I have been taking piano lessons with Laura Ponti at Albany Music School for the last 2-3months…read more Lessons are offered to both kids and adults from beginner to intermediate skill levels. If you are looking to take piano lessons, I highly recommend Laura. She is kind, patient, passionate and dedicated to teaching you how to play the piano the right way. This is a nice music school. It's not too big or too small. They have 5 rooms for lessons and they offer a variety of lessons with musical instruments including the piano, violin, drum, voice, and guitar. Both Lina (owner) and Judy (receptionist) run the school quite well and they are organized and professional. The only problem is that this studio doesnt have adequate insulation, which feels even hotter than it is (especially during the heat wave we are going through). I hope the building managers take this seriously and get the problem fixed soon. I recommend dressing light and drinking lots of water to stay hydrated. I highly recommend Albany Music School. Great piano teacher and staff.

YAY!!!!!!!!!!! I finally did it!!!! I finally started…read moreplaying the piano...and you know what...I LOVE IT!!!!!! I've passed this place several times since it's in my neighborhood and I kept saying I have to call, I have to call. Finally I did :) The place is located in an upstairs studio. Very nice place and well lite. There are 3 piano rooms and a nice waiting area :) I take private lessons w/Lina who is such a cutie pie. Since this is my first time taking lessons she is soooooo helpful and very pleasant. She goes over everything with you and reassures you :) I love her!!!!! The monthly fee to attend the school is $240. That includes the private lessons, the materials and they opportunity to come in any time and practice and listen to others. They also have other lessons available. I know for sure when I go, there's this little boy who plays the violin. He's really good too :)

I have been taking piano lessons with Ernie for a few years now and I'd highly recommend him as a…read moreteacher, especially if you are beginning to learn an instrument in adulthood as I have. He's very knowledgable, insightful, and most importantly, a very supportive and friendly instructor. He's also full of stories from a life lived in music and has a helpful anecdote for every occasion. Ernie is always reliable and punctual about lesson dates and times but always understanding if I need to reschedule, given the proper notice in accordance with his posted policies. I look forward to continuing my lessons with Ernie and I'm grateful for his instruction.

I have known Ernie for about 5 years. His passion is music and he is very talented! When I hear…read moreErnie play, I get goose bumps. He knows how to hit the notes that create emotion. I like his music a lot. Ernie shares his talent with people of all ages. He teaches piano, guitar, flute and clarinet. He also helps people learn composition and arranging. It is never to late to learn a musical instrument! And with Ernie as a teacher, you will have a lot of fun too!

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.

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.

My daughter has had a wonderful experience at the Golden Key piano school. The teachers are highly…read moreadaptive and well-versed in teaching methods. Their rigorous hiring process ensures that only the most suitable candidates are hired. While their emphasis is on the Russian method, they are able to tailor their teaching to individual students' needs. Not only are their abilities versatile, but their personalities as well. I find that incredibly valuable considering each individual students' personalities may coordinate better with a given teacher based on their similarities or differences. Thus, they are truly able to accommodate students' individual characters. They provide ample assistance in certification preparation, work outside of the classroom, and music choices. They constantly encourage students to do their homework to ensure its completion and therefore the students' improvement. Their philosophy is that "[they are] being paid to teach. Thus, you practice on your own time." Katrin, the owner and my daughters' teacher, is truly wonderful. She is both patient and firm when necessary. She encourages students to focus in unique ways that promote creativity. She has helped my daughter work with many methods through mastering different songs. The institution itself has one individual and one duet performance a year, as well as one top ten performance. Also, they sometimes host an animal-based recital where the song performed has to be related to animals. The children wear animal costumes. There are other recitals, as well. Therefore, there is diversity within the themes of these recitals. I am grateful to the school and the community of peers and families I have met through Katrin and the Golden Key piano school, and I am especially thankful for all of the knowledge and experience my daughter has gained throughout her time with this remarkable institution.

