I learned more from David about music in a year of lessons than I did from 8 years of music classes…read moregrowing up. He is unique as a teacher in that he covers music theory topics in detail before translating them to guitar. It really helps to know concepts before playing, rather than learning the instrument on just a physical basis. I truly feel like I can appreciate music better because of taking lessons with David. Despite focusing on theory, he also shreds on guitar, and is able to play pretty much everything we worked on together flawlessly. He is able to teach as fast as you want, and does a great job of keeping lessons challenging without being stressful. I would still be taking lessons if I weren't moving away from the Bay Area.

I love David. He is so knowledgable in every area of music. Music theory, recording,…read moresongwriting....all the things I need to know as a singer songwriter. And he knows the guitar inside and out and has taught me everything from tuning, stringing, strumming, finger picking....you name it. David is reliable and the best guitar teacher I've ever had!

Great teacher, Lane, who also the owner of school. I took ukulele lessons. Explain basic music…read moretheory so can understand. Very helpful to guide in learning finger playing.

Great place! Expert musicians, AV-skilled artists, recording equipment and studios, fantastic…read morekids' summer camps, and very friendly folks! It's great to have such a resource for creativity in the community. Check out them out!

I've been taking lessons with Joe for about 4 years now. Initially, we started out in person but as…read moremy technique improved we moved over to online lessons, which was great because it saved me commuting time and the quality of the lessons was the same. Needless to say, my playing has improved dramatically. Joe has a structured curriculum that he takes you through. He is patient and kind. I've enjoyed working with him very much and have no intention of stopping anytime soon. I highly recommend taking lessons with Joe. You won't regret it.

Of all the guitar teachers I have had Joe was the best. He uses a very thoughtful and effective…read morecurriculum of evolution of styles through the decades. I learned a lot !

Scott is an excellent drum teacher and musician. He has a deep wealth of musical knowledge which he…read moreis able to share with students in a simple, understandable way. Scott is easy going and patient, with an infectious passion for the drums. I've taken drum lessons with Scott for a year, and have progressed more than I thought possible. I highly recommend Scott as a music mentor, he quite literally rocks!

I've studied with Scott for about a year, and have had great results! I came to the table having…read morebeen a drummer for a long time but not having any real technique, and Scott did a great job of helping me build up my technique and feel more confident behind the drum kit. I also felt that we worked on a strong variety of playing styles and types of exercises, and these really helped me be a more well-rounded drummer. I was unsure at first about taking lessons online, but was totally convinced after the very first lesson. Scott has a very professional camera setup that he uses to fluidly switch between different shots, so I was very easily able to see and hear exactly what he was doing. In the end, I felt like I was able to get even more clarity than I would have in person!

I've been studying classical guitar with Mark Simons for almost two years now and this review is…read morelong overdue. When I first decided to take guitar lessons, I contacted the music department at San José State University, where I work as a professor of Linguistics. At the time, I was disappointed to discover that they couldn't accommodate me for lessons, so I set my search closer to my home in San Francisco, contacting Guitar Solo and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for recommendations. Both suggested Mark, so I arranged for my first lesson and one rainy Thursday afternoon in February 2024 I headed to his North Beach studio. As someone with anxiety, I was incredibly nervous about this first encounter. After all, I had barely picked up the guitar a month earlier and Mark was an instructor at SFCM, a member of the San Francisco Guitar Quartet, and a graduate of both the New England Conservatory of Music and USC's acclaimed guitar program. Did I even belong here? As soon as I met Mark, though, he put my worries at ease. He was kind, encouraging, and incredibly positive about my very basic guitar skills, even saying to me, "Don't worry. You're already in!" Almost two years later, I couldn't be happier to have found Mark and his studio. Since I started lessons with Mark, my technical skills have improved tremendously, and I feel confident that I'm developing solid technique that will help me to eventually become the kind of player that I'd like to be. Mark is patient with me, but also adept at identifying problem areas in my technique and providing helpful exercises to address my problems. In addition to his expert instruction in technique, Mark excels at getting me to think deeply about the music I am playing, prompting me with challenging questions that I often can't answer, but that always lead me to a deeper and more expressive understanding and performance of the music. Mark doesn't let me get away with just playing the notes; he makes me discover and truly hear the music, and, as a result, I've grown tremendously as a musician. These lessons have changed the way I hear music in general, be it pop, jazz, classical, or rock, and my world has been enhanced as a result. Mark's studio in North Beach is also a great environment to study guitar. Instruments line the walls and shelves overflow with sheet music, making the space inspiring, which is a good reflection of Mark himself. As someone who loves music and genuinely wants to share that with his students, Mark has shown me that I never needed to feel nervous at that first lesson. In fact, Mark's commitment to his students extends beyond the actual lessons, as he is accessible and willing to answer questions, offer advice, and share musical suggestions outside of class, too. I don't know how good I'll ever become at guitar, but I know I will be a better player and a better interpreter of music because of Mark's teaching. I can't recommend him more highly.

Mark Simons is an excellent teacher who shares his breadth of knowledge exuberantly. I first…read morelearned from Simons as a community college student who took his all levels class. He would consistently stay after class time to answer questions, or should I say-- EXCEED my questions, sharing vast theoretical and technical information. Since the first fall semester with him, I have returned for a second semester and now attend private lessons. I started playing guitar when I was about 13. I am currently 23 and looking to develop classical technique and awareness. Mark Simons has helped me through this journey immensely-- as a teacher and great recourse of information. His patience and commitment to sharing guitar stands out and makes me excited to further my journey with guitar. Also, going to Marks Studio in North Beach is blast. Not only is SF Guitar Studio a beautiful place to study, but the whole neighborhood contributes to an inspiring endeavor of learning and artistic authenticity. Marks commitment to sharing guitar playing to ALL AGES is untouched and I highly recommend lessons to anyone, whether you have never picked up a guitar, or are looking to develop your classical technique.

