My daughter has been in lessons with Cynthia for about three years. It is obvious, from hearing her more long-standing and accomplished students, that she has the experience and knowledge to prepare her students for a serious future in music. For us though, it it more about building competency and appreciation. My daughter enjoys the lessons (more than she likes practicing, according to her) and it has definitely helped develop both her ear, and her enthusiasm. From my perspective though, the main benefit it gives is for my daughter to learn to accept criticism and high expectations. Cynthia will hold your child (or you) to what is on the page. All of it: the notes, the rhythm, the tempo, the dynamics, the articulation...(plus some other stuff that I don't even know the name for), all at the same time...So it's a great opportunity for my kid to learn focus and multi-tasking. It can be a bit harrowing at times, as the all-of-it-right-all-at-the-same-time is not the approach taken in school, (or at home) but honestly, I'm grateful that my daughter can experience this, as discipline/hard work/humility/practice /all those cliches are obviously going to be required for whatever she chooses to pursue. Cynthia is strict, but also rejoices when the student does finally find success. She knows the student is capable of more than they themselves, or the parents might initially believe. My daughter definitely gets frustrated during practice at home, but she keeps working on it, and eventually gets the satisfaction of learning and getting it right. Also, the songs in the books get good pretty quickly! They are a good mix of pretty, fun, energetic without much dreck...super helpful when you hear it many times over. read more

If are looking for a piano teacher for an energetic child, run away from this woman and never look back. She was monstrous. I do not recommend Cynthia for piano lessons for young children. We had an absolutely awful experience. She humiliated and rejected my 7-year-old son, who genuinely loves piano and was trying his best. When he began to grow emotional, she continued to criticize him while speaking to me in front of him. I have never encountered such an unkind or unprofessional approach from someone who chooses to work children. At one point, she even asked me, "Is he in special ed or something?" -- an absolutely offensive and inappropriate question on so many levels. To act like this in front of a young child who was doing his best is unconscionable. While she uses stickers and small prizes as motivation, her teaching style relies on constant criticism rather than balanced feedback. Instead of combining positive reinforcement with gentle correction, she fixates on mistakes and ignores effort or progress. Our experience with her was deeply upsetting and the opposite of what learning music should be. read more

Cynthia is the BEST! I started piano lessons at 25 years old, and wish I'd started sooner. She's incredibly patient, great at explaining new concepts, and most of all, makes learning a new instrument so much fun. I feel so grateful that I've gotten an excellent foundation, and I've learned so much from her. If you're on the fence, do it! read more

Cynthia is a wonderful teacher for kids. After having a bad experience with another teacher, we switched to Cynthia for our nine year old daugher. Not only does she have the right temperment for working with children, she had great strategies to motivate them. Our daughter is more engaged with lessons and practice than she's been before. read more

Adding an update: Cynthia has been teaching excellent lessons by Zoom during the pandemic, and she just announced that beginning in November students will have a choice between remote and in-person lessons! She is using plexiglass guards and a microphone to create virus-safe conditions. She has a few openings right now so grab them while you can! read more

In the highest of compliments, I love and am proud of the way the kids have interacted with Cynthia. She has done a wonderful job with not only teaching music and playing the piano but also how to interact with a mentor with respect and an open mind; almost seems like a Jedi mind trick from a my perspective! My kids have been taking lessons from Cynthia for a few years. It wasn't always easy but they have turned the corner and although they won't admit it, they look forward to the lessons as their hard work has earned positive feedback. They have NEVER stuck to anything more than a year, HUGE victory and a testament to taking the long view and building a trusting relationship through respect! Thank you Cynthia! Highly recommended! read more

