We've had a fantastic experience with Yamaha's early childhood music program in Cupertino-- starting with the Apple Class (ages 3-4) with Miss Sammi, a super caring and patient smiley teacher, and now continuing in JMC 1 (ages 4-5) with Miss Yuyu, whose teaching is lively and engaging. After trying several Bay Area programs that lacked consistency or a clear curriculum, Yamaha music programs stood out immediately. The teachers are stable, caring, experienced, and truly skilled in early music education. Each class blends singing, rhythm, ear training, movement, and keyboard work in a well-structured, age-appropriate sequence, so kids stay engaged and build real musical foundations without feeling overwhelmed. What we love most is balance: a joyful group setting where children learn together and cheer each other on singing and dancing, paired with plenty of individual attention. Our child has made remarkable progress--going from not reading music to recognizing melodies, understanding basic music theory, playing simple songs, and even making up little tunes at home. He looks forward to every class and comes out smiling, more confident each week. The school culture is equally impressive. Director Miss Su actively creates performance and growth opportunities--from the annual recital and internal competitions to community outreach, like sharing music at senior centers--so children of all ages and levels can step on stage, build confidence, and feel proud of their effort. Teachers also share Bay Area concert listings, encouraging families to listen, learn, and enjoy music together beyond the classroom. If you're looking for a fun, supportive, and truly effective start in music, we highly recommend Yamaha (especially the Apple and JMC 1 class in Cupertino). It's given our child a solid musical foundation, a love of learning, and the confidence to share music with others. We as parents, highly recommend Yamaha's music program and will continued !!! read more

Ridiculous business. Was approached at a festival by sales people for this establishment, telling me and my wife they offer 1 hour of free piano lessons for our 6 yr old. We made time and drove over on a sunday morning, only to find out that they only teach to chinese speakers.... Not all asians are chinese. Don't waste your time on this business. read more

Y2021 Update: It's been 10 months in this different-situation pandemic year, my daughter's elite class became online which makes piano learning much difficult. Good thing about Yamaha were they hosted a few on-line shows to keep everyone's progress. Keep up the good work! read more

Teacher Zhuang refused to teach me Guzheng after my first tryout class. At the end of the class she suddenly threw a fit by making excuses to ditch me. I felt I didn't do anything wrong in this whole event. I arrived earlier than the set time and didn't mind waiting as her earlier class went overtime. Being the only student in the class, I tried to learn at my best and be respectful to her and the teaching assistant. The drama came at the end while she was harshly criticizing those who were short of commitment in learning an instrument. She continued with excuses of unwillingness to teach me in the future, and she even asked the TA to find me another teacher in the studio. I thought that perhaps it was my answers to her questions during the class that made her think I wouldn't be a long term student. This was the first time we met and she didn't even know me. Teacher Zhuang may reserve the right to refuse service, but it's not acceptable to insult people by using a rude and biased manner. I cannot speak for those young students who are learning piano from her, however, be warned if anyone is in my position. read more

Got the Groupon and loved the class! Had taken some guitar lessons through someone else in the past but they didn't stick due to the lack of practice so decided to switch to piano to start so I can transition to guitar later. read more

Okay. This is definitely an over due review. My son has been going here for about eight months. I think I got a deal from groupon, and decided to take him for piano lessons. He is only 5 years old. HE LOVES IT!! The teachers are amazing!!! We had both teachers, Teacher Sue and Teacher Julie, and both of them are so sweet and patience with the kids. (( We took the group class.)) The class is 50 minutes long, starting out with singing, then piano, then dance, then piano. I think it is great because no 5 years old can handle 50 min. of class continuously. Mind you, I picked this class because of the Groupon deal. But after three months, my son can't wait to go to the class. I mean, he is not the best at piano, but he really does love the class and his teachers. I thought, well, maybe put him in a private lesson, since the cost is almost about the same. ( I pay 300.00 for 11 class, put books and dvd, cost around 100.00 every 3 months). But actually, he likes being around other kids. The lesson feels more like a big play-date. All in all, after about 6 months, Isaac can play with both hands, and learn to play a music song by himself at home. He is not great at it like his peers, but as a mom, as long as he is happy and enjoy going to class, I am happy. read more

