My boys have been taking lessons from Saideh (violin) and Jillian (piano) for a few years and I strongly 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. read more

My daughter has been with Nurture Music for two years, learning piano, and she has had wonderful experiences 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. read more

My daughters have been taking violin and piano lessons at Nurture Music School for several years now, and it has been an exceptional experience. After trying out several music studios in the city, we found that Nurture Music School truly stands out. The teachers here take a personalized approach, allowing each student's musical interests to guide their learning journey. This method has fostered a genuine enthusiasm for practice and growth in my children, who feel motivated by the joy of playing pieces they love. Saideh and her team strike the perfect balance between encouragement and challenge, nurturing a deep appreciation for music while inspiring progress. Their passion for teaching shines through in every lesson. I wholeheartedly recommend Nurture Music School to any family seeking a supportive and inspiring environment for music education. read more

My 4 year old has been learning from teacher Leah - she is fun, engaged and has helped my child thrive in his musical interest. He understands notes, finger numbers and is learning to apply his learnings to play simple songs. Saideh is been instrumental in building this success, always checking in on the child's progress and finding ways to enhance his learning. The best part is that the teacher make the process so much fun! I would highly recommend this school. read more

We are so happy to have found Saideh and Nurture Music School where my daughter has been taking violin lessons for the last four months. I have been so impressed with Saideh's skill as a teacher. She has a calm and positive demeanor which cultivates a learning environment that is supportive and encouraging. Part of the magic of Saideh is that she is able to inspire my daughter to want to practice because she enjoys it. We highly recommend Saideh and are grateful that she has opened this school to share her gift for teaching and love of music. read more

Saideh Eftekhari, founder of Nurture Music School, and piano & violin teacher extraordinaire is an absolute pleasure to work with. She is patient, kind, a gifted musician, wonderful collaborator and a great mentor to young children. I wholeheartedly recommend her, she is amazing. read more

My daughter took violin lessons from Saideh at Nurture Music School from preschool through middle school. That's a long time, with a lot of developmental changes along the way. Saideh handled all those ages and stages deftly, managing to keep her interested and motivated while encouraging her to find her own musical inspiration. She helped my daughter master classical pieces as well as support her interest in playing jazz and even the occasional television theme song. Saideh in an absolute professional. She manages to keep kids in line firmly but kindly; her students respect her, and it shows. They practice and they show up for performances with pride. As a busy parent, I also appreciate Saideh's organization and no-fuss scheduling and billing. read more

What do you do with an overly active 8 year old girl trying hard to be good during COVID? Nurture Music School is a welcome answer to how to keep Ashley interested in piano lessons during sheltering-in-place. I love that the School is so thorough in the vetting of their teachers: background checks, resume and recommendation investigations prior to employment. Also COVID checks in the locations that in-home lessons can resume. Finally...I especially like that the instructors are trained in how to keep Zoom-type calls interesting and fun! THIS IS HARD these days! Thank you for providing so much careful attention to detail! I cannot WAIT to see Ashley's recital! read more

Saideh is a lovely person, talented musician, and totally skilled violin teacher. She started working with my daughter one-on-one in the 5th grade to supplement the violin instruction offered by SFUSD. She was perfect for our kid who can be extremely shy when it comes to taking lessons or classes but has a passion for music and the arts. Saideh is a great combination of kind, cool (very important from the perspective of an adolescent), inspiring, and serious/knowledgable about music. My daughter spent two years with Saideh learning how to properly read, interpret, love and respect music. This is something that she will always have and i'm indebted to Saideh for giving her something that I could have never done myself. I highly recommend her! read more

Jillian is a wonderful piano teacher. She is extremely talented as a musician and engaging with children. She is kind, patient, supportive and fun. She re-sparked our 10 year old son's motivation, creativity and self-confidence to play piano again. In such a positive, encouraging and joyful way. She teaches the way he learns, and that was magic awakening and inspiring to our son's musical mind and hands. We highly recommend Jillian and the Nurture Music School San Francisco. read more

My 5 year old son Evan has been working with Saideh since September 2021. We had trials with a number of teachers before finding Saideh and we have been so happy with her! Saideh displays the perfect combination of kindness, patience, discipline and focus. She is great at reading how Evan is feeling in the moment, knowing when he needs a break or when to nudge him so he's continually challenged. She's also figured out very quickly how he learns best and has been able to come up with strategies to help him over humps. Earlier this month, Saideh organized a recital at the Noe Valley Farmers' Market and Evan performed for the first time solo! We couldn't be more proud of how he is progressing and it's undoubtedly in great part due to Saideh's instruction. read more

