I've been taking lessons for about 3 months.. My teacher is Mr. Wilson , im learning to play the guitar ... Incredible teacher, plays with u .. So it actually enjoyable. ,it sounds like music . Even tho I'm a novice the class is undivided attention with Mr. WILSON. Recommend if u wanna learn Music. Please get with Mr Wilson ... Great School... read more

Mark is a fantastic guitar instructor. Not only does he teach you music that you want to learn but also opens your mind to other genres. From jazz to funk to classical, Mark demonstrates proficiency in the genre and is able to explain easily what he is playing and why it works. read more

I used to take lessons with teacher Karen and Mark, and I have to say that the teachers are very patient and the lessons make it really easy to move on and improve on your instrument. I took guitar lessons with them when I was a beginner, and I noticed a huge improvement in my playing. The workshops made it so I can apply what I learned and become more confident in my improvisation. Would highly recommend it if you are looking to kickstart learning an instrument. read more

I found Mark in 1984 after a long hiatus from the orchestra where I was a violinist. I had to start from scratch learning electric guitar, bass and finally The Chapman Stick, which I am doing my best at. Mark is kind, has patience always willing to follow my passion in learning different styles, from Rock, Blues, Funk whatever I fancy. While I was in the Bay Area I tried some other teachers(a couple quite famous musicians and I always went back to him). Since I have moved away from the area we are doing most lessons remotely, although on occasion we meet up in person. Highly recommended if you want quality lessons and customized music. I Recommend his modular course studies. You won't be disappointed. read more

Our family's experience at 5 Star School for Music has been excellent. I first began guitar lessons with Mark Wilson in 1998, and my daughter took guitar lessons with Mark as well. I've recently started drum lessons with Josh (about six months). Their instructors are fantastic, and they've developed a unique, self-paced curriculum (books and audio) that is both structured and highly engaging. For me, music has been wonderful therapy and a much-needed break from the pressure of living in Silicon Valley. Mark works exceptionally well with children (daughter was 8 years old) and with adults. Mark is very devoted to his students and his business, truly a great guy. I highly recommend 5 Star School for Music--they absolutely deserve 5 Stars for providing such a wonderful program for musicians of all ages! read more

Most people will feel a sense helplessness when it comes to music. Many people who love music, and have a wide hearing acquaintance with it suffer from a feeling of inferiority because they cannot read music and are timid about asserting their opinions in the company of musicians. Solution A good coach can save your Inspire and empower students to realize their full musical potential.. Mark can ensure cover a great distance in a short time. A good coach can save you years of struggling by sharing his experience . Marks experience to enhance your own learning. He will act as your guide to where you want to go and l'll show you how to get there at your chosen pace. Obviously, musicians are the best judges of music, but nonprofessional opinion should not be brushed aside. The layman is the consumer and patron, and what he thinks is important. Mark will help you find that with technical knowledge music loses, none of its magic, but he will be able to see through some of the hocus-poker immediately . The ability to read music is the first step, and can make you feel that what he has to say about programs and performances, entitled to the professionals respect. Solution Self paced - students progress through the program at their own pace in a relaxed environment. This builds confidence. Without getting frustrated and burnt out. Don't wait a lifetime, make the journey of a lifetime. read more

Mark taught me a wide variety of styles, techniques, and theory in my guitar lessons as young boy and teenager. Thanks to my background I have performed successfully in various bands, and became a Chapman Stick player as an adult. Now my five year old son has fun and is doing great learning percussion at the school. 5 Star school for Music provides a positive, fun, and inspiring environment great for players just beginning to advanced players. I went pretty far on my own learning the Stick and creating original music, but my music and improvisation improved greatly since I started taking Stick lessons at the school about 3 years ago. I started my musical journey 35 years now, and the 5 Star School for Music gave me the tools and inspiring ideas I use to this day. Rob read more

I have been working with Mark for a while now and he is a great teacher. He has an enormous range from basic theory (which I need) to complex arrangements. He has been great working through pieces with other players. The studio is excellent compared to most places I have been because it has mics, is large and spacious. 5 Star is awesome. read more

Good place to learn music. Mr Josh is good person. My son Dylan goes Sunday's at 11. He enjoys every time playing guitar, drums piano etc. read more

