I have studied piano with Eric for two years now, and I wholeheartedly recommend him to students no matter the age or level. He not only has exceptional musical ability and knowledge but is also genuinely kind, caring, and motivating toward his students. Under his teaching, I have succeeded at international competitions, gotten the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall, and been accepted into well-regarded summer programs such as the Peabody Institute at John Hopkins University. He is deeply invested in the success of his students both as musicians and as individuals. I appreciate that he challenges students to grow technically and artistically while building a positive and supportive learning environment. He is incredibly thoughtful in his teaching and adapts according to the personality and needs of each student. With his guidance, my love for music and my abilities as a pianist have truly grown so much. I consider myself and other students very fortunate to learn from him. read more

For a beginning 5-year-old: Frustrating interactions around billing, communication, and overall professionalism, with mixed feelings about teaching quality. Communication and Professionalism I felt that some of Eric's communications with parents did not meet our expectations for professionalism. Early on, he was communicative and polite, but more than six months into lessons he would send texts like: "Come [a different time never discussed] today, my flight is delayed," sent only a few hours before the lesson. Typically, these messages informed us of changes rather than asking whether the change worked for our schedule, leaving us to respond that it didn't. When we drove to the lesson last week, we were told Eric could not teach because he had a fever. He said: "I texted you this morning. You didn't get it? Oh, it's confusing for me because I have so many students with similar names." It appeared the text had been sent to a different student's family. There was no acknowledgment or apology for the inconvenience. Last month, he asked us to provide an itemized payment history for accounting purposes. After I sent screenshots of our payment records and asked him to review his own records, he replied asking me to still generate the list: "I have about 70 students to go through. It will be easier for me than to go through every single history." Over time, these interactions felt dismissive and one-sided, which was unexpected in a paid professional relationship. Billing and Policy Before the holidays, we notified Eric that we would be away for three weeks. His policy posted online at the time stated that with two weeks' notice, missed lessons would not be charged. Although we notified him three weeks prior to the trip, he said we had misinterpreted the policy and initially declined to offer a credit or make-up sessions. When I checked his website, that policy language was no longer visible and later reappeared with revised wording, which created confusion. After extensive texting and a phone call over an hour, he ultimately agreed to provide make-up lessons. Instruction Instructionally, the experience was mixed. Our child learned to read music quickly and played pieces that seemed advanced for his age, but other teachers later noted gaps in fundamentals. Early on, Eric provided practice guidance by text, but this stopped after a few weeks unless a parent was present and asked. We had also agreed on 30 minutes of piano and 15 minutes of voice, but at some point the voice portion was no longer included, and this change was not discussed with us. After about a year, our child began crying whenever we asked him to practice piano. This cannot be fully attributed to Eric, but it was part of our experience. In my opinion, Eric seems to place a strong emphasis on preparing students for piano competitions. Other Details * With advance notice, Eric almost always accommodated make-up sessions for a single missed lesson (except in the billing issue discussed above) * There were no recital or performance opportunities offered after more than 15 months of instruction * Lessons are held "every day," meaning families are expected to attend even on major holidays such as Christmas or New Year's Overall Overall, while there were aspects of the instruction that worked well, the repeated challenges with communication, scheduling, and billing made this arrangement difficult for our family over time. For a young beginner who requires consistent coordination with parents, this was not the right fit. Other families may have a different experience, especially with older or competition-focused students. read more

We're so grateful that our son began his music journey with Eric about three years ago. Eric's lessons are always engaging, and we truly appreciate his thoughtful teaching style, which adapts to each student rather than rigidly following standard lesson books. He has consistently encouraged and challenged our son to grow beyond what we expected, all while showing incredible patience and support. We couldn't be happier with the progress our son has made -- highly recommended! read more

