I was looking for a piano teacher in the Murrieta area and saw that Lebaron's studio has good yelp reviews, so I arranged a piano class for my 6 YO son. My son only had one class with Ms. Violet because she could not accommodate our preferred time and schedule - which I had a choice to do so, and we have other extracurricular activities other than piano. I found another piano teacher that could. Ms. Violet graciously wished us well on my son's music journey. Ms. Karine, on the other hand, is a bitter person. She hounded me and left threatening voicemails for nonpayment of the one session/ class ($53 only!!!), which, by the way, I paid later. I initially asked Ms. Violet via text if she wanted me to drop off the one-class payment, but I didn't get a response. They both needed to coordinate the mode of payment, which was a misunderstanding. Ms. Violet prefers cash, while the other wants me to pay through Zelle (sounds fishy...) I was shocked and in total disbelief at how unprofessional and demeaning are the messages and VM of Ms. Karine's. She is a different person from the older reviews I read and from my experience with her. I suggest you do a one-trial session first with the studio to see if your child matches the teacher's teaching style. Piano class isn't cheap, and you should get what you pay for. There are plenty of music teachers in the area that are leveraging technology in teaching music, e.g., reading notes and scales, ear training, and music composition. Why do I know? My 9-year-old son have been a CA state honor awardee in piano since he was 6 YO. Technology has made him independent in learning piano skills and theory. Lebaron studio's teaching method is old-fashioned and still uses notebooks and manual writing for note identification and homework. I'm not against the old style of teaching if that works for you; however, in this day and age, I prefer my kids to be to use technology to be more self-reliant. As for the son's comment, he mentioned he sometimes couldn't understand what the teacher was saying. read more

My son has been taking piano lessons since Feb 2013. Since he started very young at 3 and a half years old, our goals were to just let him enjoy the piano, and build a foundation in music that would hopefully cultivate a lifelong love and skill. We expressed our wishes keep it light and fun so he would love learning. My philosophy is that the earlier we integrated music in his life, the more natural it would be for him to continue as long as we go at his pace. I'm not a tiger mom when it comes to piano. We definitely do not push him faster than he enjoys. So some lessons are slower than others, and that's ok with me. Having said that, my tyke has picked up piano quickly, responded positively to Ms. Karine's fun lessons, and has a super solid foundation in technique (proper finger digit curved piano hands to prevent injury) He did his first piano recital June 2013 which he loved. After 10 months of lessons, he was able to sight read and plays the first octave notes (Treble clef: C through G, and Base clef: C through F) I think that is pretty remarkable for a 4 yr old. and speaks volumes about Ms. Karine's teaching abilities. We are very happy with his progress. His journey hasn't always been smooth, which is to be expected when learning a new skill. Overall, he has consistently moved forward despite little ups and downs along the way. read more

Ms Karine is very encouraging from the start to finish of lesson. She has the ability to help you learn in a relaxed way. A great teacher that is very good at explaining things. I highly recommend them. read more

As soon as my first daughter turned 4years old, she started becoming curious about playing the piano. My husband and I decided to find a teacher in the Temecula and Murrieta area. We stumbled upon Ms. Karine and Ms. Violet's piano studio. She started in the fall of 2019. Immediately, her growth for music was transparent. There was an improvement in her speech, analytics, critical thinking and confidence. Within 16 months, Ms. Karine and Ms. Violet decided that she is ready to complete her Preparatory A and Preparatory B exam for The Royal Conversatory of Music. The exams were one day apart and she scored a 93. The curriculum included sight reading, scales, chords, intervals, rhythm reading and performing 3 memorized piano pieces. Her teachers exhibited tremendous patience, love and passion for their work. At the moment, my daughter is learning Music Theory from Ms. Karine and technical piano playing from Ms. Violet. My second daughter started piano classes with Ms. Violet at 3 years old. I am amazed on how she teaches small children, which can be very challenging. Within 4 months, my second daughter learned how to identify notes, define beats in every measure and play in rhythm with both hands. Her body alignment and posture along with her hands and fingers are strongly emphasized during her lessons. She finds pleasure in practicing everyday without being forced to do so. She is always excited to see Ms. Violet for her next lesson. As a parent who used to take piano lessons as a kid, I can, truly, testify that Ms. Karine and Ms. Violet are different from the rest. They set high expectations for all teachers alike. They modify their methods and teaching style to the student's age, personality and learning abilities. Overall, We are very blessed for our girls to be under the guidance of Ms. Karine and Ms. Violet. We believe that we "hit the jackpot" knowing that their passion to educate and develop well-rounded pianists will have an everlasting and positive influence in our daughters' lives. read more