Laszlo has been my drum teacher for the last 10 years. He provides endless support throughout our…read morelessons, an incredible character and sense of humor and guidance in both life and drumming. His teaching skills are more than equal to that of his mastery of the drums. Start lessons with him as soon as you can. He will change your life.

I only got the chance to work with laszlo for ~7-8 months (because i moved) but he took from a…read morecomplete beginner to someone confident enough to play in a band. His approach focuses on applicability (learning staple songs within genres and delving into artists spanning from James brown to nirvana) which teaches you not only common grooves, but also song structure. Can't say enough great things - highly recommend

Bravo Maestro! It…read moreis a pleasure to sing the praises of Shaun. He has worked with my 11 year old child for about 6 months now and I am so impressed with with his expertise and patience. We originally started taking lessons with him to prep for a show with a school friend's band but even after the event passed my son wanted to continue. Shaun really has a gift of making music understandable, incorporating the building of technique, laying down the fundamentals, and all while having fun. He really makes an effort to find the approach that will make things work for his student. The cost is reasonable for private lessons and he has all the equipment at his studio so we just show up with sticks. Highly recommended.

If you wanna learn drums, Shaun is the man…read more He's a patient teacher who's great at gauging progress so you learn new stuff each week without getting too flustered. The other reviewers are right. It's his personality that makes him awesome. My kid loves going to lessons. His studio has a parking lot and is 1 block from I-280 Geneva exit. Bring your own sticks, he provides everything else.

Let's just say that without Matthew (and God) I would not be the musician I am today…read more I first found Matthew on Yelp! when I decided at the last minute to apply as a music major to colleges. Although I played cello since middle school, it was very casual and only through the school's music programs; I even stopped playing the cello my last two years of high school. So imagine my panic and scramble to find my first private cello teacher in San Francisco with the goal of improving my playing to audition for colleges with a four month timeline. Matthew was very enthusiastic and supported my potential to get into a music school; in reflection, I think he was the most positive and encouraging person during my entire audition process. He fully supported my playing by transforming my passion for music into a technical and musical base to work with, fully showing the colleges what I would be capable of accomplishing. But that's not all. Matthew went above and beyond by helping me record the videos professionally for the audition process, even letting me borrow his cello for better sound, and even helped me edit the videos so that they would be the most presentable work to the colleges I applied to. We also went through the most realistic school choices for my current skill level and came up with some state schools in California with strong music programs (Cal Poly Slo, CSU Fullerton, CSU Long Beach) and a private school (Biola University). Throughout this whole process I did not feel discouraged by Matthew even once. In the end, I got accepted to all four colleges for cello performance and I could not have done it without Matthew's generous help. But that's not all. Once I had accepted that I would be a music major, Matthew also went above and beyond to help me pick a new cello to buy for the next few years of school. As he has gained a strong network of musicians in SF, he knew where to help me look and off we went. He even came with me to play the cellos for me so that I could hear the potential sound of each cello. We were able to get a cello in our budget and a reasonably priced cello case thanks to Matthew's personal recommendation and expertise. But that's not all. Throughout Matthew's time as my teacher, I was able to fully entrust myself as his student because of his professionalism as a music educator who leads by example. Initially, I was drawn to Matthew as he was a musician that is greatly connected to the music community in SF, including being a chamber coach for the SF Conservatory and performing at many venues and gigs. But in our lessons, I truly got to know that Matthew is a professional cellist that exudes passion for the cello from his expressive and captivating cello playing to his vast knowledge on cello repertoire and technique, including orchestral excerpts and cello pieces to learn to grow as a cellist. In addition, Matthew was always clear about lesson plans and prices so that it best protected his career as a musician but also gave the most accountability and expectations for budding cello students to follow as well. This was helpful in setting a consistent lesson schedule --- which saves the hassle for both teacher and student! Needless to say, here I am, as a cello performance major, four years later, ready to start my own career as a musician. It has come full circle and I am now coaching and teaching others music! I am forever grateful to Matthew for making my musical career possible. I never felt alone during this musical journey due to Matthew's constant encouragement and support and his love for sharing the cello with others!

When my little sister announced that she was having her wedding on the beach in Tulum, Mexico, I…read moretold her that for her wedding gift I'd learn how to play the cello and perform my favorite piece, Bach's Suite No 1 in G, at her wedding...that was coming up in 6 months...even though I've never picked up a cello in my life. As luck would have it, I met Matt that same week during once of his performances. After being amazed by how beautifully he played the cello, I quickly approached him after the show, told him about my audacious goal, how worried I was about letting my sister down and how there was probably no way that I could be performance ready in such a short amount of time. Matt was kind enough to listen to me as I ranted at a mile a minute before putting my mind at ease by assuring me that anyone can learn the cello. We began lessons immediately and I remember how patient Matt was with me even though I kept holding holding the bow like a chicken drumstick. But a couple of months later, I was learning about shifting finger positions, producing quality sound from the strings and maintaining rhythm & tempo. While Matt was great at teaching me technical skills with the cello, he also got me to dig a bit deep and taught me how to express my emotions through this instrument so that the audience can feel the music instead of just hearing the notes. This helped me to let go of thinking of the piece as a combination of quarter notes and eight notes but as a story that I wanted to tell to the audience. On the day of my sister's wedding...well...how can I say this..I totally nailed it! Sure, some parts were still a little bit sticky (I'm sure it didn't help that I was crazy nervous) but I vividly remember during the standing ovation that I felt so happy for my sister and so proud of myself for actually pulling this off. And of course, I couldn't have down it without my cello teach Matt. Thank you again Matt!!!