I've been taking piano lessons with Eric for a while now, and I couldn't be more impressed with his teaching. One of the things I appreciate most is that Eric is incredibly open to feedback--he never takes it personally and genuinely listens to what his students have to say. He actively incorporates that feedback into his teaching, which makes every lesson feel personalized and productive. Eric is also technically very capable and a smart, creative teacher. When I hit difficult spots, he always has a few different approaches to help me work through them. His ability to explain things in multiple ways and come up with clever practice strategies has made a big difference in my progress. Most importantly, Eric gets results. With his guidance, I was able to learn and perform a piece that was well beyond my previous level, something I wouldn't have thought possible before working with him. Highly recommend Eric to anyone looking for a teacher who's not just skilled, but also thoughtful, adaptive, and truly committed to their students' growth. read more

I appreciated that Eric responded so quickly to my online inquiry. He is so great with keeping my son engaged and teaching the basics of music theory and placement of the violin to build up to playing. I highly recommend Eric! He also had a great connection for the violin rental because I had no idea what to get and they had everything set and ready at the first lesson with Eric. If he has space for you, do NOT pass up his services! read more

I am an adult beginner learning a musical instrument for the first time and a Violin at that. It's been seven months since I have been with Eric, and it has been a wonderful journey. Eric is patient and really passionate about music, and it shows. I had to start from the basics without knowing how to read or play notes. I knew I loved classical music enough to try it, and I felt supported throughout. Life takes over sometimes, leaving little time or motivation to practice, but Eric always kept the tempo up. Cliché but true--he never gave up on me. I really appreciate his trying various approaches to get me to a smooth and consistent sound and rhythm. There were times that we practiced scales over and over and others when I just couldn't get it. But the discipline of coming to class, playing alongside Eric(which is divine btw), listening to his nuanced feedback, and practicing every week kept me going. I highly recommend Eric for adults and kids alike who are beginning to learn an instrument or someone who wants to get to the next level in their practice. Eric has the patience, experience, and personalized tips for you to get there. Take a class with him; you will not be disappointed! read more

Eric is probably one of the most inspiring music instructors in the Bay Area. Every instructor I found prior, spent most of the lesson in small talks rather than focusing on music. Eric is professional yet passionate and fun. He sees the value in my daughter, even though I never thought she could pick up the piano. In a short amount of time, my daughter immediately surpassed many of her classmates at school. This gave her a huge boost of confidence in herself and that alone is priceless. Kids nowadays seem to think that everything comes naturally without much hard work. However, seeing his students before and after my daughter's lesson, it became clear to me, that Eric's teaching methods are unmatched. Highly recommend his lessons. read more

Eric is a wonderful teacher to my 7 year old daughter. She started out with no experience and within less than 6 months she had learned all the scales and notes so fast. Some of my daughters friends and cousins learned for a year with their teacher... Eric was easy to work with and a very understanding teacher and caring. My daughter loves his class. read more

I've been working with Eric since July 2023 so, at the time of writing this, roughly 8 months. I had a fair amount of background as a musician prior - playing the drums in a few bands, learning the piano with an instructor, self teaching myself some guitar, whatever musical endeavor would excite me at the time etc etc. Through this, I never had control of my voice but it was always something I wanted to work on. I searched the internet to find local south bay area vocal instructors as I preferred in-person instruction and found Eric and from the first lessons Eric hit the ground running. Getting started with voice was honestly pretty anxiety-inducing but Eric was encouraging from the very beginning and that's what really allowed me to learn and grow (bless him because I know how horrible I sounded). Over time, confidence improved, technique got wayyyy better, I could carry a tune as long as it wasn't anything too crazy. I can very confidently say that Eric has probably doubled my rate of progress and I feel like I have a path to get to where I would like to go with my voice. I understand the voice much better now and what is difficult and what takes work and how I can get there by being diligent and listening to Eric haha. It's been incredibly rewarding and I am excited to see where I can go and what more I can learn and I owe the majority of that to Eric and his lessons. If you are considering Eric for voice I would definitely recommend him read more