After our son had been playing keyboard on his own for a year, we decided to enroll him in lessons. Mrs LeBaron was the third piano teacher we interviewed. She provided me some numbers of students from New York for reference. Their recommendations were incredible. We passed over a Berklee graduate and a long-time local teacher because the opportunity to study with Mrs LeBaron was obviously a rare chance. Mrs LeBaron is staggeringly passionate. Her degree is in piano, and she was trained in the East in the Russian tradition. She loves the kids and has the firmness of a good mother when its needed, but her excitement for the work is infectious. Our son gets up in the morning and does his practice immediately, and plays more throughout the day. We have upgraded from a midi keyboard to a Yamaha clavinova, and I'm confident that will serve him for a long time to come. Mrs LeBaron is a very hands-on teacher. She will hold a child's hand, showing them how to move each digit. As a physician, I found this quite interesting. I had her do it with me, and I realized she is working to protect the extensor mechanism. If you see older students wringing their hands after playing, this is pain in the extensor tendons on the back of the hand. She works diligently in every lesson to teach the kids how to protect themselves from this sort of injury. Now our daughter, 3 years older, wants to play piano too. I cannot recommend Mrs LeBaron highly enough. read more

Mrs. LeBaron started teaching my 2 boys (around 6 months ago, ages 5 and 6 1/2) She is incredibly patient, dedicated and passionate about her teaching. She spends all her energy and efforts to teach them and she has an amazing method that allowed my kids at a very early stage to play notes in a very musical way by prompting them to pay careful attention to the dynamics, intonation, phrasing, hands and fingers and body position, rhythm, evenness etc...She is very perseverant and meticulous, but at the same time caring and attentive to each child unique needs; She adjusts her method to specifically fit each of her students different personality and learning style. She is also extremely careful to work in a slow pace with the kids and making sure she prevents them from learning more advanced and fast pieces (which other teachers do) until they are really ready musically to do so. This prevents the kids from acquiring and keeping bad playing habits (such as hand stiffness, bad phrasing and intonation etc...) Mrs. LeBaron is accomplished musician and has a very solid foundation. If you are looking into having your kids play piano and learn music quickly with a mediocre quality, this is not the teacher for you. Instead, if you are looking to have a "concert pianist"/professional level of education even at an early age, she is the one. She is really a gem and I am incredibly happy that I found her. Myself I am a pianist with more than 10 years of training, and I was so impressed with her method that I started taking classes as well with her. She has definitely allowed me to play and comprehend music in a very different and mature way. I would recommend her without hesitation for young as well as adult learners. She is truly irreplaceable and I am hoping that she soon release a printed version of her teaching methods. read more

Ms. Karine and Ms. Violet have instilled and reinforced a curiosity and love of learning in my 11 year old. When my daughter started lessons a year and a half ago, Ms. Karine and Ms. Violet's passion for teaching helped her pick up sight reading music so quickly -- much more quickly than I remember learning as a kid (and I remember having piano lessons that made me cry!). They're very patient and caring, and are not clock-watchers. They will take time to help your child progress without being scary and strict like the piano teachers of my day! read more

My daughter's 9 and 5, have been getting piano lessons from Karine LeBaron Studio for over a year now. Ms. Karine and Ms. Violet are both excellent teachers. They show a great amount of patience, especially with the little ones. It's such a joy witnessing my daughter's learning the art of music in a personal, and caring environment. read more

My Son started playing piano when he wa three years old with Ms. Karine. Ms. Karine is very patient and good with kids. She combines classic and non traditional way of teaching. My son enjoyed the lessons. Ms Violet is excellent and patient as well. They encourage their students to join the competitions which boosted my son's confidence . Thank you Ms Karine and Ms Violet. read more