Extremely unprofessional. Classes are almost always late and we don't get our allotted lesson time. To add insult to injury, these teachers start teaching in Chinese even though it's clear not everyone in the class speaks Chinese. Avoid at all costs! read more

Yamaha is great place for kids to start their music journey. Teacher Sue is very professional about teaching young kids to play piano and love music. I understand sometimes the class could be late a little. There are many little kids and the class could not finish on time. However, the entire 50-minutes class should be guaranteed so the next session might wait for several minutes. One good thing about Yamaha is they also have cheap private class and flexible schedule. Many parents may worry that kids cannot get enough attention in group class. If the kids have difficulties or they need more advanced practice. The parents can discuss with teacher to choose private class or go to another class. read more

I had piano group class with Ms. Sue. She is such a great teacher. For someone who did not play any instrument before, Ms. Sue not only breaks the details down for me to understand but also manage to make the class super fun. She also teaches the multiple ways to play a song. I will definitely keep playing even after the class ended. Highly recommend! read more

Besides the friendly people and good supplies of music books, I strongly recommend Yamaha music programs at this location. I am sharing specifically my experiences with the children piano lesson my 6-year-old son is taking, and the adult entry-level lesson I later signed up with, both taught by Teacher Sue. First of all, I signed up my son because of the recommendation of his classmate. After the first trial, we fell in love with the teaching of Teacher Sue. She is very kind and patient with the children. She is fun, and her materials are lively, enriched with CDs, pictures, boards, stories, cartoons, videos, dancing and signing, e.g. She simply captures the heart of my son, and makes the lessons so much fun for him. I enjoy a lot sitting through the lessons with my son, too. "Making the piano lessons enjoyable to them" is her goal as she shared with the parents. And she demonstrates it in every one of her lessons and her homework assignments. Of course, parents' involvement in their practices plays a crucial role, Teacher Sue makes it easy, too. I signed up her adult piano lesson for myself as I saw how enjoyable her teaching is. I took some piano lessons when I was young, and couldn't enjoy it. That turned out to be a life-changing decision I made as I looked back. I have been learning so much about music and enjoying playing piano so much that I couldn't ever imagine. Thank you so much, Teacher Sue, for your diligent teaching, patience, encouragement and inspiration. read more

My daughter has studied piano here for 1 year. Teacher Sue is very patient and nice to her and other kids in the group lesson. My daughter falls in love with playing piano, singing melodies and even would like to compose by using the theories she learned in the class. This is really a good start for her to explore music. read more

My daughter absolutely love going to this class. Ms. Sue is very engaging and directs the children's attention easily.

The program they teach here (Yamaha music school) is fantastic. It really teaches little children the fundamentals of reading notes without them even knowing they are 'learning' it. It is so much fun! they really know what children like and what the minds and souls of these young children really need to fall in love and get to feel and understand music. The teachers are very patient and helpful. Sue has a very nice charisma and teaches this program very well with enthusiasm and passion. She loves what she does every second of it. As a parent, who never got any musical training as a child, I have been blessed sitting in that room. As my child learns to play the piano, I absorb and learn as well. read more

Ms. Sue is a great teacher. My daughter and me both enjoy her class. Ms. Sue uses many tricks to get kids attention and make kids like music. I can play piano and tried to teach my daughter, but she did not want to practice piano when I taught her. It is a different story when the teacher is Ms. Sue. My daughter wants to practice the piano homework that Ms Sue assigned. Ms. Sue has amazing charm over kids and make music fun. read more

Take my kid to the Yamaha school. Awesome class and great teachers. Good selection of books and supplies too.