We have had a wonderful experience with Nurture. Our kids are interested in multiple instruments as well as voice lessons, and Saideh and her amazing colleagues have cultivated their interest and inspired them so much. Saideh is a patient and talented teacher, and Jillian (piano/voice) has been like an amazing burst of energy. Highly recommend!!! read more

Saideh is an amazing teacher. She is gentle and fun. She draws out kids' natural curiosity and explores music with them in a way that makes learning engaging. I have two daughters, 6 and 10, both of whom felt a special connection with Saideh after just one or two meetings. She's able to convey musical concepts in a simple way that's easy for them to grasp and remember. I love her approach to music - bringing in different cultures, instruments, sounds and histories - and how she encourages experimentation and improvisation with music. I want my kids to enjoy music and be able to express themselves with it. Saideh is exactly what I was looking for in a teacher! read more

Saideh taught our girls violin for two years. Both have different learning styles and she was able to adapt the lessons to fit their styles and interests. My oldest loved sticking to the lesson book while my youngest did best when composing her own songs about the things she loved (candy mostly). Saideh makes learning fun and we really appreciate all of the care she took to encourage our girls love of music! read more

My son has been working with Ms. Saideh at Nurture Music School for almost one year now and we've been so impressed with how much he has learned and the confidence he has gained since. He is 9 years old and plays the violin. Ms. Saideh has been great at instructing him on traditional music pieces but also allows him to learn how to play more contemporary music our son listens to such as 90s hip hop. It's so cool to hear this type of music on a violin. Per the name of the school, Ms. Saideh nurtures by providing kind instruction, inspires by giving performance videos via an online tool called Tonara and gives students the freedom to play music that speaks to them. read more

Riley has been a fantastic piano teacher (despite being a violinist herself!) to my starting out 5 year old. After only a month of in-home lessons, my daughter already has a working sense of rhythm and is playing short stretches of various nursery rhymes. She absolutely adores Riley and no doubt a big part of that progress and incentive to practice is their relationship -- "nurturing" is indeed one of the best words to describe it! In addition to individual weekly lessons, there's a monthly evening practice Zoom led by Saideh where all her students are invited to play short segments for all to hear. A great way to connect and inspire my daughter with other's progress. Saideh came highly recommended to us and we are absolutely delighted to have landed such a great fit! read more

Saideh is the best violin teacher. She taught my 6 year old daughter for a year. She was very patient and encouraging. I was so sad when it became clear my daughter just didn't want to keep playing. I'm still hoping one day she will change her mind and we can go back to Saideh for lessons. read more

Saideh is amazing - she was able to engage and teach both of our young kids (5 & 8) via zoom during COVID while they have had no previous music class exposure. The kids love class and are thriving! Our daughter is so inspired that she started composing her own songs and writing down the music. Can't recommend Nurture Music enough! read more

Saideh is a patient and gifted music teacher and very talented musician. She has inspired our two young children for the last three plus years, focusing on piano lessons in our home. Their willingness to practice (something I'm shocked they actually do) is due to Saideh's incredible lessons and that they really like to engage with her during their lessons to improve. A major component to her musical education for them, beyond reading music and learning to master the piano, is original composition. Our children have recorded numerous songs that they've created with Saideh during their lessons. This makes her lessons truly unique. Our children have developed a great enthusiasm for music as well as growing confidence in their ability to read music and play the piano. read more

Our daughter took violin lessons with Saideh and I can't recommend her enough. She has a gentle and encouraging approach and our daughter really loved her lessons with Saideh. read more

Saideh is a wonderfully positive and encouraging violin teacher. She introduced my daughter to violin at age 6, and has been giving her lessons for the past three and a half years. While violin is not my daughter's favorite extracurricular, she continues to commit to growing as a musician because of her relationship with Saideh, whom she respects immensely, and the increasing sense of competency she feels. Saideh's lessons are imbued with her calm demeanor; she identifies the progress that has been made in the past week, while gently pushing to rise to new challenges. My daughter leaves her lesson each week feeling confident in her abilities and energized to dive back into her home practice. read more

My daughter was 5-years-old when she started lessons with Saideh, and there's no doubt in my mind that she developed an appreciation for and close relationship to music because of her time with her. A skillful teacher, and wonderful person, Saideh engages her students with a joyful positivity that makes learning violin fun! We highly recommend Saideh if you are looking for a violin teacher in San Francisco or the greater Bay Area. read more