Phoenix's Voice and Drum class was fun and challenging. Over summer and into fall this year, I took…read moretwo -10 week class series, back to back, and really enjoyed them. Although it was the same class repeated, she offered enough variation and creativity to inspire a continuum of engagement and learning. Phoenix is truly talented as a musician and facilitator who knows how to create a safe space in which students are able to let down their guard and get into the flow of drum circle magic.

Amber will truly help you "Free Your Voice"! I've taken their Free Your Voice classes in various…read moreforms, both in-person twice as single-class experiences in the last two years and recently as an online, 8-week class over Zoom. Every time, Amber has brought amazing creativity to the content and a genuine ability to help participants develop both as singers and human beings. The classes are always a safe space to push one's own boundaries and learn new superpowers you didn't know you had! I would highly recommend Amber's class especially to anyone who wants to develop their voice and become more confident, but as well to anyone who wants to just explore new sides of themselves and do something very fun, cathartic and liberating.

It's been almost two years now and I'm taken aback by my progress. I'm playing pieces that seemed…read moreintimidating and out of reach, but now they're naturally flowing. I've played in front of family, friends, strangers, and peers (and even look forward to it now). By the time I presented my own compositions to Miranda, we had built up the rapport for her to give me frank criticism that a professional musician would have trouble digesting it. Without losing the essence of the piece, I went through several iterations with her that made it infinitely easier to read. Miranda goes the extra mile to immerse herself in what you're trying to accomplish. Now I have a strong foundation and am on a roll transcribing past work that's been confined to my head for years. I'm extremely grateful for the journey I've been on, and couldn't imagine a better coach and guide!

I've been learning piano from Miranda for three years as an adult student. She has truly helped me…read moreplay several of J.S. Bach's preludes and some well-known pieces from film scores. I never thought I would ever be able to play like this. Miranda is a devoted and highly skilled teacher. She pays close attention to the mistakes her students make and corrects them with patience and care. A great teacher recognizes where the student struggles, and she gently guides me, finding new ways to help me understand and creating methods that fit my ability so I can succeed with every piece. I truly appreciate and admire her as my teacher.

If you're looking for a professional, principled, and practical guitar teacher Ila is the one you…read moreshould be taking lessons from. She's as knowledgeable as they come and her genuine approach towards a fulfilling learning experience is quite a rare quality. She doesn't take short cuts in her teaching methods and you'll find yourself seriously loving the guitar under her guidance even if you start learning with a casual mindset. I enjoy every class ever since I started six months ago and adore Ila and her sincerity.

Ila is such an amazing guitar instructor! I have been going to class almost every week for the…read morelast 3 months and never did I imagine I'd be able to play a song and a half! Through her patience and attention to detail, Ila will coach you through how to play guitar and help you to understand the music theory behind it if necessary. I've never been so pleased with learning how to play and having an instructor who can stay calm and patient makes all the difference. If you choose Ila, I'm pretty certain you will be just as pleased too!

I've studied guitar with Jenelle Roccaforte and she's an excellent teacher! She was able to quickly…read moreassess my current skill level and stylistic preference and create perfectly tailored lessons for me. Her passion for teaching, the guitar, and music in general is obviously abundant. I highly recommend Roccaforte Music for guitar students of any level and style!

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 highly recommend her. We met her 3 years ago, via local recommendation, and she teaches my 2…read morekids lessons every week. She is super patient, plays beautifully, and enforces a love of music and understanding of music theory. She knew how to engage them even when they were young (started in 4th grade) and continues to keep my kids dedicated to the flute, even now that they're in middle school. She's flexible with in-person or virtual, and gave lots of valuable advice.

Caroline continues to share her enthusiasm for flute and skillful teaching with my son, who is now…read morealmost 18. More than an excellent flute teacher, Caroline has become a trusted adult in my son's life. We alternate between lessons in person and via FaceTime, which works well given the many pressures of senior year. I can't recommend her highly enough!

DO NOT WASTE TIME AND YOUR MONEY AT THIS PLACE. YOU WILL BE REGRET!…read moreI attempted to speak to their management with my concerns, but they never take any actions and follow up. Yelp is a good place here. - terrible management (extremely worse) - when the class was cancelled, no one notified me - never followed up for any concerns - their lessons didn't follow based on the lesson plan on their website, my child didn't learned much especially they only taught so little from the book material and spent most of the other time on something else - teacher showed up late many times - they never answered phone call or responded to your emails (I tried 3 times in a week for over 2 weeks, then I finally gave up) - some students were out of control and disturbed the class, but the school didn't take any actions or make any improvement - extremely disappointed because I was expected this place would have high standard with clear lesson plans and their costs were high. However, I was wrong! Disappointed! - I can guarantee you that you can find a better place elsewhere than Musically Minded Academy.

We really enjoyed this summer camp. What a cool idea! We liked that there was a nice range of…read moreages (kids from about 3-11 years old). My child was one of the youngest, so her participation was mainly around thinking about what character she wanted to be in the play while the older kids helped write out the plot and script. Everyone then worked on costumes and the set decorations. My child enjoys arts and crafts was very proud of her contributions to the props. They then rehearse which is a bit challenging for younger children - the concept of practicing and performing didn't take hold until day 4 and they had to do some re-writing to accommodate my child's ability to remember/say lines. Anna was very patient and able to meet her at her level. Everything worked out in the end and the Friday performance was adorable. It's definitely more of a casual, family-run place which is refreshing though it may not work well for children that require a lot of supervision. All in all, my child has fond memories of her experience and I know that it'll be much easier for her to participate in future performance-based events.

Jonathan is an EXTRAORDINARY voice lesson teacher. He is incredibly well-trained and a very…read morepersonable instructor. In addition, his lessons are very helpful for students of all levels. I am a beginner in singing and truly enjoy his instruction. I highly recommend Jonathan for voice lessons!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!…read more If you want to learn how to sing well, Jonathan is the way to go. Not only does he have impeccable credentials (SF opera, gigs around the world), but he is also a very good teacher. I've been taking lessons from him for almost three years now. I started as a student in Davis, and continued even after graduation. He's very nice, funny, and personable - not hoity toity like you would expect an opera teacher to be. I really appreciate his patience and encouragement. I also appreciate the biannual recitals he organizes for his students. After three years of weekly lessons, I had the chance to perform four times at UC Davis and four times at the Berkeley City Club. I can't recommend him highly enough. He is like the Burj-al-Arab Dubai hotel of voice instructors - 7/5 stars!