Set reasonable goals for your progress in the beginning, focus when you practice, do the work, have…read morefun with it all and be so incredibly thankful you've found Garrett to train with. He will be your secret weapon to getting good fast. Can't recommend him enough.

2016 update....my daughter is now turning 18 and heading off to college in the fall of 2016 - to…read morethe world-renowned Oberlin Conservatory of Music, to study cello performance. She has been invited to study with the extremely accomplished, Dr. Amir Eldan https://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/departments/strings/faculty_detail.dot?id=20717 and has been awarded the Conservatory Dean Scholarship. None of this would have been possible without the excellent teaching, coaching, support and encouragement from Maggie Edmondson. The opportunities that Maggie has provided my daughter, from regular performance classes, participation in master classes, and summer programs have made her the musician that she is today. I see other students who take a weekly lesson with a teacher, don't perform a whole lot, aren't really inspired to practice and subsequently don't thrive or grow in their art and eventually give up out of frustration. We feel incredibly honored to have spent the last 7 years under Maggie's direction and tutelage. If you are looking for a wonderful studio where you can reach your full potential as a musician, Maggie's studio is where you want to be.

Maggie is can work with and relate to students at every level and maintains musical integrity of…read morethe highest order. She's been a blessing to my music program!

Jack is an awesome teacher. I am not very musically inclined and might even be a little on the…read morechallenging side when it comes to music but Jack is so patient with me coming down to my level and helping me at my pace. I've been taking lessons for 6 months now :) Thanks for Jack, I am able to do some real drumming. I am so happy with that. I actually have a beat!!

When I decided to begin drum lessons I found Jack Lees through a neighborhood friend who told me…read morehow good he was, and I started working with him. He supplied a terrific space and a full drum kit to augment my drum pad, and we went to work. His teaching was excellent from lesson one when I realized right away that I could play at whatever level I put into it. His teaching is intellectually, technically and emotionally very strong and developed. He moves at a pace that allowed me to be introduced to an aspect of playing that builds on what has come before. As we began, he discussed principles of playing and keeping time that I never knew about, and that allowed me to start with a total understanding of the elements of playing this complicated instrument and of using and practicing the notes and series of notes. Every lesson we would practice rhythms of varying kinds for my level of playing and he would patiently get me to get it right before we moved on. At the end of every session he'd put me on the full drum set and help me play some combinations and I felt like I would be able to play, eventually, as I imagined. There are keys to this instrument that he told me right away and I'll never forget them, and I could apply them immediately at my beginning level. Jack is calm and patient and thorough in his fusion of theory and playing. I couldn't have been happier and ready to take this pursuit on, thanks to him teaching me so well. The only reason I'm not pursuing playing is I got carpel tunnel in my hand and had surgery. Unfortunately my hand has not healed well so use of it is not good. But if this situation changes I'll be knocking on his rehearsal room door to get back to my lessons asap. Thanks Jack.

I can't believe I am going to actually come here I'm so stoked I am backed up on reviews due to my…read moremove but I just can't wait you guys are so amazing hands down no words to describe -

Markus is the best! I can highly recommend his guitar lessons at Carpe Diem Music Center. I was a…read morecomplete beginner but even the first lesson with Markus was so much fun. I realized very fast that he has tremendous experience in teaching guitar. I've taken many lessons now and I can definitely say that he brings out the best of his students!!! If you're still looking for a great and fun guitar teacher, Markus is the one to go to!

My husband and I enrolled our son right before he turned 3 and the year went by so fast!!! He's now…read more4 and knows more music than me! This place is amazing!! Our son had his first recital last winter and it was the best!!! Staff is friendly and helpful and not mention huge kudos to our music teacher Reese! She has been beyond wonderful. We can see the growth in our son from when he started to now and that's thanks to Reese. She's patient and plans her lessons accordingly. For example, she knows my son starts to lose interest band changes it up to make it fun and engaging for him. It's so nice to see how much my son enjoys music. There's street meter parking. Farmers market on Wednesdays and Sundays so plan to arrive early on those days.