I've been going to the 5 Star School for Music for 2 years now and studying under Kevin. I can't say enough good things about my experience. Everyone is so welcoming and friendly. As a 40 something adult learning guitar after not playing since I was a teenager I was nervous if I would be able to learn an instrument. Kevin has been very patient and encouraging. Every lesson is fun and I feel I'm constantly improving. They have their own curriculum which I found so much better than the boring old book I was forced to use as a teen. Kevin also is a fantastic musician in his own right and knows how to play almost anything I can think of to ask to learn. If you're interested in learning an instrument and have fun while doing it this is the place to go. read more

Found 5 Star School on Yelp and based on the reviews, I decided to trial just one guitar lesson from Mark but I didn't plan to continue because I wanted to focus on other hobbies. Well, after the first lesson, I was hooked! Mark is a very kind soul and very patient teacher. He truly LOVES teaching and his students. He created his own curriculum. He doesn't just let you play guitar solo but he plays along with you so you get comfortable if you ever have to play in a group or band. You can also try ukelele or drums in your lesson. You do not need to stick with guitar only. Can't stay enough good things about Mark and his 5 Star School of Music. read more

What an awesome, relaxing atmosphere to learn a new instrument! I've recently picked up a ukulele and was looking for a fun way to learn to play it (knowing that online videos alone are not enough). Mark has been fantastic at working at my pace, teaching me to play with music rather than just learning the basic chords without the context. I have some musical background, and we've been able to quickly progress to more complex songs and even theory and improvisation. Mark has even figured out a way to teach me a song I wanted to learn but is out of my skill level! He's a pleasure to work with! I've also signed up my 4 year old daughter for music lessons with Karen! She's getting exposure to drums, tambourine, piano, ukulele, and all kinds of other musical instruments (there's even a bit of art at the end of the lesson). Karen is infinitely patient and clearly translates her love of music to the kids. My daughter loves her lessons, and I love that she gets great exposure to music without the pressure. Truly a 5 star experience! read more

I've taken guitar and workshop lessons with Mark Wilson and Karen for many years. My experience has been amazing! I went from a beginner guitarist to writing and singing my own songs, adding bass and percussion to my instruments and eventually playing in the live performance band at parties and festivals. There isn't a music program out there that matches 5 Star's. Mark dedicated his time to meet my individual goals and personalized his program to fit the speed I wanted to move at. He also gave me confidence to play in the workshops that created a whole new community of friends and commitment to practice. The group workshops were not only fun, but helped my growth as a musician. I can't say enough about the program! read more

I have been taking guitar lessons at 5 star Music for 2 years. Mark treated me like family from the first day I walked in the door. I have sincerely enjoyed the support and encouragement which I have received from the entire staff at "5 Star Music". Their approach to teaching is first in class which has made my experience learning to play guitar a pleasure. Thanks 5 Star Music....You guys ROCK!! read more

What Ariel yule said, Josh is a great teacher along with Mark.(and Cole I guess). But on a series note, they are all great teachers and are helpful. It's a great place to make friends and have a good time read more

I have been working with teacher Karen for voice lessons for a few months now. She is exactly what I expect from a teacher. Someone who is humble, sweet, nice, kind and serious about her work , patient also. read more

I have been taking lessons from Mark at 5 Star Music for about 7 years now. He has definitely helped me take my bass playing to the next level. Mark makes class interesting, informative and lots of fun. Great place to learn and grow. He also offers distance teaching, if you choose not to come to class in person. I am always looking forward to my class day, it has become my favorite day of the week! read more

Not exactly a great place for serious students. If you have a kid starting out, or even trying to learn basic playing skills as an adult, I would recommend. But as a decades-long guitarist, they really had little to offer me.... read more

I have been taking lessons here for a year now with Kevin and look forward to it every week. I played a bit of guitar when I was in high school and as an adult always wanted to get back into playing. I finally decided to do it and it just so happened that they were close and had an opening that worked with my schedule, so I signed up. A year later I'm more motivated that ever. Kevin is a talented local musician himself playing guitar and bass and is able to not only help me with my technique but learn new songs that I am interested in learning so the lessons are custom tailored for me. I highly recommend them. read more

My son Johnny who is 11 years old, has being learning drum with Josh for two years. Josh is a great teacher and well loved by my boy. The workshop put together a concert especially for the grandparents who visited from England in November 2016. My mother in law wrote this letter to Mark, Josh and the band as follow: Mark and your ensemble We did so enjoy the concert the splendid band put on for us. Great individual performances with wonderful back-up, we knew nearly all the tunes (and Nancy Sinatra's Dad!) and appreciated the Frogman and his frog... Thank you all very much for an unforgettable concert, Johnny is so lucky to learn music and play with others. He too did well so grand parents could swell with pride. Josh is obviously a good teacher! With best wishes to you all and may you continue to enjoy your music Elizabeth and John read more