I found Eric through Yelp half a year ago. As someone who wished to build solid fundamentals in Piano, Eric really broke down difficult concepts, found effective solutions, and solidified my technique in a short amount of time. Very insightful lessons and clearly, an open minded and passionate musician. Eric's guidance has enabled me to achieve growth I did not think possible for a working adult, and his insights have helped me develop a deeper appreciation for music, the piano, and my own potential. I highly recommend Eric to any student that wishes to pursue an enriched, excellent relationship with music. read more

Eric is a sensational music instructor. He was my singing coach for sometime before I had to stop taking lessons for personal reasons. Yet, even in that short amount of time, I noticed that my voice increased in range, accuracy, and stamina. He knew how to maximize each minute of our lessons and provides homework to work on during the week to practice. He also meets students where they're at, all while maintaining a down to earth attitude. I would highly recommend Eric as a vocal coach, even if your only objective is to make your voice more tolerable to your friends and family (like me)! read more

Ever since quarantine started, I have had way too much free time on my hands and I decided it was within my best interest to learn an instrument (Piano). My friends recommended me to Eric and I was at first hesitant to reach out to him upon finding out he was only a few years older than me. I thought to myself, "how can someone so young possibly be a good teacher?" After a few failed trials with other music instructors, I ultimately decided to pay for one lesson just to gauge how good of a teacher Eric is... HE COMPLETELY EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS. Given the fact that we were in Quarantine, we met remotely using video chat and I walked in with low hopes. I came out thinking I may have found the one teacher that I can stay with for the rest of my life. If I wanted to learn Guitar, Violin, or even how to sing, I would learn it from Eric. Not only was he incredibly knowledgable about the Instruments and the Music, you can feel the passion he has for it as well. His energy is unmatched when it comes to teaching and I feel that every minute spent with him is worth it. I came out of the first lesson with a newfound passion for Music and have continued seeing him since. read more

I never thought that I could play a piano. I had watched online tutorials but they are hard to follow. Two months ago, I started taking Eric's piano lessons. No doubt this is the best decision I have made. When I started, I can barely read a note. Taking music lesson from scratch while working full time, sometimes I just want to give up. Eric was very dedicated and patient with me. He gave the right amount of challenges for each lesson. He remembered my strengths and weaknesses (which is impressive because he has many students). He filled up the lessons with lots and lots of passion. After two months, I can play a couple of songs, read notes on my own. The biggest transformation is my fear of failure has gone and I can finally enjoy learning and playing music. I would definitely recommend Eric to any beginner, knowing that you will be taken care by such a wonderful teacher. read more

I've been taking voice lessons for Eric for about a year. He's been very helpful, giving me lots of tips on how to hit high notes and produce a better sound. Highly recommend! read more

Highly recommend Eric's lessons. I found him through yelp during COVID as I had more time on my hands. I haven't touched my violin since I was a kid, so I was quite hesitant. After a few lessons with Eric, I am progressing at an incredible pace. He is kind, patient, and genuine. I can't wait for next week's lesson. Thanks Eric read more

I have always wanted to learn to play the violin. Now during COVID, it's the perfect time to pick up a hobby. Never really had the right direction when I was younger. I found Eric on yelp. After seeing he was highly rated, I contacted him to schedule lessons. After a couple months, I noticed drastic improvements. I admit that I was a bit hesitant since he only offers online lessons during COVID. But to my surprise, he was able to bring out the joy of music that I never really had when I was young. Maybe it has to do with how enthusiastic and optimistic he is. Eric is patient and kind. I definitely see this as a long term great investment for myself. I've tried other music instructors in the area, and so far, no one is as high energy as he is. I definitely recommend Eric. The value in every lesson is definitely on par with his price point and his time is worth every penny. I see this as a skill, once learned, no one can take away from you. :) Thank You Eric! Pls contact Eric ASAP if you are thinking to learn a new music instrument skill. read more

Eric has been an excellent teacher as I begin my journey as an adult learner. I wasn't sure what online piano lessons would be like, but meeting over Zoom also makes it easy to fit into my work schedule as well. He's friendly and makes the lessons fun; he also gets down to business and packs as much as possible into each one. I've been developing basic skills while also learning classical pieces that challenge me just the right amount. He's also responsive over text when I have questions during the week. My previous experience with music was 1 year of piano lessons 30 years ago, plus 8 years of playing trombone in school. I highly recommend Eric as a piano teacher. read more

