Deborah is a fantastic music teacher! I actually took lessons from her when I was a child and now…read moremy son (age 9) has been taking lessons from her once a week for almost two years. So clearly, she has decades of teaching experience. She recommended that we purchase workbooks that have been great for my son to learn new songs from as his skills improve. Deborah has also been very encouraging when my son wants to create his own songs or learn a song that is special to him outside of the workbooks. She charges a very reasonable amount and is easy to pay. I highly recommend taking lessons with Deborah!

I'm surprised I'm the first to review OPC. It's a great organization - one that ultimately provides…read moreaffordable music education (both private lessons and ensembles) for children and adults in Oakland. In a time where arts programs are being drastically cut across school systems, it's a cause I'm passionate about. I'm also biased in that I play flute in the adult orchestra, which is a great group of musicians and performs 2-3 concerts per year. This is an organization well worth paying attention to!

My daughter is 5 and we are still singing songs from Nanci's music class. She took classes for…read moreabout a year starting when she was 6 months old. I went to several try-it-free music classes and Nanci's class was the best fit for us. There are bells, scarves, dancing, cds to bring home, puppets, and new friends to be made. While instructive and fun for my daughter, it was also really pleasant for me. Nanci has a beautiful voice and you get to sing and dance with your baby. And it is hard to believe, but you get a little voice lesson, too! I wouldn't expect that my singing voice would improve from a toddler music class, but it DID. We never wanted class to end. If you are looking for a music class that your child will love and YOU will too, call Nanci.

Nanci is absolutely wonderful! I've done Music Together over the years with both of my kids kids,…read morebut recently discovered Nanci's program through a friend. I find it to be so much better in terms of instruction and music selection. Nanci is great with the kids and just such a cool lady. My son's favorite part is the stamp and animal cracker she gives the kids at the end of class. I can't recommend this class and Nanci enough.

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 attended Jon's music class with my 4-year-old for about six months or so, and it was such a…read morewonderful experience for both of us. Jon is kind, fun and weird in the most delightful way. He exudes enthusiasm and positivity. He also has a clear gift for making music fun and accessible for young kids. He uses little toy doggies, dinos, and action figures to teach musical concepts like how "D the dog lives inside the two black notes". I also remember him getting into this weird story arc about how a monster was trying to eat him and the kids needed to play the right note to save him. Jon brought in a variety of real instruments for the kids to explore during class -- electric guitar, a mini cello, some woodwinds, and more. This is in addition to the many instruments that are in class every week. The drum set was definitely my kid's fave. Jon was thoughtful about including every child in the activities and he had a gentle way of encouraging the shyer kids to participate without pressuring them. He'd end each class with a dance party and a call and response: "I am so proud of you!" and the kids would respond "That's me!" After class, Jon would play with the kids out on the playground, and they would laugh and laugh and chase Jon around and then get chased around by him. My son absolutely adored him to the point where he would incessantly wrap himself around one of Jon's legs when they were playing.. It's not often you get to see someone doing a thing that seems so perfectly tailored to their deepest selves, but that is definitely the vibe you get watching Jon at Jon's School of Music. It is a great time playing music with a great guy. Highly recommend :)

