My 8-year-old daughter has been with Jasmine for about a year for piano lessons and we are very…read morehappy! Jasmine is a very pleasant and helpful teacher. Our daughter has a different style of learning and it can sometimes be frustrating teaching her something new, but Jasmine is incredibly patient with her. Lessons are taught in her home and the lesson times are convenient for us. The cost is very minimal compared to other piano lessons we looked at. I would definitely recommend Jasmine!

I've known Jasmine for many years and think she's amazing. My daughter has been learning piano with…read moreher for almost 4 years now and has learned so much. Jasmine is very patient and encouraging, not to mention extremely talented in music! I am always amazed at the wonderful talent shown by her students at each annual music recital!

For a good while I looked for a place where my daughter could take singing classes. I asked around…read moreand a musician friend of mine recommended this place, so I researched a little about Los Cenzontles and almost instantly I knew my daughter would be happy attending this place. We went in there asked about their classes, signed her up and gave it a try. After the class I ask my daughter if she liked it and she said she loved it. (That's all I needed to hear). Even when the academy is a little far for us living in Vallejo, I don't really mind the 15-20 minutes drive. My daughter is happy, the price is pretty affordable and it seems like the people working there really enjoy what they do, so what else could I ask for. Would I recommend this place!!??? YES I totally would!!

Great small venue for some awesome cultural music and dance. Supporting our youth in the community…read morewith safe, sound spaces too!

Crystal is my 7 year old's voice and piano teacher. She's an amazing talent and that in itself is…read moreinspiring to my daughter. But she's also a fabulous teacher. My daughter is learning so much technique and gaining confidence to perform in her school taken shows and drama performances.

From the owner: Crystal specializes in high-quality voice piano lessons for both children and adults. She also…read moreoffers movement for singers who aspire to make a good impression at auditions! ​ As an operatic mezzo-soprano, Crystal understands how to use the breath to best bring the art of music to life. She believes that breath is the basis of all musical phrasing, regardless of instrument. ​ Crystal has studied how the brain learns and retains information, and she incorporates "brain science techniques" into her teaching, leading to a better understanding and retention of learning. During lessons, students may learn basic technique, exercises, ear and rhythm training, and a wide variety of repertoire. She has prepared students for auditions, roles, performances and ABRSM exams for both voice and piano. Students may take half hour, 45-minute, or 1 hour lessons. Lesson curriculum and length are based on the age and needs of the student. ​ 30 Minutes - $45 45 Minutes - $68 60 Minutes - $90 ​ {Sliding scale available for family's in need.} ​ Lessons are taught at one of Crystal's two studio's at 1616 Lexington Ave, El Cerrito or and at 714 Golden Gate Ave, Point Richmond. Lessons are open to ages 6 - adult. To inquire about taking lessons and availability, call 504.810.3760. {Please be advised that all students are subject to a strict 24 hr cancellation policy. No exceptions.}

Got my guitar restrung here. The service was excellent and fast. They have a wide range of guitars,…read moreincluding less expensive ones. I appreciated that considering where we live.

Best acoustic guitar selection in San Francisco. Nice guys…read moretoo. Stop in and spend some time trying out a bunch of beautiful guitars. Then buy one and take it home. Be happy.

Zan is an amazingly dedicated and passionate saxophone teacher. My son (who is a high-schooler)…read moreplays the tenor sax and I was looking for someone who had a passion for teaching the fundamentals vs. simply window-dressing to prep for a performance. My son benefited greatly and I highly recommend Zan for serious music students. In addition, Zan is very flexible in scheduling lessons and his fees are highly reasonable too.

From the owner: Hi. I'm Zan Stewart and I specialize in jazz saxophone performance and in teaching saxophone,…read moreimprovisation, and scat singing; Jazz Performance: I perform as a saxophonist and vocalist -- and when possible, story teller -- in any setting from solo to quartet and quintet. I perform throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, and can currently be heard at the 7 Mile House in Brisbane, Mr. C's and Lizzy's Cajun Cafe in Albany, and Kaleidoscope Coffee in Point Richmond. I am pleased to state that audiences have found my music deeply engaging, and enjoyable. As I spent many years writing about jazz in publications such as The Los Angeles Times, I can also offer stories told directly my masters of the jazz realm. These stories are part of my saxophone lessons and my performances. Teaching: I enjoy teaching saxophone to all levels of students: beginner to advanced.The saxophone is a superb instrument, capable of offering an instrumental version of the human voice. I teach basic saxophone techniques, like making a good sound, to advanced techniques, like playing smoothly at a fast tempo. I also teach improvisation, mainly for saxophone, but for any instrument. Improvisation is a really terrific fun, something one can for an entire lifetime, whether by oneself or with others. I teach all styles of improv, from jazz to rock to blues, and more. I also teach scat singing, which is the process of using syllables as music notes, making phrases up with the syllables.

I've been taking drumming lessons with John for about half a year, and I'm both enjoying my lessons…read moreand getting better! This is my third time starting to learn the drums--it seems like I come back to it once a decade. This time, it feels like it's sticking, and with John's help, I'm really building confidence. I appreciate John's mix of classical training and playfulness. Some lessons, we focus on technique more; others on more on letting loose and making noise. I always learn something. We meet in person weekly at his home, and he has two drum kits and a whole musical studio in order to accompany me. Also, importantly, I like John as a human being, and he's really easy to stumble with--very encouraging and positive. Musically, he is a studio musician and a member of several bands, and his skill blows my mind. I can tell when he is assessing me that he is picking up on the exact right things to refine my playing. I'm really grateful I found him!