I've been taking lessons for violin with Eric for one year now, and he has been an excellent teacher. I have made great progress with him, not just in techniques but I have developed a better feel for the pieces that I play. He is almost always able to pinpoint exactly what you're doing wrong and break it down in a way that helps you get over the mental or physical block. Highly recommend! read more

I'm an adult beginner and Eric was my first ever piano instructor and I am very happy with his teaching. He is enthusiastic about music and has a great ear. He also takes a well rounded, methodical approach to teaching piano that made sure I was learning in the best way possible. I've made a ton of progress in my technique, music theory knowledge and musical listening ability that can be attributed to having good guidance from Eric. Highly recommend to any other adult beginners out there looking for a teacher. read more

My daughter has been learning violine with Eric since the pandemic started. It was online class so I wasn't sure if she could pick up the skills as well as in-person classes. Eric's instructions were very clear and easy to understand, my daughter loved the class and progressed surprisingly well. It's only been a year since my daughter started the class but already she is able to play beautiful music and enjoy playing violin even during her free time. Thanks Eric! read more

Eric is a phenomenal music teacher in the Bay Area. We've finally got off his waitlist and joined his studio. His interactions with his students, not only motivated my son Jason to practice at home, but also to go above and beyond, and teach my younger son music. Eric now teaches both my kids not just music, but life lessons to develop their own life skills. He is very kind, and taught my children piano, violin, and singing. What makes him a stand out teacher is his ability to teach students differently according to how they learn. I can not stress how important this is to our children when it comes to retaining material. You really have to watch him teach to understand. Unfortunately, he has many students and it is hard to find a full hour slot dedicated to each of my son. So for now, we will have to stick with 30 minute lessons. But in the end, even though a little pricy especially with two kids, he still comes highly recommended, his time is worth the money I spend. Thank you Eric! read more

Definitely didn't think I'd attempt piano at an older age but Eric has made the process easier to follow. He's a very patient instructor and helps me with various exercises to work through my issues. I would definitely recommend him! read more

Eric has been teaching my oldest son piano for the past four years. My youngest started with him a year ago. I had tried a variety of classes and teachers before Eric. My oldest child's ability was beyond the norm. And with most teachers, he was forced to work at a very slow pace. He was capable of learning to read music, but his previous teachers did not want to teach him this at such a young age. Working with Eric, my son at age five, learned to read treble and bass clef in a matter of maybe two weeks. And then, he could do so much more once he mastered this skill. Eric is great, since he pulls a variety of classical pieces for my kids to learn. And classical exercises. They are very intrigued by the music. It's not boring, repetitive exercises that don't sound very good. Eric also has a fun and playful demeanor that my kids enjoy. We have been very thankful for how our kids have grown under his tutelage! read more

I wanted to learn how to play the violin, so I found Eric's contact and asked for a trial lesson. Eric is a great teacher that has a passion for music. He will be able to help you improve on your musical skills because of how he's able to teach differently depending on how each student learns. Within a few weeks, I was able to get the basics down easily and learned how to play some simple songs like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. read more

Eric is one of the best instructors I have had to pleasure to learn from. From great vocal exercises, to an amazing attention to detail from posture to vocal tension. Some provided exercises were awkward and weird, but quite fruitful in helping me relax and better control my voice. I was also impressed by how we were able to work things out during quarantine. He gave me more things to practice on my own whenever I could, while also leveraging effective zoom sessions to continue classes. read more

Really intentional with his students and caters his various methods specifically toward the skill of the student.