Cynthia has been teaching piano to my 11 year-old for the past 4 years and we have loved our experience with her. We initially learned about Cynthia from a flyer at DC Piano offering 1/2 off lessons for the first year (and her regular rate is already a great deal). Her lessons are offered in her home, just two blocks from Berkeley Bowl West, close to San Pablo and Heinz in Berkeley. Cynthia balances the fundamentals of learning how to read & play music with learning to love the instrument. At my request, she and my daughter have been doing a little improvisational jam at the end of every lesson, and I am always blown away by how good they sound. Cynthia has done a great job of motivating my daughter to practice between lessons, in part by giving her challenging piano pieces for the annual recital. These pieces are well within reach but require practice. The annual recital takes place at a beautiful church in North Berkeley and is an opportunity for all of Cynthia's students (of varying levels and age groups from pre-K to high school) to share all their hard work and get real experience playing in front of an audience. Our family highly recommends Cynthia and has referred her to many friends who continue to take lessons with her. read more

Cynthia Bythell - Musicians Near Me

Wow, I'm not sure where to even start... I could write a book on how absolutely incredible, inspirational, helpful, and quite frankly essential Cynthia is as a teacher, mentor, piano player, singer, inspiration, and human being -- especially to me. But I'll try to keep it short. Cynthia taught me piano for something around 12 years and voice for about 5; and I can't even begin to imagine growing up without her and my weekly/bi-weekly lessons. When I began, I was an aspiring singer and piano player and Cynthia was going to help me get there! She was the perfect teacher for a youngster, encouraging me to practice ("just for 20 minutes!") when I thought I didn't want to, making lessons fun and enjoyable, and of course, always rewarding me with some awesome stickers. As a grew older, Cynthia changed her teaching style to fit my needs -- through the pre-teen years, tweenies, and all the way until I graduated high school and hauled off to college. Cynthia always knew exactly how to structure lessons. This is probably due to her incredible ability to listen and hear. With all her immense amounts of patience, she heard my needs and wants and responded to them in the most perfect way -- from big things like stopping performances to small things like what kind of piece I wanted to work on next. I stopped taking voice lessons to focus on piano. I now pride myself on my ability to read music and play myriad classical pieces, from Chopin to Satie. Cynthia has been a performer in all different genres. Her own tremendous piano playing and voice always gave me something to strive for. I went through my own jazz, blues, and pop phases, Cynthia always letting me study what I wanted. I eventually found my home in Classical piano. Throughout all my various pieces, Cynthia knew exactly how to teach the different types of music and all the respective effort that comes with them. But it's not only my piano abilities that came out of the years spent with Cynthia... it's the love. Cynthia was there for me throughout my whole life. She's not only the best piano teacher I could have ever asked for growing up, but also the best mentor. A five star yelp review is not enough to portray everything she has done for me. Thank you Cynthia, for the best 12 years of my life! read more

My daughter has had piano lessons with Cynthia for over a year, and she has learned so much. Cynthia is that perfect mix of encouraging, patient, and challenging. We take lessons in her home, which is pleasant and comfortable. Lessons are priced quite reasonably. Nothing but good things to say about piano lessons with Cynthia- highly recommended! read more

Cynthia is a great piano teacher. She's been teaching my son piano for four years, and she's *wonderful* - patient, easygoing, and somehow firm at the same time. She makes lessons enjoyable, and she gives good incentives for kids to practice in between lessons. After one lesson, my son literally said to me, "Mom, remind me how good I'm feeling right now in case I ever don't want to go to piano." To make an eight year old say that takes some serious skill! I have been very, very impressed. I've also studied piano with Cynthia - my first time studying an instrument as an adult - and it was just as useful. I made a ton of progress with her, and I always enjoy the lessons. Bonus is that she's near Berkeley Bowl West, so we can shop after lessons! read more

Looking for a piano teacher? You can't do better than Cynthia Bythell! She is encouraging and friendly so the lessons in her cozy house are comfortable and positive. She has a depth of experience in theory and performance. I'm not much of musician myself but my 12 year old daughter has made HUGE strides in the past year under Cynthia's tutelage. Cynthia holds "Share The Music" days for small groups of her students to play in front of others in a small, supportive environment. Semi-annual recitals in a borrowed church space provide an opportunity for performance with a larger audience. And to top it all off, Cynthia's rates are quite reasonable. I highly recommend her with no reservations at all. It's been a completely positive experience for me as the parent of a young piano student. read more