I took lessons with Janice Clark for 8 years, right up until I graduated high school. I've…read morecontinued taking lessons in college, and thanks to Janice, I was able to place into second-year-level standing, allowing me to continue with private 1-on-1 lessons. Her guidance was invaluable to my development and ensured my well-roundedness as a classical musician. Janice deeply understands and can effectively give insight on any era, technique, theoretical concept, or history to do with classical piano. I highly recommend her as a teacher if you are interested in an extremely strong preparatory classical piano program or want to improve at your classical piano abilities, regardless of where you are in your journey.

My son took piano lessons with Janice for seven years. She was very patient and flexible. My son…read morelearned a lot and reached Level 8. Janice has a lot of experience, and we really enjoyed working with her. We also really enjoyed the recitals. We highly recommend Janice as a piano teacher!

Wow. You won't believe it until you see this with your own eyes. My daughter learned to play the…read morepiano after one session. We had her in after-school piano but after a few sessions we couldn't stand her complaining every week about how much she hated it. The after-school teacher was nice enough and taught her standard piano notes, very boring basics,...but she picked up very little. After one session our daughter was playing double hands and liked piano! We heard about Esperansa after we saw two of our friends daughters playing piano beautifully and then hearing that these same kids loved piano (vs being forced to play/learn by the parents). Esperansa uses a different technique so that kids enjoy learning. I myself learned the traditional way and hated piano. I wish I had this program when I was young. The program that Esperansa uses is amazing - it's almost like magic...

Esperanza is patient, skilled, and a beautiful person with a joyful disposition that makes lessons…read morefun. We tried multiple piano teachers before Esperanza, and the most noticeable difference was in my kids wanting to play at home and go to lessons. She teaches a method that gives kids the immediate rewards of being able to play songs right away and integrates reading music slowly so that the love is instilled early on. Esperanza taught both my kids for many years, and they had a rewarding experience that left them with a love of music and the fundamentals to continue playing piano beyond lessons. Esperanza created personalized lessons for my daughter when my daughter requested to play specific types of songs, and now (10 years later) my daughter continues to write her own music for personal enjoyment.

Cristina teaches both of our sons -- our twelve-year-old, who came to her after several years…read moreelsewhere, and our six-year-old, who started piano with her from scratch. Watching her work with two kids six years apart has been the best possible demonstration of how good she is. With our older son, she came in and diagnosed in a single evaluation lesson what years of previous instruction had missed -- hand position, posture, his whole physical relationship to the instrument, and the fact that he had never been taught how to bring the character of a piece out. She was direct about it without being discouraging, and she had a plan before we left the room. That plan was thoughtful: Level 1 for technique to rebuild his foundation, but Level 3 for sight reading and Level 4 for theory, because she had correctly read where his actual strengths were. Six months in, he plays differently. There is real musicality now -- phrasing, dynamics, actual emotion -- where before there were just correct notes. The clearest sign it is working: he sits down and plays on his own at home, without being asked. With our six-year-old she is a completely different teacher, and that is the point. Shorter lessons, a pace suited to a beginner, and enormous patience. She meets each child exactly where they are and somehow gets both of them genuinely committed to the work. She is kind, warm, and understanding -- with the kids and with us as parents. She is also rigorous, and I mean that as the highest compliment. Every lesson comes with written assignments and specific instructions. She is clear that real progress takes five days a week of practice and says so up front rather than letting families drift. She steered us to a local music shop rather than letting us order poor-quality used books online, and made copies herself so our son wouldn't lose a week waiting on a shipment. She has been genuinely flexible with scheduling when life gets complicated. Our older son is now preparing for his Certificate of Merit evaluation -- something that was not remotely on the table before he started with her. If you are looking for a teacher who will build your child into a musician rather than just move them through books, at any age, Cristina is the one.

Cristina is an extraordinary mentor! Both of my daughters took lessons with her for almost 8 years,…read moreand thanks to her dedication, they both reached CM Level 10. As both a music teacher and a painter, Cristina is a true artist whose artistic perspective has profoundly shaped my kids' sense of aesthetics and appreciation for beauty. She balances high standards with warmth, patience, and creative inspiration. We are so grateful for everything she has given our daughters over the years. Highly recommended!

Miriam is wonderful!! Both my kids love her piano lessons…read more Here is my 10 years old daughter's words: "Miriam is a kind and sweet lady who will help you tremendously with her piano lessons! Miriam has been my teacher for 4 years and she has helped me learn piano from the bottom up. She has a slow but steady pace and will never rush you. She finds your speed and will go as slowly or as fast possible to give you the best learning experience. She has such a kind and bubbly personality and it makes me look forward to every lesson. And she even does Halloween and Christmas songs during the holidays. She has had 20+ years of experience and I don't think I could ever find a better teacher than her."