This is the best music school ever!! Mark is a teacher extraordinaire. Karen is awesome!! Whether you want to take lessons in guitar, drums, keyboard, or singing, this is the place to be in the Bay Area. Teaching styles are very unique and comfortable. Workshops are super where you feel part of a band and jam with your peers with no pressure regardless of your level. If you are anywhere in the Bay Area, you can't go wrong with this place. Here are a few examples of the workshops: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEs2lG9XNsM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ade_1GT2pPA read more

I took lessons from Mark back in 2002 for a couple of years. Really good stuff. He knows his stuff, is really patient and makes learning guitar a fun environment. I moved away from the bay area in 2005. I tried other teachers and on-line courses. Nothing really matched up with what I had with Mark. Luckily this year he started offering lessons on Skype. Now I can take lessons and not be in the bay. I high recommend Mark as a guitar teacher for those who are getting started or have played for a long time. read more

Karen has been super patient with me! I'm a very novice singer and she was able to help me get much more comfortable with my voice(Super shy about singing in head voice aka falsetto) She also teaches you many exercises that allows you to become a better singer! read more

It has been a great experience so far taking lessons with Mark. He has a great curriculum and approach for a guy like me who plays rhythm electric and acoustic guitar worship every Sunday. I had developed some skills that helped me a lot for my Sunday worship. I have learned a lot from him from finger picking, reading notes, to reach our goal of playing solos (scales). He is patient and very encouraging. He enhanced my skills to the next level. Going on for a few months now and have increased my time. A great teacher indeed! read more

5 star school of music is ...well the name says it all... indeed a 5 star establishment. My 9 year old daughter learns vocals and guitar from the awesome Karen and gets to practice in a band setting. She gets a lot of encouragement and that feeds into her confidence. Even though we are planning to move farther from school, I wouldn't think of changing the school. She is excited to go to her classes, and practices so much at home that we need to remind her to be kind to neighbors :-) . I have noticed tremendous improvement in little over 3 months. read more

I started taking lessons from Karen about 5 months ago. I'm so happy with my lessons and have gotten way more than I ever imagined lessons would give me. Karen makes learning fun and interesting. Since I've started my family can't believe the immediate improvement in my playing. read more

Music is very therapeutic for me. I looked around at a few places to take guitar lessons. They all seemed the same. Very cookie cutter and generic. But one day, I was passing by 5 Star School for Music and thought to stop in. I talked with teacher Mark. He explained everything about the school. I liked what I saw at the business. The school has a lot of personality. I liked the studios where the students learn. I also liked the teaching system. Within five minutes I thought, I love this guy! I'm still taking lessons at the school after 7 years. And I also take part in the workshops the school has. They have really helped me grow as a musician. One last thing! Teacher Mark even helped me to write my own love song. I will be performing it at my upcoming wedding. I'm going to be so proud to see the look on my fiancé's face. 5 Star is even going to record the song for me. I highly recommend 5 Star School for Music to everybody looking for a great music school. read more

A review for 5 star music has been long overdue from me. I've been taking lessons from Mark and Karen and attending their fantastic workshops for 5+ years now. They are the nicest of people, make you feel completely at home and really understand their students' needs and let them learn at their own pace. Having never played an instrument before, I was really looking forward to learn to play the guitar when I first walked into their studio and I honestly never thought I would be able to get this far. Their workshops are a great way to speed up the leaning curve, not to mention a very motivating and a fun way to learn. I also got to meet a lot of amazing people along the way. So thanks for everything guys and keep up the good work! read more

I had always wanted to learn to play the guitar, but had done nothing about it beyond buying the usual starter electric guitar and amp. One fine day some 2+ years ago, when I had heard enough about how difficult it was for 40+ year-olds to learn to play a new instrument, I walked into Mark's studio. He gets it like few people do - the learning process needs to be broken down into easily digestible portions, mixed in with equal parts of patience, encouragement, challenge, team support -- and holistic skill- building. I am thrilled with the progress I've made, as a guitar player as well as in understanding of music (rock, blues, you name it). Mark and his team are outstanding in their ability to understand where you are as a student, and work with you to get to where you want to go -- and beyond. Workshops are fun as well, and let you grow your skill base by playing with others. Give 5 Star School a try! read more

