Montes Music Academy is worth every cent. Nick is an excellent teacher and communicator. He has a…read morewealth of knowledge and experience given his education (Musician's Institute) and thousands of hours and gigs under his belt. He will without a doubt add value to your playing and knowledge of guitar. I cannot say enough good stuff about my time studying with him, and I highly recommend scheduling lessons today!

Nick is, in a word, amazing. Whether you're a beginner, or an advanced player (as I am), he is a…read morefountain of knowledge and skill. On top of that, he's a cool dude. Whether you're looking to start your musical journey, or just get out of a rut, Nick has you covered.

What a great teacher. He is the real deal. I am so grateful for what he has taught me. I am…read morelearning very fast

Thank you Yelp for leading me to Joel!…read more I have a background in music and play guitar, bass and piano but I certainly never intended to learn banjo. That changed when I inherited a vintage 5-string long neck banjo several years ago. I picked up a beginner banjo book and was instantly hooked. I've had a number of music teachers for various instruments in the past, and I know the value of having a good teacher who can watch you play and instantly correct mistakes so they don't become bad habits, especially when first getting started or help you get past a plateau in your learning. I've been going to Joel for regular lessons since 2014 and would consider Joel to be the friendliest and most patient teacher I've had. In terms of lesson structure, Joel will adapt lessons to how and what you wish to learn. Joel first asked if I wished to learn "clawhammer" or "three finger" style. (I chose to learn both and Joel was happy to oblige.) The format of the lessons is listen, watch and repeat. At the end of the lesson Joel will send you home with tab for the song and techniques you learned to work on until next time. The next lesson will start with the last song (if you did your homework, you should be able to play it...oh yeah...accountability is another reason to have a real teacher) while Joel plays along. Joel will then teach you the next song which builds on previous skills. I practice guitar and banjo daily, but banjo gives me the most joy. The sound is so distinctive and different, it attracts far more attention, interest and praise from friends and listeners. A bonus, you will sound more proficient after far fewer lessons compared to guitar and most instruments people are more used to hearing. I would highly recommend learning banjo as a first or tenth instrument. If you're in or near SF and are thinking about learning banjo, go see Joel. Finally, I have had the opportunity to record Joel several times solo and with one of his students, Jeeyun, at my home. You can listen to the tracks on Sound Cloud at the links below. Joel Stafford with student Jeeyun Kim (5 tracks) https://soundcloud.com/mcnitt/sets/joel-stafford-banjo-vol-3 Joel Stafford solo (8 tracks) https://soundcloud.com/mcnitt/sets/joel-stafford-banjo-vol-2 Happy banjo learning and playing!

Robin is a total professional. She didn't just teach me how to sing. She first asked what I hoped…read moreto accomplish, and then set a custom learning program tailored to what I was looking for. If you're looking for a great vocal coach/instructor, your search is over. You've found her. Reasonably priced and hours that worked perfectly with my work schedule.

I started taking singing lessons with Robin about a year ago, when I joined a rock band for the…read morefirst time in my life. I have a fairly decent natural ability to sing - but I didn't know anything about singing PROPERLY until I commenced these lessons. She has taught me how to properly breathe, belt out notes, place my tone correctly, and even taught me some great yoga moves to slow down my nervous energy! Now I know how to sing the RIGHT way, and not as if I was in front of a karaoke machine. My range is better than it's ever been. I know how to warm up and cool down after a performance, and my larynx and throat are THANKING me for it. We have a therapeutic break through every lesson about my fears and hopes for singing in front of an audience. It's great. Having a natural ability to sing is great, but unless you're doing it the right way, you're hurting yourself in the end. Robin is a great instructor, very supportive, funny, and knows how to push you to try your best.

I studied clawhammer banjo with Tim for six months, when I was just starting off. Now, a year…read morelater, I play actual gigs in a string band! I first reached out to Tim when my wife was interested in starting mandolin. She had no experience with string instruments and Tim was a warm and patient teacher for her. Her experience was so good, I picked up a banjo and headed to Tim's myself! Tim is a Bay Area treasure. Growing up in West Virginia and having played throughout the states, he brings a wealth of knowledge about the history of bluegrass and oldtime music, grounding his lessons in storytelling, the oldtimey way. This helps students develop a deep appreciation for the music and turned me on to players and styles I hadn't heard and might not otherwise have come across. He helped me develop a strong foundation and technique that has carried me through to today. We spent a lot of time honing in on my right hand technique and I still remind myself of his notes when I'm playing. Get on over to Tim's!

I started from scratch on the Mandolin 2 years ago, and Tim has been great to work with. In the…read morebeginning, he gave me very clear and motivational direction on how to play specific tunes. Then, as I progressed and developed my own style, Tim was very supportive of showing me how to express my own authentic voice on the Mandolin. Really, a dream come true - I have always wanted to express myself musically, and Tim has helped me do that more than anyone ... Thanks Tim! I highly recommend him for developing your own style and technique!

Tyson is the best! Not just a great teacher but a fantastic person with a big heart. Cannot…read morerecommend him enough.

Tyson is great! An incredible teacher!!…read more I'm a beginner ukulele player who has a goal of leveraging my past experience singing with hopefully feeling confident enough to play with my uke someday. Tyson is super flexible, able to tailor every lesson to your individual needs and growth patterns. It's clear Tyson is a sensitive person who gets people and has a remarkable way of never making you feel inadequate. He's not only a great coach and teacher but makes the lesson fun! Every time I leave my ukulele lesson I feel a little bit more confidence then I arrived with, also heading home with things to work on that he's kindly written down for me to practice on and easy ways of remembering. I'm really stoked to have met Tyson and I hope you give him a try as you won't regret a single moment spent.