Really talented in music! He knows everything from producing music, playing any instrument, to singing. He is really strong in all aspects of music, but the best thing is that he is an extremely great teacher. He is able to clearly explain his thoughts and make sure his students understand what needs to be done. Because of this, he is able to teach a wide variety of students without having much communicational issues. Every time I have lessons with him, not only do I learn a lot, but he also makes each lesson really fun so it does not feel like a daily chore. Really great resource overall and I would recommend anyone who is looking for a chance to improve in any aspect of music. PS His ears are amazing and can hear everything in any song. read more

As someone who doesn't know the slightest thing about reading or playing music, I find it easy to learn how to play the piano from this class. Mr. Liu really simplified things and broke them down to my own personal level of comprehension. This man really knows how to teach. If ever you need someone to teach you how to play the piano. This man is your guy. Also his rates are cheaper than others too! read more

I've been playing piano for 10 years but never quite found the spark that drove me to pursue my music career further. But when I met Eric Liu, his charisma, relevance to my interest, and his passion for music somehow pushed me to continue playing piano and actually sparked my interest in singing. Although I did not initially thought of myself as a singer, Eric pushed me to try out choir at my school to see how I would like it. He later told me that he saw some singing potential in me and I guess used that to have me pursue choir. I told him I wanna try my first year without his help so I wouldn't waste his time and I would see if I liked it or not. I can honestly say that he was right and that I liked being in choir and singing. After my first year, I asked for his help and after only a few lessons even my choir director noticed a big improvement. I definitely recommend Eric to music lovers and anyone who wants to improve their music skills. I started out with no skills in singing but with Eric's help, I became one of the best bass in my school and was placed in the most advanced choir classes. Thanks Eric! read more

I can confidently say that Eric is the most talented musician I know! Not only does he know how to play an enormous variety of instruments, he is also very familiar with singing and producing music alike. There are no words to describe how passionate he is about what he does. Definitely recommend him as a teacher. read more

This is a review from the father of a newer student. My daughter started lessons with Eric Liu about about 1.5 months ago. Eric is dedicated, enthusiastic and communicative with both my daughter and me. My daughter recently expressed interest in getting back into music during high school after having taken a break after middle school from it. I personally am not musically inclined and was looking for someone who knew about music coaching and instruction who could engage her and encourage her. Eric has a good reputation as a musician with a growing local music reputation and some nice performance pieces available on youtube, so I thought we would give it a try. I left a voice mail for Eric at the number given on Yelp and he quickly replied. We text message each other fairly often to coordinate lesson times and schedules (e.g. he went to a prestigious music conference and performance recently and was out of the country for 2 weeks). I have found Eric accommodating and professional, and he is a good musician in his own right (I wanted my daughter to work with a rising star). However, the compelling reason I want my daughter to continue with Eric is his ability to connect with her and push her to excel in a compassionate way. Eric knows when she is retreating into her comfort zone and gives friendly but strict encouragement to venture beyond her musical boundaries. He uses step wise refinement, and is increasing the difficulty and skill demands at an appropriate level so that the lessons stick. An unfortunate truth of life is that real learning is often uncomfortable, and it is easy for a teacher to shy away from it or just push the students with little explanation or compassion. Eric choses a far superior path of letting my daughter know that some things are hard but doing important things can sometimes be hard and we should not back down from important things even when they are difficult. He communicates not just valuable music lessons, but also the kind of values that generalize to life lessons. My daughter and I are looking forward to our next lesson. read more

I've been a student with Eric for about 5 years now, and I really enjoy learning from him! Not only is he passionate about music, but he's passionate about teaching it too! This passion has led to a drastic improvement in my own piano skills; whereas another teacher may take 10 years to complete all the levels for CM, Eric has guided me in a way and pushed me beyond my limits, which allowed me to reach level 9 after only 5 years. I will be taking the final level of testing next year. I'm not worried at all and am confident that I will be successful because Eric is such a dedicated teacher! read more