Mark and Karen are some of the best music teachers you'll ever find. They are patient and fun to learn from. They adapt to a person's pace to make the process non-intimidating. Many of their students have been taking lessons with them for many years. I've been taking voice and guitar lessons since April of this year. I look forward to my one-on-one guitar class with Karen, and to our fun workshops where I get to play and sing all types of music together with other students who have already become quite proficient at playing guitar, bass, and/or percussion. They offer a great environment for students of all ages. read more

Hello five star music school is all-around a great experience the reason being is because about a year ago I started playing the drums I was first gladly instruments that my teacher was very persistent and help me gain my now known knowledge that has helped me gain a position in jazz in high school I also practiced guitar and the teacher that was assigned to me was more than giving in his knowledge about the instrument of these instructors are highly trained in most instruments that you can find in a band as you can tell by my reading I highly recommend you go to the school if you're a beginner and or if you've been playing for years it definitely lives up to its name. read more

My three sons and I have taken guitar, bass and drum lessons from Mark for the past 4 years and have been completely satisfied with our progress and excellent level of instruction. Mark's approach encourages musicians to play as part of a group and he facilitates that by providing workshop opportunities where many students at the same level get together to basically jam on common songs they've been working on. This is guitar hero on steroids b/c you get to get to hear yourself playing along w/ other players and really making music. I would strongly encourage anyone who's interested in learning to play guitar to get some lessons from Mark and experience his unique, fun and results oriented instruction - you be glad you did it!! read more

My son has been taking guitar, bass and drum lessons from Mark for the past few years. He has also participated in the workshops with other beginner musicians. Thanks to these lessons and workshops my son has made great strides in his musical ability but more importantly, Mark has helped to build his self confidence by helping him to believe he can become a great musician. He has always encouraged him to learn at his own pace without pressure. Mark has created and fun and supportive atmosphere at 5 Star School for Music. I would highly recommend him! read more

I heard about this school from friends and associates and I must say I am glad I did. I wanted to introduce my 3 year old grandson to the arts and music - I feel in today's world, it is so important. I feel music as a form of exploration is important and I want it to be a part of grandson's life. I brought my grandson to 5 Star school of Music and we were introduced to teacher Karen. She was very gentle and patient. My grandson felt very comfortable with her immediately (which is not always the case with him). Teacher Karen let him explore the studio and try the different instruments to see what he felt most comfortable and interested with. He tried the guitar, drums, keyboard, handheld percussion instruments and singing. He loved trying everything - we are still trying to figure out what he likes best. i can see from his expressions he is already enjoying and appreciating music. I think this is a good school for introducing your children to the appreciation of music. read more

I have been taking guitar lessons from 5 Star School for Music for three years. The atmosphere is very friendly and the lesson quality is superb. The school teaches multiple styles. I have been introduced to classical, flamenco, rock and blues techniques as well as extensive music theory. The program is very comprehensive. Besides the quality teaching, the school provides a very friendly and fun environment. I highly recommend 5 Star School for Music. read more

Mark Wilson is far more than a guitar teacher. He has become a mentor and friend. My now 16-year-old son has been studying with Mark for almost three years now. While he had played some flute in elementary school, he had limited background coming in. Due to Mark's ability to draw students in by selecting music the students are interested in, and not subjecting them to endless repetitive chords, students thrive. Mark keeps it fun so students practice naturally and he pairs them up with other students in workshops, who learn from each other as they play together. Any good teacher of music can get students to learn to play guitar. But Mark is interested in more than whether students strum the right note. Mark sees his students as individuals and his lessons are therapeutic as well as instructional. In his kind and calm manner, he connects in a way that many adults do not take time to do, and develops a rapport with each student. He builds on their interests and their confidence, and he is very patient. (I know because I filled in for a few of my son's lessons). Students feel safe to open up, and they prosper and grow in Mark's studio. Not all of us are destined to become the next Eddie Van Halen but Mark provides a valuable outlet to slow down, soak in the music, discover one's hidden gifts and experience the joy of music. His passion is contagious. I am grateful for all that Mark has taught my son both on the guitar and around the studio. I appreciate how Mark provides a positive outlet for both kids and adults, and for his personal, intuitive instruction. read more