Andrew is an incredible teacher. I've grown more as a musician in the last few months of working…read morewith him than I did in the previous year at community music studio and in the entirety of my childhood lessons. He has endless patience, excellent communication skills and his knowledge and passion for music is unparalleled in my experience. He's been open pretty much all Covid 19 and his sense of humor and gentle pushing of me out of my comfort zone has gotten me through this pandemic.

My son takes piano lessons here with Andrew and I can highly recommend this music studio…read more All 3 of my children have taken music lessons so I've seen a lot of different teachers and instructional approaches. Andrew's methodology is very approachable and encouraging for the young learner. He really wants to develop a life long love of music for the child and create a solid foundation on which they can build. He is super patient which is great. I really like Andrew's approach to recitals as well. He holds recitals on a near monthly basis but keeps them very casual. This gives the learner a great opportunity to practice performing in front of people with good frequency but in slightly lower pressure situations than normal (this is coming from an adult who was subjected to "scary" recitals as a child!).

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!!!

Don't recommend for busy adults that want good service and flexibility…read more 1. Strict, complicated scheduling rules. You can't just cancel, you have to commit to the whole month in advance and making up classes is extremely constrained. You'll pay for classes you don't attend. 2. Trapdoor auto-renew billing. You can sign up easily but there's no easy way to cancel. You have to email them and they're slow to respond. 3. Disorganized. Lessons were meandering and felt improvised. I only signed up for 30min per week and it felt like 10 mins of useful lesson time. Not worth the commute back and forth. 4. Chaotic environment. The student portal is a mess. Lots of email spam. Confusing rules. The studio is noisy (understandable). I had to remain crouched in the lesson room because the ceiling is only 6ft high. Staff seemed generally very nice, but out of their element when dealing with adult students. They value their own time much more than yours. I wanted to make time for developing my musical skills outside of my primary career and this experience ended up wasting time and money and just adding more stress to my life. I learned a little but ultimately not worth the costs. Will go with a private tutor in the future.

We love Little Mission Studio. My son has been a percussion…read morestudent of Christian who is an excellent music teacher. He truly had an amazing impact on Atlas's interest in music. Not only is he patient with him to focus his attention to things, as he is a young kid full of energy, but also he is making his lessons fun, enjoyable and exploratory to let him enjoy music in different ways. Atlas is always looking forward to his lessons!

Great teacher! Patient, organized, updates lesson plans and your practice lessons - in real time…read more You can access your learned songs via notes, audio and even self learning through his YouTube channel: Fiddlehed. I've never met an artist/musician that puts so much thought into a students learning and makes it accessible for students to sign in to their page to see their progress. The lessons are on-time and parking is available which helps in SF! It's a very relaxed setting. I went from having violin / fiddle lessons on my aspiration list to playing over 20 songs. I've been going for a year and look forward to starting up with the group lessons to learn to play with others to change the perspective. Even better that Jason is a proven and professional musician in a gypsy rock band. I'm impressed!

Jason won't just teach you how to play the fiddle; he'll instill a joy and passion for the…read moreinstrument into you. On our first lesson, while I awkwardly bowed a single note, he picked up his own fiddle and played something marvelous in accompaniment. Therefore, from the very beginning I felt like I was "making music," not just learning scales and drills, and I was hooked! This is the secret to Jason's teaching method - to get you playing as quickly as possible so that you will love it and practice your heart out just to get more of it. He's patient and encouraging and teaches by ear rather than reading music, which makes me feel like I'm making my brain smarter in an altogether new way, too. Jason's more than just a fiddle teacher - he's a spirited and talented musician in his own right, and is active in the SF music scene. If you have any doubts about the kind of fiddle player he's training you to be, go see him perform live. He'll blow you away!

Gabriel is an undiscovered gem. In Covid time he has been doing remote lessons, but with almost…read moremore efficiency than in person!! His teaching skill, engaging personality and sense of humor have made him the best of my daughter's three musical teachers. With his cats and his jokes ; he's the best. He is a highly competent musician and dedicated teacher, truly Ian undiscovered gem in downtown San Francisco.

Gabriel taught my daughter and my son to not only play the cello but to have any actual…read moreappreciation for classical music. I have not found another teacher with as much patience for teaching younger children nor as much dedication to both music and teaching.

I have been playing guitar for over a decade and would consider myself an advanced player…read more However, I am always looking to develop my skills, specifically my soloing and improvisational technique. I attended a private lesson with Shambhu and within an hour he had broken down the complexities of soloing in a way that was easy to understand and simple to apply. Shambhu is very professional, yet very friendly and relaxed with his teaching style. He made me feel comfortable as a learner and was very encouraging even when I did make mistakes. Shambhu is a incredible musician himself. I was extremely impressed with both his live improvisation as well as his recorded material. It seems that he has lived an impressive musical resume as he has collaborated with numerous well-known artists. Shambhu commenced the lesson by understanding my skill level as a musician. He asked me what I wanted to learn and jumped right into the lesson after figuring out where my knowledge was and what I wanted to get out of the lesson. Leading by example and charts he had drawn out, I was able to understand the fundamental pieces to soloing that I had been lacking. Shambhu quickly picked up on what was missing in my playing and clarified it to me both verbally and practically on the guitar. This lesson is really going to help me move to the next level of guitar soloing because I better understand the fret board, I have learned how to create different sounds and moods, and I now know different improvisational and rhythmic techniques. I would recommend Shambhu's lessons for any beginner or advanced player who is looking to further develop their musical abilities.

Neil is without question, the best guitar teacher I've ever worked with. He's generous and patient…read moreand a true subject matter expert. He tailored the lesson to my skill level and in two hours gave me more info that I've gotten out of two months of online study. There's no doubt that time spent with Neil will help any sincere musician who wants to improve. Cheap at twice the price!

I am so happy I found Charles to teach my daughter, Angel, to play the cello! Charles is very…read morewarm, professional, well-prepared and friendly. He is always thorough in his lessons and has well thought out assignments for Angel. He is excited when she is doing well and compliments her. When she has a hard day, he is very encouraging and warm. He has become part of the family and supports Angel even in her other activities. Charles is a passionate cello player. He plays at numerous events around the Bay Area and releases cello numbers on YouTube. I recommend Charles highly to anyone interested in learning to play the cello.

So excited that we hired Charles to play at our wedding ceremony at House Family Vineyards…read more(10-12-14). He was very professional and I loved that he played Top 40 on the cello during our wine reception hour. This was perfect and added a nice upbeat ambiance that night. The ceremony music was just beautiful and he made our wedding day very special. I would definitely hire him again :) Thanks Charles!!!

It is for good reason Brani receives stellar reviews: he is a master at his craft. On a cold, rainy…read moreafternoon, he spent nearly two hours diligently tuning my piano, during which he would play to listen to the quality, then make adjustments. The result was nothing less than fabulous. He even cleaned the keys. Listening to this man play, alone, would have been well worth the cost of his tuning, but if you need your piano tuned, rest assured this master will do an excellent job. Icing on the cake: of course he was masked, but he also brought protective shoes covers to be certain he did not track anything into my home. He is charming, articulate, and an absolute expert at what he does. I cannot recommend him highly enough, and I am relieved to know he is out there should my piano need any work in the future. Needless to say, I am a devoted fan, and I would love to attend any performance in which he might perform.

Brani is a piano whisperer!…read more I have hired him several times to tune a grand piano, and he has recently brought an old upright back to life (it didn't play at all before, and now it looks awesome and plays beautifully).