Having never played drums prior, John has given me a great foundation…read more Within a couple of weeks I've learned good technic practices, from how to sit and hit the drums properly, to learning how to count and read notes. Each class is varied to what you want work on. John is super talented and well versed in explaining things in a way that makes sense for newbies like me. I liked that we would jam out together, which was not only fun, but helpful for me. He is also tech savvy, which makes it great for when you are practicing alone. By recording parts of sessions when needed, and using and blog to help keep you focused and on track. You rule John :) Many thanks!

From my 12yo daughter: I have been a student with Susie for about 2 years now. She is an incredible…read moreteacher, who lets you choose whichever song you like. She is gentle but strict, and assigns very little homework which she doesn't take too seriously. Her teaching methods are kind and patient, and she's done wonders for me. I highly recommend taking lessons with her, she'll take you very far. From me: Susie has been a really excellent choice for a kid who leans toward pop music. She does a great job of making sure that my daughter does her theory homework (without being a taskmaster about it) and learns to sight read, which is great, because my kid inherited my ear and could easily skate through just memorizing what she hears and not be able to sight read later in life. I wish that Susie had been my teacher - I'd probably be able to read sheet music! LOL We've seen a lot of progress with both piano proficiency and my daughter being able to sing and play at the same time, which is fun to watch and listen to. Overall, highly recommend. As a bonus, my kid gets to truthfully tell her friends that she has a rock 'n roll piano teacher who played keyboards for Billy Idol and Mick Jagger. Sweeeeet.

Susie is a wonderful piano teacher. My 10.5 year old started with her about 1.5 years ago and she…read moremade incredible strides and really quickly. What's more Susie has helped nurture her love of music. We have done both in person and Zoom classes and both have been great. Susie is a caring, loving, dedicated teacher.

I signed up for Ilana with duet musician services for my SF City Hall (1Hr) Wedding and It was…read moreAmazing!! Through the entire process she was very responsive, and I was able to make payment easily thru her suggested methods - we also used Google docs for the agreement. For my wedding she worked with Lewis P a cellist as I really wanted to hear both instruments. Btw, She is on the approved musician list for SF City Hall- so if you are in need of a violinist for the SF City Hall, she's the one! Her website includes a variety of of songs from R&B, classics, oldies and pop. We had two custom songs done for an added fee in addition to the hour service. We got many compliments and we were happy with our modern selections being changed into such wonderful instrumental violin and cello sounds that our guests were able to recognize in amazement. We were so happy with her professionalism and both their talents. Fabulous- and I would totally sign up again!

We hired Ilana to put together a string quartet to play at our wedding ceremony and she was…read moreawesome!! Ilana was very clear in her communications with us and was super accommodating as far as the timeline/schedule for our big day and all our song requests. We picked about 15 songs specifically for before and after the ceremony and they used that list as a jumping off point to fill in the rest of the setlist (it was basically 80's and 90's pop music and Disney songs!). We also requested a couple songs that weren't in their repertoire and for a very small fee they were able to get the music and add it to the playlist. Many of our guests told the quartet and us how much they loved the music!!

We were referred to Lark in the morning by another music shop. We had an old autoharp we needed…read moretuned and possibly repaired. Thorn the manager put us in touch with Steve. We brought the autoharp and a guitar in for repair. Steve examined both carefully. He explained what he discovered and what work he would do. He was friendly and very informative. We left the autoharp and guitar with him to repair. The price he quoted us seemed reasonable and fair.

I called to get some information about a drum skin for a homemade drum. I got great advice that…read moresolved the problem!

We purchased our very first piano from here at the beginning of the pandemic. We figured that…read moresince we'd be staying home more often, why not purchase a real piano!? We made an appointment to come in and Ulysses helped us out. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and helped us through the process. He didn't rush us or pressure us to buy a piano, and he was patient in answering all our questions. We went home that same day to think about which piano we wanted to get and returned a week later to purchase a Yamaha upright piano. Overall, it was a great experience and we now have a beautiful piano!

Update: Gary responded to this review... and then deleted his response a day later…read more After reading it, I actually understand and respect the appointment-only business model. If customers want a private showroom experience, that's completely reasonable. Plenty of luxury businesses operate that way. The problem was never the appointment policy. The problem was how a potential customer was treated. I live next door and have been curious about this store for a long time. I finally saw you at the business and thought I'd ask about purchasing a piano. Instead of a simple, "We're appointment-only, but here's my card--I'd be happy to schedule you," I was dismissed while you waited for your DoorDash order. As someone who works in marketing and customer experience, this felt like a textbook example of turning a warm lead into a lost customer. Your original response then spent paragraphs explaining why I shouldn't have expected service, but not one sentence expressing regret that a genuinely interested buyer walked away with a bad experience. That said, I'm adjusting this to a 2-star rating because I did see some effort to acknowledge my post, even if it ultimately fell short. Businesses don't earn loyal customers by proving they're technically correct. They earn them by making people feel welcome. A 30-second conversation could have turned me into a customer. Instead, it turned me into someone who will be buying a piano elsewhere. If you already have an appointment, I'm sure the experience may be perfectly fine. But if you're hoping to stop in, ask a question, or get a feel for the place before committing, don't expect much hospitality. That's ultimately why I'm leaving this review--not because the business is appointment-only, but because customer service begins long before the appointment ever does.