My two daughters have been taking the Young Musician Group Piano classes for the last two years…read more They both completed Level 1 and now are in Level 2 and Level 3. When they started they were six and seven years old. They love this piano class. Their instructor, Mr. Cobbins, is a lot of fun but also has a great attitude for teaching. He makes the class enjoyable and instructive. There are times when we have to miss the class due to scheduling conflicts, and my girls gets very sad and disappointed when they do- now, that's a great sign of how much they love this piano class! At the end of each semester, each student gets to perform their own piano recital in front of all the other students and parents. My girls loved dressing up and playing their favorite songs. My eldest daughter also attended the Academy of Fine Arts summer program, more specifically the sing dance and act sessions. I can't tell you how much she loved this program. She met new friends and had such a great time. At the end of the program, they perform a show with a combination of all three - singing, dancing and acting. I already signed her up for this summer's session!

Our experience with the institution is varied. They have some incredible teachers who are really…read moreengaged and others that are not. We had Sekulic who was not engaged, on her phone in a virtual setting for Piano. Fortunately, we found another piano teacher who is really engaged and devoted to the arts outside of the academy. There are other nuances with the academy directly related to lack of communication that also contributed to this review.

Awsome. Great. So glad we found this place…read more This is an excellent place for young musicians to connect with other musicians and to work in Band like settings and perform. Forrest at the Silver Spring location is really great and he extract the most out of the kids in a really positive environment. My son has been to many music schools and lessons over the years and this really is an outstanding program. The best part is it really has many kids who are really musically inclined, talented and willing to work in a group setting. The performances are very impressive and fun to watch. I can not say enough good things about it. The price is very reasonable and they don't pressure you to subscribe to packages or long term contracts - if you pull out you don't pay any more. They focus on who wants to be there. Give it a try - much better than similar programs in Bethesda.

I just ended my employment here after 5 months. I was only afford a couple hours on Sundays for…read morework with the promise that I would be able to pick up more students and days quickly. I was given $15 an hour while working less than 4 hours a week. The lessons aren't even an hour long so i was hardly even being paid to provide expert professional lessons to young children. Essentially I was an underpaid babysitter. On top of being unable to provide employment, my one day that i worked ranged from 3-4 hours a day where i was teaching drums and guitar back to back. I was not given any space of time to switch gears as well as i had to change rooms between each lesson. This was made more difficult by a manager who would pester me about getting out of one lesson to go to the next, presumably because if i went over on the lessons i would then go over on my work time and therefore have to be paid for more than just the minutes where i was in lessons. My last day of employment, I had called in an hour before i was to be there, as I was sick, I had been seeking a day off so as to recover and not come in with an unknown illness that might be contagious. I contacted the manager who proceeded to berate me about her personal issues and was told that because other teachers had called out on other days this week she was unwilling to contact my students and cancel my lessons. I was also told to consume whatever quantity of cough syrup i needed and chase that with vitamin C. I showed up for these lessons, first student didn't even show up. I spent the next two days trying to work out in my head what had happened so that i could contact the manager to follow up without carrying my personal baggage to the conversation. The manager tried to make contact to "discuss School of Rock's staffing policy". I received this message the day after my lessons which i taught while carrying a sickness. As I had missed the managers call, this was the first point of contact she made with me following what had happened, which set me off and so i took an extra day to clear my head, fearing the harassment from my employer of being unwilling to understand or care for my needs as an employee. There was one or two more attempts made at contacting me before what happened next. After three days i received, an email to my inbox stating that my employment had been terminated. I work another job that provides me with just short of full time employment, yet left me availability to work at School of Rock on any day of the week. I had never called out sick prior to this situation. and had been forced to miss/move lessons to cover other people's call outs, mostly made the day of the class or lesson that needed covering. I feel very strongly that I was treated with disdain and profiled as an irresponsible person and made to feel outcast by this organization because of my status as a musician. To the point where i feel that supporting musicians means not enrolling in School of Rock. To my students: I am very sorry that I could not say bye or finish lessons that I had started with you. That is unacceptable.

Lisa has been teaching my daughter violin for a year. She is good with younger children (mine is…read morenow seven); for example teaching how to hold the bow by making a doggie head. She will remind her to keep the doggie's mouth closed when bowing. We also like that our daughter has been learning to read music/music theory and that all students play in a recital at the end of the semester.

Lisa has been our 8-yr old daughter's violin teacher for a little over a year and we are really…read morehappy to have found her. She is very patient and meticulous when it comes to form. Lisa is very good with kids and our daughter loves taking lessons with her. Lisa is also a great communicator and easy to work with as parents. We highly recommend Lisa to anyone looking to learn how to play the violin.

Claudette is amazing. I have been trained in vocal classical music and as an adult (at 35 yo)…read morewanted to learn the Piano. She's so patient and a great teacher. It's very hard for me to read music (I believe kids pick it up easier- it's almost like another language- learned easier the younger you are) but she still persists. I was a little worried about the lessons being too tailored to young children but after the basics we moved on to very customized lesson plan that includes classics (Beethoven, Bach, Chopin) as well as Christmas carols and other popular songs (including "let it go" that my 4 year old demanded and loved!). I plan to bring my daughter here when she's a little older as well. Highly recommend Claudette!