I have an autistic son. My mom called and asked if they would take him as a student, they said yes,…read moreto do a trial lesson and if he passed they would take him. I took him and he "passed" his trial lesson. The next time we went over, my four year old wanted to sit on the instructor's lap. She refused several times, which confused him because at home I let him practice while sitting on my lap. Finally she allowed him to sit on her lap for maybe 3-4 minutes and then told him he had to sit on the bench. Later, my son wanted to copy something we did at home, wrote the names of the keys on the keyboard with an expo marker (those wipe off easily with alcohol). The teacher said absolutely not, took the expo marker from him. So my son started crying. While he was crying, the teacher was lecturing me on keeping the piano clean and neat, and to focus on just two keys. She wanted to show him fat cat, but he was so upset he just kept crying. At one point he said he wanted to play the birthday song, the teacher's response, "It's not your birthday." There were zero accommodations or open mindedness when it came to my son. Then she was lecturing me about how I overwhelmed him by introducing all the keys. He's autistic. Lectures don t go well. Finally, it was time to leave. She wrote the fat cat song down and was talking to him while he was crying so he cried louder. When we left the individual room, the owner was outside the door and told us that my four year old son's crying was bothering the other students. She said this in front of my son, he understands. And she said that if he cried again next time, he would no longer be allowed to take classes there. I told her we don't want to bother anyone, we will never stay somewhere we are not welcome. And that based on what she said we didn't need to come back a third time and deal with the rigid instructor we were assigned. 1 thing: I was under the impression the individual rooms were soundproof, I guess they're not. 2nd: four year olds cry. He's not a robot. 3rd: getting irritated and threatening to kick us of the school while giving me negative feedback on my son should not have been done in his presence. If you come to this school expect to be treated with coldness and harshness. Unless you're perfect. Definitely not a place for neurodivergent kids. Expensive as heck. The very same day a found a wonderful piano instructor who will work with neurodivergent kids. We met him today and he made us feel welcomed and valued as human beings. The complete opposite of how we were treated at golden key piano school. I asked for a receipt, I got an unofficial email that I was forced to accept. Heartless. Lacks humanity, basic decency and kindness toward a child with special needs that they accepted only to humiliate him on our way out. I hope this school goes bankrupt for hurting me and my child the way they did. Not one ounce of tactfulness or kindness. I wish I had never set foot in their "perfect" school that only accepts "perfect" people. You can shove your school up your nose. One day my son will be a great pianist, in spite of his disability. And I hope you see him in concert you judgemental, rigid jerks. Please don't support this school. And to the teachers grow the hell up. You're dealing with humans not robots.

Its funny reading the other reviews because when you hire Harry to play at your wedding the bride…read morenever meets him in person hahaha. I hired Harry for my wedding last October to play during cocktail hour for my guests. I heard from numerous people how they loved him and how professional and talented he was. He was very fast at responding to my questions and emails and he was a good price. Thank you Harry for making my wedding that much more classy and special.

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.

I worked with Rebecca for a little over a year before I sadly had to move…read more As an adult learner, I was a little worried about finding a teacher that would work well with me. I'm so glad I found Rebecca! Having now worked with a few teachers, I can confidently say that I struck gold. Rebecca breaks down difficult passages and works with your hands to find the right fingerings and arm movements. As an expert in the Taubman approach, she is masterful at being mindful of your body movements. This was a whole dimension of piano I had previously unexplored and led directly to improvements in my playing. She also has a great ear and is able to give specific, actionable feedback on different ways to play passages or be more expressive. And lastly, she is a joy to be around and hear play. She hosts recitals and workshops so that you can play in front of a set of peers of fellow learners. As someone with stage anxiety, I was so grateful to be able to have that safe space to play and get feedback. My only regret is moving! If I ever move back to the bay area, I'll be right back in her studio. Thank you Rebecca!

I've been a long time student of Rebecca's and highly recommend her for anyone who wants to learn…read morepiano. She is very skilled at assessing and correcting technical difficulties and is equally talented in teaching expressive technique. In addition she fosters a warm and supportive community by hosting regular workshops where her students meet to perform for one another.

In the highest of compliments, I love and am proud of the way the kids have interacted with…read moreCynthia. She has done a wonderful job with not only teaching music and playing the piano but also how to interact with a mentor with respect and an open mind; almost seems like a Jedi mind trick from a my perspective! My kids have been taking lessons from Cynthia for a few years. It wasn't always easy but they have turned the corner and although they won't admit it, they look forward to the lessons as their hard work has earned positive feedback. They have NEVER stuck to anything more than a year, HUGE victory and a testament to taking the long view and building a trusting relationship through respect! Thank you Cynthia! Highly recommended!

My daughter has been in lessons with Cynthia for about three years. It is obvious, from hearing…read moreher more long-standing and accomplished students, that she has the experience and knowledge to prepare her students for a serious future in music. For us though, it it more about building competency and appreciation. My daughter enjoys the lessons (more than she likes practicing, according to her) and it has definitely helped develop both her ear, and her enthusiasm. From my perspective though, the main benefit it gives is for my daughter to learn to accept criticism and high expectations. Cynthia will hold your child (or you) to what is on the page. All of it: the notes, the rhythm, the tempo, the dynamics, the articulation...(plus some other stuff that I don't even know the name for), all at the same time...So it's a great opportunity for my kid to learn focus and multi-tasking. It can be a bit harrowing at times, as the all-of-it-right-all-at-the-same-time is not the approach taken in school, (or at home) but honestly, I'm grateful that my daughter can experience this, as discipline/hard work/humility/practice /all those cliches are obviously going to be required for whatever she chooses to pursue. Cynthia is strict, but also rejoices when the student does finally find success. She knows the student is capable of more than they themselves, or the parents might initially believe. My daughter definitely gets frustrated during practice at home, but she keeps working on it, and eventually gets the satisfaction of learning and getting it right. Also, the songs in the books get good pretty quickly! They are a good mix of pretty, fun, energetic without much dreck...super helpful when you hear it many times over.

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!