I have a piano for over 20 years and never know how to play it until one day I went to this store with a friend to look for a Chinese violin, and surprisingly to find out that the adult piano lessons are offered. With teacher Sue's patience and knowledge, now my piano at home is not just a piece of furniture anymore. What a great teacher Sue is! Thanks for bringing the joy to the class. Really appreciated. read more

The Yahama music class was recommended to me by my sister-in-law who lives in Michigan. She had to drive half an hour each way for her kids to attend it. I found this music store in my neighborhood offering the same class so I thought why not. I enrolled my son here and he has only been taking the class for 4-5 months. He now can read basic music sheets and can play some very simple tunes with both hands. Most importanly, he loves the class and looks forward to it. Each class they get to sing songs, dance a little, learn a bit about how to read notes, get introduced to a new instrument, learn how to listen to music and play the keyboard. They do all these as part of a game. I think it is the variety of the tasks and the novelty that make this class very interesting to a young child. There is homework to be done as well, which reinforces the learning. The class has been taught by Ms. Sue and Occassionally Ms. Vicky. Both are excellent in their own ways. You can tell both ladies genuienly enjoy teaching the kids and taking each lesson very seriously. read more

It's a perfect place for kids to learn music. Environment is great and teachers are patient and super duper professional. Teachers are Standard Teaching Certificate holders. Teacher Sue is an excellent teacher. She teaches in detail and cares about every student. I enjoy the adult piano class with her. Highly recommend here to be the starting place to explore music for kids or even adults. read more

We love this school. We have learned more than 1 year. My kid love playing piano and singing. Many of my friends also choose this school and all of their kids love here. For children, interest is the most important. I am glad that my kid can not only explore music but also explore her interest. Our teacher is Teacher Sue, she is so great. read more

Ms Su is the best music teacher we ever have. She is kind and patient. She can find the best ways to reach different students.

My kid is leaning piano here and they also offer adult piano group class for parents so I had a chance to learn from very beginning. Teachers are very nice and patient, flexible to adapt to student at different paces. Within just a few months I am able to play complete songs and I am very happy about my experience. read more

We would highly recommend Teacher Sue at Exploring Music San Jose teaching Yamaha group lesson, especially if you are a parent who wants your kid to have FUN while learning music. She is extremely experienced at teaching piano and knows how to use the correct "language" to communicate with small kids. She appears to be playing with kids but actually teaching and motivating them to explore and practice different piano techniques on their own. She does a wonderful job having all kid's attention, making it interesting, while attending to needs of kids of different personality. Her class is always full of laughter and entertaining :) Our kid started in Teacher Sue's Saturday afternoon class in June 2015, a few months before he turns six. I can see him enjoying his weekly lesson, grow with the group of kids, and most importantly having fun while learning piano and music. I also like the ear training session a lot and am amazed how the group of kids learn so quickly compared to adults. In summer time, I squeezed myself in her short adult classes to learn piano, and had fun at home with my kid "fighting for practice time at the piano". If you are a parent looking for fun and sustaining music journey for your kid, I recommend checking out Teacher Sue's Yamaha group lessons at Exploring Music San Jose. read more

The teachers are great. Except there are too many Chinese students whose parents don't care about the schedule for the next student. They always try to stay a few minutes longer. It isn't like they don't know the time, since they are looking at their smart phone with the big clock on the display. They pretty well know that they are squeezing more time. Just be aware. read more

Exploring music in Cupertino follows the Yamaha curriculum which is nice because of its interactive style that's perfect for very young kids. So my daughter joined the program at Exploring Music 2 months back(she is 4 and 1/2yrs). We have been really fortunate to have Ms. Sue as her teacher. Ms. Sue is an EXCEPTIONAL teacher. She can immediately connect to kids. She is empathetic, encouraging, and quite entertaining as well! She has mastered the skill of being fun and at the same time quite focused and disciplined in her teaching. No wonder her students look forward to her class and are doing so well. My daughter has approximately completed ~9 classes. She has quickly progressed from just using her right hand to using both hands on the piano with ease. As a result, her own self confidence and interest has also increased. I can attribute this progress (which is way beyond our expectation!) to Ms. Sue. She encourages kids to practice at home with very clear Homework instructions and a fun learning environment in the class. I highly recommend Ms. Sue to anyone who is keen on learning the piano. read more

Teacher Sue is great. She knows how to get kids' attention in classes, and the way she helps kids get interests in music is systematic. Highly recommended! read more

Good place for kids new to any instrument. My son has been going to piano class last 4 months and he enjoys his class.

This place has a great selection of different instruments. I purchased my first guitar here from a very nice gentleman at the front desk. he knew everything about the guitars and was able to test/play each one for me so i could pick out which one i thought sounds the best. I will definitely be coming back for accessories in the near future. read more