Eric is a a gifted musician and an excellent teacher for both children and adults. I went through a few teachers for my children (ages 8,10 when we started) before finding Eric to teach them piano and violin. Once with Eric, their music education took an amazing turn. They went from not practicing much and not making much progress to being fully engaged and competing with each other to have time on the piano. I have never seen or heard of such an incredible transformation in childrens' motivation to get better and their overall love for music. We have been with Eric for about two years and my kids have accelerated in their skills as well as their passion for music. Aside from teaching and guiding them at home, he has provided numerous opportunities for them to perform in public venues and showcase their progress. In addition, he has provided guidance and support for their auditions and music participation at their respective schools. In addition to teaching my kids, Eric has been teaching me as well. He has an amazing ability to adapt to the learning style of both kids and adults. Eric has three qualities that make him a very strong music teacher: First, he is a gifted musician himself. He plays a large number of instruments ranging from piano, violin, guitar, various type of percussion etc. In addition he sings, teacher choir and writes/produces music as well. During the course of teaching and depending on where the student shows interest, Eric brings all this personal skill to class. There have been numerous occasions when my kids have shown interest in learning some theory, or playing a piece that they found, or writing some music on their own. Eric immediately responds by grabbing another instrument and playing alongside, or running over to his laptop and helping refine the new musical creation, or singing along to help teach how an accompanist needs to perform. Recently, my son has been interested in Beethoven's music. Eric loaned him book about Beethoven's life to help my son gain context about Beethoven's music. In the last couple of weeks, why daughter has expressed a desire to sing. He carved out some time to coach her and she has excitedly begun another positive musical journey. Second, Eric loves to teach. Teaching is Eric's passion. He is constantly looking for ways to communicate his ideas and instructions in a way that makes sense to his students. He is open minded and always learning teaching methods from his own teachers, his parents (who are both musicians) and suggestions from his students. I recall when I started learning to sightread with him, I downloaded an app to help me practice at home. I showed him at the next class how well it worked for me, and he immediately adopted that as a method to teach and practice not for me as well as other students. His passion for teaching comes through in many ways - when trying to teach something complicated or difficult he simply does not give up until finds a way for the student to "get it". And the best part is he is always generous with offering his own books, equipment, and sometimes even instruments if they help the student get to their goals. Last, Eric is very adaptable. Eric is unafraid to go to the level of the student in order to get through to them. He taught my 9 year old boy in a way that was perfect for a 9 year told. At my sons very first piano lesson, he devised a way for the two of them to race each other at scales. My son has been hooked on piano ever since. With my daughter, who is older, he speaks her language. He is always open to hearing from them what works for them. He incorporates their interests and when something works, he is genuinely excited. As a parent, I like that he talks to the kids about discipline, hard work and tackling difficult goals in a systematic manner. Overall, I feel Eric is one of the best music teachers in the Bay Area. He is young, talented and passionate about music education. I would unhesitatingly recommend him for both kids and adults. read more

As a fellow musician, I have worked with Eric many times and have seen great things come out of his works. An example of the amazing things Eric can do was his working with the all-girls choir at Monta Vista High School. Eric was given the piece "May It Be" to conduct and had about two months before the concert to work with the choir on it. While observing him working with the choir, I noticed the nuances he found in the music, from the small dynamic changes that helped shape the piece and even the meanings behind the lyrics that drove the piece and provided a basis for the actual enunciation of the lyrics. Despite only being with the choir a few times a week, Eric has been highly efficient with the time he was given and was able to produce a fantastic and moving performance at the concert. Having also been taught by him a few times, specifically in my arranging of pieces, I have seen his wide array of talents in the field of music. I can honestly say that Eric is one of the most talented and devoted musicians I have ever met and would highly recommend him as a music instructor. read more

Eric has been my daughter's music teacher for several years now. At the beginning she had barely any experience with music. He started off teaching her basic piano and guitar skills and mainly improved and enhanced her vocal skills and technique. He worked with her on speech level singing, strengthening her voice, stage presence and preforming skills, improving her vocal range and overall quality and technique, and so much more. Altogether, her singing improved immensely over the last few years. She has shown a new passion for music similar to his for teaching music. He has the rare ability to take a talented student and motivate them and allow them to flourish musically. Eric is a very talented, passionate, and gifted musician. The combination of his talent, his patience, his knowledge, and his passion are truly rare to find. He is so much more than a music teacher. Highly recommended!:) read more