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!

After decades of trying to learn guitar on my own, I started lessons with Lawrence in August 2020…read more Four years later, I've learned to play both pop and classical music, and I have confidence to look at other pieces at my level and work them out on the guitar. This is due not only to Lawrence's ability to share his deep knowledge of music in ways I can understand, but his approach to teaching in general. Like many students, I bring a strong tendency to criticize myself (despite equally strong evidence that this doesn't actually help me learn). Lawrence gives gentle, useful feedback that tells me that he sees a complete picture: He does notice my mistakes, but he also tells me what went well and specific ways in which I'm getting better. I trust his perspective, and I keep improving. In this manner, Lawrence has helped me become a better student - more open and relaxed, and more attentive to the process rather than focusing on the failures. I am able to view "failures" now as steps toward competence. This is not just a guitar lesson, but a life lesson. In fact, I have found that much of Lawrence's teaching, while specific to guitar, also applies well to real life. His philosophies have enriched my day-to-day experience. Whether or not I practice. :) I highly recommend Lawrence. He's an amazing guitar player, and he knows how to teach. His measured approach is calming and steadying, and his compassion and kindness is very supportive. He does his best to accommodate scheduling needs, and he is super reliable. Work with him. You'll get better at guitar, and you won't stress about it.

Our 6th grader has been studying guitar with Mr. Paul since he was in kindergarten and just loves…read moreit. Totally agree with the reviews of Mr. Paul; he is kind and patient with youngsters and also adapts his style as the child grows. We recommend him whole heartedly.

My boys have been taking lessons from Saideh (violin) and Jillian (piano) for a few years and I…read morestrongly recommend the school, and both teachers. They foster a love of playing music by focusing specifically on what the kid needs, with flexibility and creativity to keep the kids interested. My kids have chosen some more "popular" songs, which they've really enjoyed learning, and I appreciate this approach to keep them going. And they freestyle too, which is really enjoyable. And both teachers have been helpful and organized as we balance other activities to ensure they're getting their lessons.

My daughter has been with Nurture Music for two years, learning piano, and she has had wonderful…read moreexperiences with the piano teachers she has had! Teacher Andrew is just the right balance of firm but friendly and I am so pleased with how much progress my daughter has made and in the confidence she has built. Saideh organizes wonderful recitals which are encouraging and warm, and really gives the students an opportunity to showcase their hard work in a safe environment. I am so grateful that we found Nurture Music and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a strong music program.

Ben works with our 6 year old daughter who expressed an interest in violin. He's patient,…read morethoughtful, and structured in his approach to teaching and it really works for her. Ben also has a great ability to sense when a kid's attention span is waning. He typically transitions to listening and watching some songs played by a violinist to close out the lesson when she can't focus on playing any longer. This works really well to generate interest and inspiration for her to keep learning. Ben is great!

Ben is teaching violin to our two children, who are both beginners. He is using the Suzuki method,…read moreand has shown a great deal of patience (45 min lessons each!) and flexibility in terms of teaching style. We are very pleased with their learning and progress! Thanks!

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 highly recommend Herman as a piano teacher, especially if you are an adult beginner like me. I…read morecame in with zero prior experience and am quite happy with the progress I've made in just a couple of months. Herman has many years of experience teaching students of all ages and differing levels of skill. Therefore, he knows what works and what doesn't. He has thought deeply about piano pedagogy and is able to tailor lessons to each student's needs. On top of that, Herman is extremely kind and patient which I deeply appreciate. Having an encouraging teacher really helps one get over the initial hump of trying something new. Lastly, he teaches in a beautiful studio in Duboce Triangle which is centrally located and easily accessible by MUNI.

I started lessons with Herman about a year ago after an 8-year break from piano, and it's been one…read moreof the best decisions I've made. Coming back after such a long gap, I was honestly a little intimidated because my technique was rusty and I wasn't sure how quickly I'd be able to pick things back up. Herman took the time to really understand where I was starting from and built a plan around that, rather than just handing me a generic curriculum. What I appreciate most is his patience and encouragement. If I'm struggling with a piece or feeling frustrated with my progress, he doesn't make a big deal of it, he just adjusted and kept things moving. Herman finds the sweet spot of balancing encouragement but the right amount of pressure so I will grow, without feeling discouraged. I can't recommend Herman highly enough, whether you're returning to piano after a break or starting new.

Mandy is both a skilled musician and adept teacher. My daughter has been taking piano lessons with…read moreher for 4+ years now, and the experience has been a total delight. Mandy's steady approach has helped my daughter build competence and confidence, appreciation and understanding. Mandy is so encouraging and patient, and she really finds a way to bring out the best in each individual.

Our son is lucky to have been taught by Mandy for the last 6 years. The reason why Mandy is such a…read morefantastic teacher is because she has been a performer for most of her life, who happens to enjoy teaching. She doesn't just teach how to play piano, she teaches how to *perform* which is very different from most other piano teachers. I learned from a piano teacher when I was a child, so I can play the piano. But every time I listened to her lessons to our son, I always learned something new because I never learned any aspect related to performance, which is an art in and of itself. She taught him how to decipher the music and try to understand what the music and musician were saying, not just playing the notes like I learned. Performance aspects like scratching at the keys to give it a light touch, or even simpler things like playing repeated notes with multiple fingers instead of the same finger to make it sound more even and to preserve finger endurance. His understanding and love of music evolved the more he learned from Mandy and to the point where he listens to classical music on his way to and from school because he genuinely loves it. He even spent some parts of his lessons listening to and learning from Mandy about his favorites like Moonlight Sonata Movement 3. We are truly grateful for Mandy and everything she has taught our son about music that we could never do ourselves.

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!!!