Claudette Horwitz was the best piano teacher I ever had. I was lucky to find her. She gave me the…read moreskills necessary to understand, and execute basic theory reading and implementation at the piano. By the time I finished my studies with her I then became a piano major at Montgomery College. Her level of teaching is beyond compare. Claudette expects a lot from her students so if your child is not the type of person that likes to practice and reach goals then this is probably not the path for them to take. If you want to get your child prepared to read and play classical music then you will find no one better than Claudette Horwitz to take your student to that level. Liz Latham (formerly of Rockville, MD) Seattle, WA

How my heart sings when I think of Geneva Day School! The warmest, most kind, caring, and…read moreconscientious environment for little scholars to learn and grow. . . Am proud to have family as "graduates" of both the preschool and extracurricular activities. Am thrilled to have visited on many occasions, most especially for family events. I love the emphasis on Art, Mindfulness, Environmental Education, and Physical Education. Such traditional, pre-academic training (known to us as the "Geneva Method") is shaped by passionate professionals who love what they do and, yes, love the children. . . I am especially touched by the beautiful curation of Monarch Butterfly gardens; this Maryland Green School campus promotes environmentalism and invites exploration at every turn. . . I cannot recommend more highly this hidden gem of Potomac. Much gratitude for all you do!

Geneva day school is an expensive glorified daycare. My child is okay. But, I wanted to post this…read morereview to alert other parents because most have no clue what is going on in the school. I was impressed by the brochure and website. But, when I asked my child if you did this...or did you do that?....based on the brochure. Answer was no, no...nothing, none of those! So, they are very good at marketing with fancy flyers and brochures but sadly nothing is going on. If your child is underdeveloped....can i assure you it is likely due to this school. We had made this mistake before when we thought oh...we are paying solid $$$, so probably kid will have solid fun and development. We paid solid $$$, but we got just minimum daycare from Geneva. We have seen some really good programs....so we have very good perspective on when schools are just for minting money and when school really put 100% or 200% effort to help with child development. Cmon guys....it is not hard. At least, do what you say in your brochure. How hard is it to give some bubbles, playdoh, slime or bug catching kit to kids? They cost pennies. If you will just leave the kids in the playground for free play all day....that does not help with their development. My child just reported me that some kids were CRYING ALL DAY!!!! Seriously? Where is the money going?

My son has been taking electric guitar lessons with the Bone Jones Music family since January 2019,…read moreand I'm totally impressed by their music culture and instruction methods. Bones Jones is more than a single weekly lesson. It's truly an education in music, a musical experience in which students not only learn to play, but learn to play with other students, to collaborate with other students and the excellent, excellent teachers, all accomplished band musicians themselves. I took guitar for several years growing up. Among many things missing was the opportunity to play with other musicians and students, the opportunity to begin to live that dream of playing in a band, of playing before live audiences. At Bones Jones, all that's taken care of -- it's part of their music culture there, and, in my estimation, that's invaluable. Thus, my son is completely turned on to electric guitar. Less than a year in, he's already seeing where it can take him, what the possibilities are, and his learning and growth has been really much, much faster than I'd have imagined -- besides practicing what he's being taught there at the Bones Jones schoolhouse, they've equipped him to explore on his own, to take advantage of the myriad resources out there, and he's doing it, and loving it. I can't say enough good things about Bones Jones Music. It's been a great investment for me and, more important, continues to be a great learning and music experience for my son. Rock on!

My son started playing Jack Johnson on acoustic at age 9 at Bones Jones Music and now 7 years of…read morelessons later, he is playing Metallica and Muse on electric guitar. Billy continues to meet my son's music interests as they have evolved, keeping him interested, challenged and motivated. The whole community is welcoming and encouraging of any student at any level. If you love rock music from all eras, this is the place to learn guitar! I have to admit that I was skeptical at first about the group lesson model because everyone else teaches private guitar lessons. But the group class model really works! Billy is a super skilled teacher and you will love playing with other folks in classes. I highly recommend Bones Jones Music!

Our boys (now 10 and 12) have been working with Jeff Doenges for almost 4 years…read more Thanks to Jeff, my kids both have solid foundations in piano technique and music theory. He is knowledgeable and experienced in the Russian approach to piano instruction. The kids are receptive to his teaching and reinforcement. Jeff is patient and understanding, and willing to accommodate each student's individual pace of learning and specific musical interests. Jeff hosts two recitals per year and it's always inspiring to see how all of his students have grown since the previous recital. He also fully prepares our children for the standardized music theory tests - he is knowledgeable of the material and keeps up to date on the changes to the tests throughout the years. Jeff is always prompt for our weekday evening lessons and accommodating when we ask him to flex the schedule in advance--which is important to us since we have hectic activity schedules. Not only have my kids learned about playing the piano, but they have also learned about discipline, hard work, and musical appreciation through this experience.

Our children, ages 8 and 5, study with Jeff. The older one has been taking weekly lessons. Jeff has…read morebeen simply amazing. He is inspiring, patient, and has a unique ability to bring the best of children. He has been wonderful connecting with the children and gently pushing them to give the best. The progress has been amazing and the recitals an inspiration to them. His teaching techniques are targeted to the interests of the children, and he adapts to the changing wishes of the students. Overall; it has been a wonderful experience to have our children study with Jeff.

My kids started lessons when six years old, and I was inspired by watching them learn. I finally…read morehave time to start taking piano lessons for myself. I know how hard it is to find a good teacher, I am glad that I found a teacher as patient, friendly, and knowledgeable as Diana. She tailors the sessions to my interests, is incredibly patient and supportive, hand-by-hand correcting mistakes. This correction is a valuable experience for adult learners, as it is crucial for developing proper techniques. I genuinely think she is the best piano teacher, or at least the best that I have found. I'm really enjoying my musical journey, I look forward to every session and can't wait for the next piano lesson!

I took lessons with Diana for over 20 years as a returning/adult student. It was always fun and…read moreshe looked for music I would enjoy, yet would need to work to master. It was one of the few things I did for ME, and just for my own pleasure. (I would still be taking lessons for fun except I am now caregiver for my disabled husband.) She is a great teacher and remains a wonderful friend.