Let's just say that without Matthew (and God) I would not be the musician I am today…read more I first found Matthew on Yelp! when I decided at the last minute to apply as a music major to colleges. Although I played cello since middle school, it was very casual and only through the school's music programs; I even stopped playing the cello my last two years of high school. So imagine my panic and scramble to find my first private cello teacher in San Francisco with the goal of improving my playing to audition for colleges with a four month timeline. Matthew was very enthusiastic and supported my potential to get into a music school; in reflection, I think he was the most positive and encouraging person during my entire audition process. He fully supported my playing by transforming my passion for music into a technical and musical base to work with, fully showing the colleges what I would be capable of accomplishing. But that's not all. Matthew went above and beyond by helping me record the videos professionally for the audition process, even letting me borrow his cello for better sound, and even helped me edit the videos so that they would be the most presentable work to the colleges I applied to. We also went through the most realistic school choices for my current skill level and came up with some state schools in California with strong music programs (Cal Poly Slo, CSU Fullerton, CSU Long Beach) and a private school (Biola University). Throughout this whole process I did not feel discouraged by Matthew even once. In the end, I got accepted to all four colleges for cello performance and I could not have done it without Matthew's generous help. But that's not all. Once I had accepted that I would be a music major, Matthew also went above and beyond to help me pick a new cello to buy for the next few years of school. As he has gained a strong network of musicians in SF, he knew where to help me look and off we went. He even came with me to play the cellos for me so that I could hear the potential sound of each cello. We were able to get a cello in our budget and a reasonably priced cello case thanks to Matthew's personal recommendation and expertise. But that's not all. Throughout Matthew's time as my teacher, I was able to fully entrust myself as his student because of his professionalism as a music educator who leads by example. Initially, I was drawn to Matthew as he was a musician that is greatly connected to the music community in SF, including being a chamber coach for the SF Conservatory and performing at many venues and gigs. But in our lessons, I truly got to know that Matthew is a professional cellist that exudes passion for the cello from his expressive and captivating cello playing to his vast knowledge on cello repertoire and technique, including orchestral excerpts and cello pieces to learn to grow as a cellist. In addition, Matthew was always clear about lesson plans and prices so that it best protected his career as a musician but also gave the most accountability and expectations for budding cello students to follow as well. This was helpful in setting a consistent lesson schedule --- which saves the hassle for both teacher and student! Needless to say, here I am, as a cello performance major, four years later, ready to start my own career as a musician. It has come full circle and I am now coaching and teaching others music! I am forever grateful to Matthew for making my musical career possible. I never felt alone during this musical journey due to Matthew's constant encouragement and support and his love for sharing the cello with others!

When my little sister announced that she was having her wedding on the beach in Tulum, Mexico, I…read moretold her that for her wedding gift I'd learn how to play the cello and perform my favorite piece, Bach's Suite No 1 in G, at her wedding...that was coming up in 6 months...even though I've never picked up a cello in my life. As luck would have it, I met Matt that same week during once of his performances. After being amazed by how beautifully he played the cello, I quickly approached him after the show, told him about my audacious goal, how worried I was about letting my sister down and how there was probably no way that I could be performance ready in such a short amount of time. Matt was kind enough to listen to me as I ranted at a mile a minute before putting my mind at ease by assuring me that anyone can learn the cello. We began lessons immediately and I remember how patient Matt was with me even though I kept holding holding the bow like a chicken drumstick. But a couple of months later, I was learning about shifting finger positions, producing quality sound from the strings and maintaining rhythm & tempo. While Matt was great at teaching me technical skills with the cello, he also got me to dig a bit deep and taught me how to express my emotions through this instrument so that the audience can feel the music instead of just hearing the notes. This helped me to let go of thinking of the piece as a combination of quarter notes and eight notes but as a story that I wanted to tell to the audience. On the day of my sister's wedding...well...how can I say this..I totally nailed it! Sure, some parts were still a little bit sticky (I'm sure it didn't help that I was crazy nervous) but I vividly remember during the standing ovation that I felt so happy for my sister and so proud of myself for actually pulling this off. And of course, I couldn't have down it without my cello teach Matt. Thank you again Matt!!!

Gabriel is an undiscovered gem. In Covid time he has been doing remote lessons, but with almost…read moremore efficiency than in person!! His teaching skill, engaging personality and sense of humor have made him the best of my daughter's three musical teachers. With his cats and his jokes ; he's the best. He is a highly competent musician and dedicated teacher, truly Ian undiscovered gem in downtown San Francisco.

Gabriel taught my daughter and my son to not only play the cello but to have any actual…read moreappreciation for classical music. I have not found another teacher with as much patience for teaching younger children nor as much dedication to both music and teaching.

SF Rock Project is truly a gem of a music school. The level of instruction is really high and the…read moremy kids absolutely love it. They create a really fun vibe there and they seem to really understand preteens\teenagers. My daughter attended a summer camp there a few summers ago and I was amazed at the progress they made by the end of the week. After that, she started taking private lessons and also joined a few of their projects. Pre-Covid, she was performing with her band a lot and it was great experience for her. My younger son is also taking private lessons there now and attending the summer camps. Rock Project has helped him find a love of music too. One last thing about Rock Project: they have a seriously impressive list of musical alumni . . . A LOT of people in the Bay Area music scene, got their start at Rock Project. They are definitely doing something right.

When the SF branch of the original School of Rock was shuttered, The San Francisco Rock Project was…read moreput together as a nonprofit almost immediately to continue to provide an outlet for this incredibly talented group of kids... now headquartered in the same building as historic Maritime Hall, this group will eventually blow away any of the other legacy branches of the School of Rock