This is the early childhood music class you're looking for. This is the one…read more I am the proud father of a very musically-inclined 4-year-old. We've tried just about every music program around that's aimed at pre-school aged kids (including the early childhood music program offered by a certain prestigious private school). What we wanted was a program where our son would be learning musical fundamentals and getting real, hands-on exposure to instruments and concepts, but most importantly HAVING FUN while doing it so that he would have a positive association with music education and each class would leave him wanting to explore further. It took us long enough, but we finally found Jon's School of Music. It was the last stop on our journey to find the perfect music class for younger kids, and we've been going for over a year now--with no plans of stopping any time soon (our youngest will soon be enrolling as well). This is exactly what we were looking for. My son absolutely COMES ALIVE in Jon's class; it's his favorite part of the week. I can see him growing musically week-over-week, I can see his creativity blossoming, and again, most importantly: I can see the JOY he is experiencing in his journey with music. Because that's what it's all about (or should be, in my opinion). Music should be FUN. And at Jon's School of Music, it's a full-on riot. Jon is highly engaging and the kids adore him; the class is full of goofiness and fun--but Jon also sets limits and boundaries for them (teaching them to respect the instruments/handle them properly, keeping them on task, and enforcing some basic rules), which I think is not only appropriate, but IDEAL and super helpful for kids at this developmental stage. Kids respect Jon and they listen to him, and developing the skill of being able to take direction from someone other than a mom or dad is REALLY critical for young kids--it's an underappreciated side-benefit of this program. Seeing a couple of the negative reviews here, I can't help but wonder if they're just coming from a place of adults who aren't used to having any limits set for themselves or their children. From my perspective, Jon is running an exceptional and unique program and has learned from many years of experience what works and what doesn't, and how he needs to structure things for the greatest impact. So, yes. There are rules. They're simple & easy to follow, and in NO WAY take away from the fun. But if you're looking for a free-for-all where kids and parents alike can just sort of do...whatever, whenever...this isn't that. Jon's class may look like chaotic fun from the outside (by design), but there's an actual program here. I think 99.99% of the parents who try this class understand and appreciate that structure. I can (and do) wholeheartedly recommend Jon's School of Music to anyone who wants to put their child on a lifelong journey of finding joy and excitement in music. 10/10

When I first started singing I took private lessons from Stephanie, she really helped me lauch into…read moresinging and was instrumental in launching me into my career as a singer. I saw she was teaching a song writing class as the Jazz School, I signed up and was once again really impressed with her knowledge and ability to really pull out the creative side of me to write a song. Then we worked together a few weeks later to finish up what we had started in class. For anyone wanted to start learning the art of singing or to take their already excisting vocal chops to a whole other level, I would definitly tell you to go work with Stephanie.

Stephanie is a very knowledgeable musician, however, I would not recommend her for someone who has…read morelearning disabilities or trauma. Very direct and lacking sensitivity/compassion.

My 8yo, who was deeply opposed to summer strings camp, came back with incredible joy and glee after…read moreday 1 of camp and begged to do the camp again next summer. The entire two weeks she was incredibly engaged, even choosing to practice on her own (which she'd never done before!!) because she was so enthusiastic about the music and camp. I'm so impressed by Crowden's faculty and counselors. I was also really amazed at the end of camp recital how much the kids were able to learn. They had a chorus with the whole camp where they sang a Bach cantata in German together - and it actually sounded good! Crowden really ignited a fire in my kiddo who was definitely meh about music up until now. Can't wait to send her back for another summer session.

The intro to music for kids class is ridiculous. Just a waste of money and time, actually…read morecounterproductive if your kid wants to learn music.

My 9-year-old son loves School of Rock. He looks forward to his keyboard lessons with Jo every…read moreweek, and the Rock Band experiences with Mike and Angel are always a blast. The school strikes a great balance between following each kid's interests and building real teamwork skills. Everyone belongs at SOR!

Mikee has generally enjoyed her lessons at School of Rock, which is why this experience was so…read moredisappointing. She had a scheduled lesson with her instructor, Darwin, at 5:15 PM. We arrived at 5:05 PM, and I left her there as usual. At 5:37 PM, Mikee texted me asking who was supposed to be teaching her because no one had come to get her. When I went inside to ask what was going on, I found that Darwin was teaching another student while Mikee had been sitting and waiting the entire time. What was most concerning was that no one seemed to notice that a child who had arrived on time had been waiting for over 20 minutes past her scheduled lesson. I understand that scheduling mistakes happen, but the lack of communication and oversight was frustrating. A student should not have to figure out for herself that something has gone wrong with her lesson. I hope the school takes steps to ensure this doesn't happen to other students in the future.