My 3 boys have been working with Miriam over 5 years now. We are SuperFans. My kids like that they…read moreget to choose the music they learn...she will offer Charlie Brown's Christmas to one and Mission Impossible to the other. She is flexible and teaches To The Child. My boys are different, very different....she supports, encourages, and inspires each one of them in a unique way. She's fun loving, patient, and punctual! She strikes a perfect balance of cheerful and can be serious (when needed). Miriam is a Truly Gifted Teacher and bright soul. I can't imagine a better fit for our family. She has lifer students...that tells you something! Good luck getting a time slot in her busy schedule!

I've known and worked with Cherie Lebow musically for many years. When I ran a music program at a…read moreprivate high school in SF I hired Cherie to offer lessons in singing, guitar and help with some of the small groups the kids were forming. I've also known her as a professional musician as she worked with my music tech company laying down guitar and vocal tracks for sample libraries and such. I've recommended Cherie to various friends of mine who do booking and produce and promote shows. She's a consummate professional who knows her stuff and has been teaching for many years in NY and Bay Area. She's also a good communicator, lots of patience and a nice person to interact with. If you want something that is better than some online pre-packaged method-of-the-week - and to work with a real musician, composer and artist - Cherie is the real thing. She's recently re-located from SF to Marin, and I'd encourage Marin-ites, beginners and up to check her out!

I have to give Cherie 5-stars. She recently moved her teaching business to Marin and I'm so happy I…read morecan finally get back to lessons with her. I studied with her years ago when I lived in SF, I was a complete beginner back then. Now I'm breaking into writing songs and she has helped me get over a huge block I've had for years. She's really helped me expand my guitar skills so I can write with a fresh sound. And how to fine tune my performance.

Umida is one of the best teachers out there…read more She's been teaching both our girls for a year+ now, and we've been incredibly impressed how she's been able to cultivate the love for music and desire to play piano (our 7 year old would practice on her own!). Umida found a common language with them despite their very different personalities. Umida uses empathy and compassion in her approach and coached us as parents on how to develop them as budding musicians. The girls come back from class excited about the next song they chose to learn together. Our older daughter who's usually very shy to perform in front of others even won her first competition!

The previous piano teacher who taught my kids for 7 years can't teach anymore due to personal…read morereason. She didn't want my kids to just go to any teacher. She only recommended Dr Umida after hearing one of her students performed. I think that says a lot about Dr Umida when the word comes from another piano teacher. We have been with Dr Umida since 3 years ago, and I see tremendous result in my sons' piano learning. Dr Umida is probably the most patient and encouraging teacher I have ever seen. She never showed the slightest frustration in any lesson, even when my sons did not put in enough effort at practice occasionally. She always encouraged them and helped them to come back on track. She also showed them different techniques of improving the songs. I am really impressed by how she can make the songs so much better with her unique way of teaching. Both my kids had won several competitions in the past few years and they enjoyed this piano journey very much. My older son has completed all the CM levels and no longer with Dr Umida since a few months ago. But I hear him plays his favorite songs almost every week at home. My younger son is still with Dr Umida. He practices his piano happily everyday, and I never have to ask. Dr Umida is really a gem and I would highly recommend her to any parents who are looking for a great piano teacher.

Liz is an amazing music teacher and person. I started taking lessons with her when I started flute…read morein the 5th grade and kept taking lessons wih her through the end of high school. The only reason I stopped was because I moved away to college. Liz is a true musician. She knows music and she knows how to teach. I was always impressed wih Liz's ability to make very complex music reachable. What I love so much about Liz is that she makes music personal. She asked what I was interested in and made sure that I got to learn the type of flute because that is what I was interested in. This is in contrast to some other music teachers I had when I played other instruments earlier in my life. I remember sometimes I would be tired from school or sports practice earlier, or maybe I had had a rough day, and would not want to go to my lesson. Of course I would go and not once did I regret it. I ALWAYS left lessons happy. Liz made music and lessons fun. She is truly invested in her students. She builds relationships with them. I graduated from college and a teacher myself now and I still talk to Liz to catch up because we are more than just student-teacher we are friends. I still think of Liz when I hear Christmas music or Flight of the Bumblebee. - Meg

Elizabeth Vargas was and still is the biggest impact I've had in my entire life as far as music…read moregoes as far as education goes she puts her heart and soul into everything she does is by far the best teacher that I have ever had I'm 41 years old now and I was blessed to have Elizabeth Vargas teach me I was a real band nerd I enrolled in symphonic band jazz band and some real life lessons as well. my life would not be the same without this woman she is a blessing to all she encounters. I have her to thank for my current Musical expertise I currently play the trumpet I play the six string guitar I play the bass guitar I play percussion I record music professionally. And none of this could have been done had enough spend 6 7th and 8th grade under the instruction of the one and only Elizabeth Vargas thank you so much I can't say enough good things about this one! -Brother Ray-

Nate is amazing, My daughter has a great time with him. He has patience. She looks so forward to…read moreher lessons and I highly recommend him.