My 16 year old autistic son has been taking lessons from Brad of BKdrummer for over 3 months now…read moreand he absolutely loves it! He actually practices daily without me having to nag him. Before we discovered Brad, we inquired at another place in the bay area but my son was not comfortable with the other instructor who seemed intimidating so my son was reluctant and decided against lessons all together. If you're thinking about drum lessons for your child or taking drum lessons yourself, go no further! Brad is patient, encouraging and very flexible with his teaching style; customizing lessons to best fit the individual. He is a professional drummer who is delighted to teach his craft to others. I highly recommend Brad to anyone (obviously) who is considering taking drum lessons.

Brad is an excellent teacher - in the specific skills and techniques of drumming, but more…read moreimportantly in his over all teaching approach. To music and the drums... I started as an absolute rank beginner. Brad introduced me to the fundamentals in a natural way that allowed me to pick them up readily, while maintaining rigor that ensured that I was able to walk before I ran, and along the way. As a result, I was able to advance quite rapidly. He continues to introduce me to new skills and techniques as fast as I can take them on - maintaining a comfortable but challenging pace. All the time, it continues to be a purely fun and pleasurable experience, without a hint of stress. I feel great about my lessons and enjoy them. Brad is very flexible in his approach - quite accommodating to what I want to achieve overall and at any given time, as well as to my personal schedule demands. I started joint lessons with my teenage daughter, and Brad adjusted his approach, with aplomb, to both of our individual goals and unique learning abilities and aptitudes. He has great personal qualifications and is quite talented in his own drumming skills - which is inspirational. More generally, and what I think is most impressive, is his 100% positive approach - always patient, encouraging, and motivating. His lessons are refreshing and effective. I would recommend him for drum lessons to children of all ages - from 6 to 66 and beyond.

I have a 4 year old and 6 year old currently with Eric, who we pursued after my older daughter…read moredesperately wanted to be ahead of a friend of hers who was slightly ahead of her after a year at big-box studio. Most studios do the same Faber set of books, page by page, and most of the studios we went to had piano teachers who were mid to good, but overly rely on this structure to get the kids to a certain point. It is a drudge and I felt like if my daughter's friend was ahead there was literally no way we would ever get ahead which deeply demotivated my daughter. Eric is a passionate, energetic and driven teacher and I think there is some self selection that happens with those that go with him. He is what I would call highly attuned: he sees potential in my children that even I am unaware of. But if there is one thing I believe as a parent, if you see a spark, throw gasoline on it. When it comes to piano (and I'm assuming violin / voice, we haven't gotten there yet ;)), Eric is a tankful of kerosene. He is engaging, knowledgeable and a true role model for my children. One thing my husband and I both love in his teaching is on his website of what he teaches, I've attached here. In a period rife with AI anxiety, we are confident of the positive effects of his teaching that have made my daughter more industrious, better at chores, better at practicing and discipline, and being a better citizen and human. I will also comment on a moment where Eric was pretty stern with my daughter that she had to practice more. I personally never achieved anything in music so I thought 5-10 min a couple times a week was fine but she plateaued. After this lesson, she cried about the feedback for days and I asked her what her goal was. For her, it took remembering her competitive side and then leaning into getting better. I also told Eric about what was happening and he was sensitive to her mental state and worked with her to regain psychological safety. In truth, piano is a hard skill! Young children will be uncomfortable if they want to achieve greatness (my 4 year old has no such interest and therefore her lessons and her approach is much more chill. Given her personality, also am pleased that Eric has inspired her to sit and try vs. other studios where she would just cry and tantrum). I also think most piano teachers we had my daughter work with took a very passive approach about her plateauing and I'm thankful he pushed her in this way. His talents don't come free and I will say Eric is a single person managing like 70 students or something crazy like that. So there have been some logistical difficulties when people get sick or scheduling changes. I've learned to lower my expectations there -- because truly, to give my daughter a chance to achieve true excellence with someone so warm and engaging is worth it. I don't know of anyone who can compete with Eric in terms of pushing progress in a way that is effective and instills both a love of music and strong work ethic; the inconveniences of working with this single individual is worth absolutely worth it.

I have studied piano with Eric for two years now, and I wholeheartedly recommend him to students no…read morematter 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.