A lot of kids quit playing piano at the very beginning is because they realize to play a piece of music takes a lot of practice and what is worse is they don't have a good teacher to lead them correctly into this area. My daughter has been taking lesson from Mrs. Karine for about 2 years and still gets so excited every time she goes to her lesson, because Mrs. Karine really knows how to keep her students engaged and motivated. Mrs. Karine makes sure all her students have beautiful piano hands and pays attention to every each note that students play. She helps her students to build a good taste of music in stead of just letting them pushing bunch of keys with bad hands.. With Mrs. Karine 's help, my daughter got high points at her RCM test and was invited to USC to perform. In my opinion, my daughter not only learned how to play piano but also has acquired much more important lessons like self-confidence, self-reliance, and learning to control her brain to focus on one thing, learning to manage her time more effectively with other activities. So Mrs. Karine is not only a piano teacher , she is my daugher's piano MAMA, a life coach . I would strongly recommend Karine LeBaron for piano lessons. read more

Karine has been teaching my 7 year old daughter piano since 2016. She teaches her techniques that even some of the most well known pianists do not know. She's very knowledgeable and PASSIONATE about the piano. You have to be careful not to enroll your child with someone who is only teaching to get a paycheck. Karine teaches because she is passionate about playing the piano! And passionate about teaching and molding the minds of little kids. She makes the atmosphere very fun for my daughter to learn. She has amazing patience with her students and they all respect her very much, as do us parents! I am SOOOO proud to have my daughter be taught by such an experienced, caring, and lovable piano teacher! I'm grateful to have come across Karine and trust her completely to take my daughter to the next levels into her future piano career:) read more

Ms. Karine is an amazing teacher. She was absolutely wonderful with our daughter (age 6) - taking her time to make sure she had good form and develop her ear - she's very meticulous. She encourages her students to participate in the Royal Conservatory of Music including exams, etc... and prepares them - majority of her students do very well! Our daughter really enjoyed taking lessons from her and friends we've referred to her really enjoyed her as well. She's not your typical piano teacher and tailors her instruction to the personality and skill level of your child. In other words, she doesn't have one set curriculum (such as Suzuki or other) that she just puts every kid though. We highly recommend Ms. Karine if you're serious about wanting your child to have a solid musical foundation and excelling in piano. read more

MIss Karine is a consummate professional. I have two daughters that attend her location in Murrieta weekly. Since they have begun lessons last year I have seen tremendous improvement in their attitudes, self-confidence, and their willingness to learn complex subjects. Her highly-effective teaching style is her own creation that she has developed over years of experience; highly recommended. read more

The teacher's appreciation week is coming up. I am really happy to say that I found the right piano teacher for my son. It is amazing to go through those tough daily practices and enjoying those rewarding moments. My son is not the most talented kid on the block. However, i see the way he has progressed. I have to say that Mrs. Karine really likes teaching piano and I am really grateful that she pushes us to the next level. We work hard together to make nice music. read more

Mrs. Karine and Mrs. Violet have great patience and are highly skilled for teaching all age and ability levels. My experience with them has been great; the Temecula Valley is fortunate to have a great caliber of piano instruction. read more

My daughter is taking piano lessons with Ms. Karine, and we have had such a wonderful experience. Her knowledge of music an piano is exceptional. Also, Ms. Karine has a unique ability to be nurturing, yet disciplined with children. My daughter has learned so much because of Ms. Karine's ability to connect with her. read more

I have known Karine for several years, both professionally and personally, and I know her to be one of the best teachers I have ever come across. She is thoroughly trained in the most sophisticated techniques and she is totally devoted to her students. You wont find a better teacher for students of all ages. read more

If you are looking for a serious studio and want your kids to have steady progress, this is the one. Ms. Karine puts all her efforts and passion in teaching. She is always patient though strict to my daughter, which tremendously improves her piano skills to RCM level 3 in just two years. I am happy that we found the right teacher and both my daughter and I believe in Ms. Karine. I highly recommend her. read more

