece, Asturias! I don't recommend anyone else in San Francisco over Golden Guitar Lessons. The teacher comes to you, the lessons are fun and you get to learn from the best. Thanks, Nathan!

I appreciate that my student's teacher tailors her lessons to meet his individual needs, and that…read morethe front desk staff are so welcoming and professional in their interactions with me. We both look forward to his weekly voice lessons!

My oldest has been going to Orpheus for her piano and music lessons since 2012. In 2014, I got my…read moreyoungest to go as well. I especially like Orpheus philosophy that learning a music instrument needs to be backed by a strong theory. When I was growing up, my piano teacher taught me to play piano, but never taught me music theory. I feel I'm missing some music foundation. I think my kids will have a richer musical life knowing a decent amount of music theory. I like the fact that we spend approximately equal amount of time on theory (in a group) and on instrument lesson (individually). Another aspect I like about Orpheus is the opportunities to collaborate amongst students. Orpheus' annual Friendship Concert where multiple kids collaborate to perform a duet or triplet is just about my favorite event of the year.

Mr. Noble is fantastic. He teaches a really strong foundation before jumping into playing songs…read morewith a bow. He is very knowledgeable in music and the theory behind it, and I appreciate him sharing that with my children. He has taken complete beginners and taught them to play many songs with confidence. He has also been very patient with my many questions about violin, as it is an instrument I have no personal experience with. He also encourages good posture and form while holding the instrument so the students learn that right from the beginning. (I imagine it would be hard to correct later if they weren't encouraged to do it from the start.) My children enjoy learning to play!

Andrew has been teaching our seven year old daughter violin for the last year and a half, and we…read morerecommend him heartily. Andrew is patient but exacting, and not only has an excellent "bedside manner" but has built an actual curriculum that works very well for young beginners (and I'm assuming for older intermediate/advanced students as well, but we're not there yet!). I'm considering picking up the violin myself and if I do, I will certainly chose Andrew as my teacher. In short - great music teacher!

We loved this school! Our teacher was great. The staff was very responsive and helpful.read more

My daughter had her first lesson this weekend and really enjoyed it! Her instructor Ryan was…read moreawesome; funny and knowledgeable and made her feel at ease. Staff is friendly and facility is professional! She's looking forward to continuing her lessons!

I've been taking lessons with Chris Bennett and David Spann at Austin School of Music for about 13…read moreyears, and I have to say this school has been one of the most important places in my life, not only as a musician, but as a person. The atmosphere, quality of education, and opportunities that can be found here are unparalleled! If you're looking to learn an instrument in Austin, there's really no other place to go if you ask me :)

I have been taking drum lessons from Chris Bennett since 2013 at North Austin School of Music!…read moreChris is a great teacher, friend and advisor! I formed my own Classic Rock band and we play around the Hill Country! Chris Bennett and ASM are the Best!

I wanted to home-record a doo-wop song as a gift to my father, singing all the backup parts. Since…read moreI have musical experience (keyboards) I thought it would be easy. Once I started I discovered I was out of my element and my first attempt sounded like crap. So I booked two lessons with Alyssa and that made all the difference. She had specific suggestions and tips that took my project to the next level. That was a lot of bang for the buck, and I'm grateful that Eastside Music and Alyssa were available to me.

I was a piano student at Eastside Music School for nearly 9 months. I joined the music school to…read morefind mentors to hold me accountable and keep me disciplined in my craft. I have never joined a music school before. My teacher at the music school was an incredible mentor. The music school is in the process of soundproofing some of their rooms, and the instructors schedule students back-to-back (which I'm aware is common). I voiced some frustrations when hearing a vocalist overpower the sound in my lesson. I expressed that it was difficult to focus as both me and my instructor were frustrated. I voiced frustrations about losing minutes when students are scheduled back-to-back. I have had minimal encounters with the owner, Alex, but my first impression of him was disappointing as he announced names at the recitals and completely butchered my name, calling me someone else. He responded to my email explaining that there will always be sounds in each room, which I can understand, and offered to speak with the instructor. In return, I asked him to allow for the person before me to have more time to transition out (built into her own lesson). She is new and her parents wanted a summary of the lesson at the end of each lesson. This somehow translated to him that I wanted him to change his entire business model and allow five minute breaks after each student. His solution was to cut my lesson time instead, which when asking for support on how to maximize my own time, felt like a slap in the face. When he asked me if that worked for me, I said no. His response was this: "Ok well. I'm not going to change my business model for you. I offered a compromise and you declined. At this point I think it's best to discontinue your lessons at Eastside Music School. I haven't charged you for May tuition. I won't charge you for yesterday to make up for all the time you didn't receive that you paid for. And I'll take you off the calendar moving forward. Best of luck to you." I immediately went to the music school to speak with him and his response was explaining that he had 300 students and 25 teachers and will not make any accommodations for me. His also stated that my instructor will be gone for two months anyway. As a person in a leadership role, mentoring students to be the best they can be, teaching others the importance of feedback, accountability, and compassion, I am so disappointed with my experience at Eastside Music. In his second response, he dismissed me, minimized my experience, and told me I'm the type of person who would be benefit from private lessons. Despite the mission statement "Find Your Voice," If you chose this school, do not voice any concerns or feedback to the owner unless you have a back up plan for lessons. Talk to the instructor directly. When I approached this, my intent was to feel heard and resolve a conflict that many students are experiencing, which at the time seemed like a simple fix. He took the opportunity to be a leader and mentor of one student that is enrolled at his school to learn and grow...1 of 300 he made clear.. to prioritize his own arrogance and disregard for students he does not know personally. Updating: adding screenshots. The first solution was talking to the instructor (which seemed like a solution I didn't even have the chance to accept since he was so quick to kick me out of the school), the second solution was reducing my time to accommodate the other students, and the third solution was terminating me from the music school.