This is for the La Canada location. My son had a positive experience with guitar teacher Austin…read morelearning the ukelele, which is why we are offering two stars and not one. Unfortunately, I am having the same frustrating experience as Ely M. with their cancellation policy. This is a business that intentionally makes it very difficult to cancel and the process is such that it's entirely within their control. Per the policy on the website, it says to inform the front desk of cancellation at least 15 days in advance. I did that and was told nothing further was needed. The next month, I was still charged and when I disputed it, the school said they have no record of it. But whether the front desk documents the cancellation is out of the customer's control. If their policy is for us to tell the front desk and the front desk takes no further action, you're stuck. When cancelling, make sure to send an email to document even though their policy does not require it. And note that the policies shown on the website is not exactly the same as ones you sign, so that's also confusing. When I pointed that out to the manager, she said "she doesn't really look at the website," which ignores the fact that customers do and if they do not expect customers to rely on the policies on the website, why do they have them posted?

From my 12-year old…read more.. Before I began working with Val, I was never set on a straight path for piano. None of the previous teachers that I have worked with were very serious about my progress in piano. Normally, my piano playing was very in-and-out and never actually focused or aimed towards a goal. I didn't know how to play an actual piano piece that I could be proud of. However, when I began lessons with Val, starting on the first day, we began learning a song, and four weeks later, I was able to play it by heart. Val has an incredibly effective teaching method, which he used to help me greatly improve playing in such a short amount of time. He always tries to push our limits so that we feel dedicated to practicing. He acts serious when necessary, but he also likes to be entertaining in a way that somehow empowers you to want to play the piano. His dedicated yet fun teaching style really helps and he is very understanding when it comes to homework. When not all of the homework is completed, Val asks what was challenging and then helps you work on those specific parts. Additionally, he adjusts what he assigns to the homework based on the lesson and any difficulties with the previous homework. I've made a lot of progress since I began working with Val. Thanks!

This is a warning for anyone who's considering employment here or working with Valery Goldes. I…read morehighly recommend reading this to the end. Thanks. In late January, prior to my move to LA, I was hired by Val as an in-home piano instructor with a mutual understanding that although I wouldn't have a full roster of students yet, I would start out with at least one student and build. Up until late May when I reached out to Val for the final time, I had worked a total of 0 seconds for him. After three months, I had asked him multiple times for work, offered to drive far distances to accommodate any student, and he had ghosted me for a month. I couldn't believe it when he said that there were no students available for me in the entire Los Angeles area. Now, I'm fully aware that I moved here voluntarily as a working musician. But I didn't come here blindly. I had accepted Val's offer under the mutual understanding that I would at least start with one student or have work available very soon (part time into full time). Would I have taken this job if he had been transparent about the lack of any demand for teachers in LA (which I find extremely hard to believe) and that it could be a long time until I start working? NO. LA is a popular destination for working musicians and I know how important it is for us to secure work here. I know a few myself who moved or are planning to. So with this in mind, I explained to Val that if I'm not given any work soon, I have no choice but to warn others about taking a job with him, because there's a strong chance they won't get any, like me! But guess what? Instead of understanding my real need for work (you know, as someone he hired to...work), he started by insisting that I call him over a recorded line. When I refused, he fired me and said that if I tell anyone about this, he would sue me for "defamation". I never laughed so hard in my life. At least give me some work before you fire me haha. So, I proceeded to explain to him that most businesses don't threaten to sue people for leaving reviews or talking with other people because they reflect the individual experience of the reviewer. They understand that the validity of the testimony should be left to the reader's discretion. So it's very telling that he'd threaten me like that. I'm not scared one bit about his threats, and I made that loud and clear for him. Lol After this ordeal, I talked more with fellow musicians and teachers around the city. Many of them related to my experience and said to watch out for things like this in future jobs, especially to avoid an experience as nasty as this one. For anyone interested, I have all the emails and texts ready to share. Thank you.

Have been taking guitar lessons with Eber, and he really has me on the right track! I would…read moredefinitely recommend is lessons to anyway. You can tell he has a passion for playing and I can see it with how he's teaching me.

Words cannot express what a wonderful and magnificent teacher Matthew is!!!! I'm absolutely…read morethrilled he is teaching voice lessons for my 17yo daughter and piano for my 6yo daughter. He knows how to grab and hold their attention and they just love him!! He plays the piano sooooo beautifully!!!! What a musical genius!! He's a lovely person with an amazing personality!!! Such an honor to have him as a music teacher!!!