We came here beginning of Summer as my kid wanted a Viola from here. Judy got the correct size and…read moreshared when would be a good time to come back before Fall to pick up a rental. Judy was so patient, funny, informative and kind I wouldn't go anywhere else for instruments again (and we live faaaaaar away). Fast forward to today: we came to the shop and Edmond helped us. He was just as kind, patient and informative as we went through the process of picking between two instruments. I highly recommend this place for instruments!!!

Wonderful local instrument store with friendly staff who are generous with the information and…read moretheir time. I stopped in with a need for support on a custom instrument build, and I had the pleasure of talking with in-house luthier Jason at length about it. Looking forward to returning soon and working with the shop and its staff on this special project. 10/10 customer service, highly recommended, plus a nice selection of stringed instruments.

Community School of Music and Arts is a great place for learning. The staff is organized, prepared,…read moreknowledgeable, and encouraging. They create a positive and inspiring environment that helps students grow both creatively and confidently.

Young Chamber Musicians greatly enjoyed producing both our Winter Concert and Finale Concert in…read moreTateuchi Hall at the Community School for Music & Arts this season! Thanks to CSMA's great staff for making our students, coaches and audience so welcome!

Great! My son's cello of 8 years broke during a concert at UCSC. Three years later before buying a…read morenew one we took it to Larry at Palo Alto Violins. He was able to fix it! I don't know he did it but he did! Magic. Larry is really nice to work with and has a gift for caring for instruments..He charged us a very reasonable price for all his work.

I've visited this establishment two times, 1) to fix a violin and 2) fix a cello. The owner who…read morehappens to also be the technician was diligent, attentive, friendly, extremely competent regarding his craft and reasonably priced. I can't thank him enough for his willingness to repair issues big and small. I highly recommend this establishment over ANY in the Bay Area hands down.

Simply stated, Warren is amazing. Our 8-year-old has been taking guitar lessons with Warren since…read moreDecember 2019 and I am amazed at all that my child has learned. Warren is very intuitive about how to teach and especially how to teach kids! I've been trying to find the right teacher for years and Warren is the answer. The most amazing part is that he can teach the music classes over Skype which during this time of quarantine has been a highlight in our week. I feel that Warren has made the guitar fun for a child who had always wanted to learn guitar. Now, my child picks up the guitar all on his own, smiles while playing a song that he just learned and is able to play. Warren also is very knowledgeable about music and he shares that knowledge during the personalized lesson plans. Thank you so much Warren for introducing us to the world of music, we feel lucky to have found you!

Warren was my guitar teacher for 1.5 years and I feel very lucky to have been his student. He is…read morevery gentle and intuitive as a teacher and knows exactly how to engage his students in order to have a fun and productive learning experience. He expertly curates each lesson according to the goals and needs of his students. Warren had the impressive ability to turn all of my favorite songs into guitar pieces that a beginner like me could play! If you are looking for a guitar teacher to help you with learning your favorite songs or if you are a parent hoping for a kind and nurturing teacher for your musically-eager kid, look no further - Warren is the best!

I have been taking piano lessons from Dr. Axel Schmitt for a few years now. As an adult it feels…read moresomewhat more difficult to pick up an instrument, but Dr. Schmitt has made this journey a pure delight. His talent and expertise in playing and teaching the piano, coupled with his never ending patience. enthusiasm and ability to explain piano techniques have made taking lessons with him an amazing experience. So many times has he found ways to teach me how to master tricky sections in a piece and advance further. He is one of the most talented, gifted and capable piano teachers I ever had.

Axel has been teaching my daughter Piano for the past 6 years. Not only he is an expert Piano…read moreplayer himself, but he also knows how to teach kids. He is very patient, polite and explains piano theory really well. His punctuality and professionalism is beyond comparison. In the past 6 years, Axel has never missed a single lesson. He is flexible when teaching piano and adjusts his lesson plans based on the feedback he gets from the child and parents. I highly recommend Axel as piano teacher.

Great service and selection of sheet music is extensive…read more One of the few music stores left.

Used to visit when store was on 262 Castro, about 1 mile from new location. Bought my first…read moreelectric guitar and Pignose amp here. Helpful staff and fair prices. So rare to have a local music store nowadays. I have to go here or Allegro in Fremont, both about 11 or 12 miles away, but a lot more traffic getting to Mountain view.