I signed my daughter up for violin lessons after a trial lesson that seemed promising. Then, had…read moreanother two lessons where the majority of the half hour was eaten up by tuning the violin (although my daughter didn't take the violin out of the case in between lessons). We registered on the 12th, and on the 30th of the same month, I let them know I wanted to cancel. They are now charging me for another month of lessons, despite my cancellation request. Beware that if you sign up mid-month, you'll be on the hook for another 4 lessons, despite no services rendered.

I admit I haven't been a student here very long, but if anything changes, I'll edit my review…read moreaccordingly. Here's what I have to say about the experience I've had: I have David Price as my teacher, and I am utterly grateful for his instruction. He is fantastic--always involved in every step of the lesson, playing along with me, giving me directions as well as examples of what to do, and he's just a down-to-earth guy who's friendly and kind. The owner, Kath, is sweet as can be, and every single person I've met from that school has been helpful, friendly and polite. The school is clean; the environment is welcoming; the instruction from my teacher is second to none, and I've had four teachers, counting him. I am very happy with everything I've experienced so far. I am excited to see how I grow as a violinist over the coming months and years.

Behrens Guitar Studio is run by Sean Behrens, a local musician who specializes in teaching…read moreclassical guitar to children using the Suzuki method. My older son (now almost 6) started taking lessons from Sean about two years ago, and my younger son (almost 4) just started lessons a few months ago. Sean is a wonderful teacher, and he has a really special knack for teaching very young children. He is incredibly patient, cheerful but firm, and has an endless bag of tricks for keeping kids engaged in learning guitar. Wooden balancing clowns, Tic-Tac-Tony, dice, plastic dinosaurs, Hot Wheels, stickers - all are pressed into service to sustain interest. I'm seriously impressed by his teaching technique and how he has instilled (some) discipline and focus in my wild boys. Having your child take guitar lessons from Sean entails a significant commitment. Sean wants at least one parent of every student to either already know how to play guitar, or to learn to play guitar alongside the child. He also expects that a parent will work with his or her child in daily practices - both with playing and on music theory. There are two weekly classes required- one private lesson and one group lesson. If your child is already in ballet and Little League and piano and soccer, you probably aren't going to have the time or energy to take on classical guitar with Sean. If you are looking for an excellent, engaging classical guitar teacher for your child, and you have the time to commit to working with your child to learn guitar, look no further than Sean Behrens.

Sean's not just for the kids! While he has an active Suzuki practice he also teaches adult students…read morein a more traditional way. I approached Sean as a mostly self taught amateur adult guitarist about two years ago with the desire to improve my classical musicianship and began a course of study that's lasted to the present day. Over the years I'd reinforced a lot of bad habits in my playing while studying on my own and Sean has been able to help me identify areas to focus on. My playing has improved dramatically during this time and Sean's patience, encouragement, flexibility, and insight have been the key. Sean is an excellent guitarist in many styles with impressive academic credentials in classical performance (he received his Masters studying under Ricardo Iznaola). More importantly, he's a pleasure to work with and has a deep understanding of the obstacles that can hold you back from your best work. I've learned a lot about focused practicing, working through technical challenges, the mechanics of producing good tone, and playing in consort with others... among many other things. If you're looking for a talented classical guitar teacher, I highly recommend Sean Behrens.