Karine is a very talented pianist and amazing teacher. She has been teaching both of our children for almost 2 years and they absolutely love her. She has a unique ability to understand each child and knows how to inspire and encourage a love for music and piano In her students. She has taught my children theory as well. They absolutely love being taught by her. They look forward to seeing her each week. She treats her students like they are her own child.... A lot of love and patience without compromising skills or growth. Both of my children have flourished and grown incredibly in their playing, understanding of theory and love for music since being under Karine's instruction. I would recommend her without hesitation to anyone looking for an exceptionally talented and qualified piano teacher for their children. read more

My daughter Nivedita started Piano with Mrs LeBaron in 2012 summer. In many ways it was a real beginning from zero for us, considering that my daughter had no prior experience with any musical instruments. Within 2 years, Nivedita not only stays passionate about music and Piano, but also in the process successfully completed Prep-A,Prep-B, Level1, Level2 examinations and recently appeared for Level-3 exam, all conducted by the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM). It is due to sheer commitment, support, encouragement of her guru, our daughter could come this far, this soon. For Nivedita, Mrs LeBaron is an affectionate mother, a guiding star, an honest critique, an inspiring artist and a committed teacher all in one. Mrs LeBaron comes from a solid piano and classical music background. Mrs LeBaron has a highly impressive education background where she was trained at the famous Soviet/Russian twin schools of Moscow and St.Petersburg. She works on multiple aspects of her students to make them a long term all round successful pianist. For example, she pays utmost care in ensuring that your child doesn't indulge into a bad playing style which may potentially lead to injuries to finger, wrist or hands. She is quick to spot these things early and rectify for long term. On technical side too, she relies on solid foundations. She is not someone who brush through a chapter without making sure that, the student mastered the underlying concepts in sufficient detail. Often she uses anecdotes as well as analogies when a seemingly difficult concept is freshly introduced. This helps the student to grasp the ideas and also get a better perspective. She is not your archetypical piano teacher who ride through a set of songs. Instead, Mrs LeBaron carefully nourish and equip her students with valuable tools of art and wisdom so that they will be able to expand, innovate and shape one of their own. She has an impeccable sense of wisdom, sharp artistic mind and a good sense of humor. She is both holistic and at the same time extremely hands on and practical. We feel extremely lucky and privileged to have Mrs LeBaron as the teacher and more special being the first! We have our highest regards to her for being such a passionate artist and teacher. It is with no hesitation that we love to recommend her. If you come across a chance to grab her as a teacher and, you are passionate and remain committed yourselves to match her effort, take it with two hands. read more

Karine truly sets the standard when it comes to teaching piano. We are truly blessed to have such a master. My son is a teenager and comes home after each lesson inspired by music with Karine. She demonstrates a strong passion and focus in developing the best in my son and his dedication to his music and Karine makes that evident. Her talent, experience, and high intellect are much to be desired in a music teacher...but I think when it comes to Karine, her ultimate ability to connect to her students is what makes her truly amazing, highly effective and one of a kind. read more

I have 2 kids enrolled with ms.karine for piano lessons. Passionate yet strict is how a teacher should be and she meets that level of expectation 100%. Her lessons are great and she is extremely loving and encouraging towards the kids and very frank with the parents. She sets attainable goals for the kids, making them want to learn and understand more. It has been 9 mths of lessons now and we are looking forward to years more. read more

My son Zachary has been taking piano lessons with Miss Violet for about 7 months. He started lessons the same month he turned five and had no previous exposure to music lessons (with the exception of general group music appreciation for kids). I have honestly been amazed by my son's progress over the last 7 months. Miss Violet has done an exceptional job at assessing his specific skills/abilities, learning style etc. and adapting the lesson plans accordingly in order to help him reach his highest potential. She is kind, patient, and naturally intuitive with children. She challenges my son to make real progress every week, and sets high standards, but also knows when to slow down when he has trouble with certain elements. I often see Miss Violet changing her approach and try different techniques when my son has difficulty understanding a concept. Something I really appreciate about this studio is that they provide students with opportunities to perform the skills they have learned. I love the confidence my son is gaining by being able to perform in front of a group of people and share his skills with others. No one in my family or my husband's family plays piano so I was a bit intimated by the idea of helping my son with his practice or piano homework at home but Miss Violet has also taken the time to help me learn the basics so I can help facilitate my son's piano practice throughout the week. This has been a great learning experience for both of us and I would highly recommend this studio! read more