We have been with oclef for over 3 years now for our son, who is now in mtach l3. His teacher is Kinga Lewandowski. Our experience has been extremely positive, with teachers being patient, knowledgeable and providing the right level guidance! The everyday 15 min practice sessions is very useful. We also like that he is getting the right mix of practical and theory practice, and able to choose some of the songs he likes to practice on as he progresses. Thank you ! read more

My daughter has taken daily piano lessons with Oclef for over a year and we're thrilled with her progress. The CEO Julian is incredibly responsive and my daughter's teacher, Connor, has become a positive role model in her life. We have seen the strength of Oclef's theory of instruction play out; with the help of Oclef, our daughter recently passed a piano exam given through the state of California. Her father and I were pretty emotional to see her growth realized in this way. We plan to register our two younger kids when they are a bit older as well. For us, piano is the best means with which to lay a strong musical foundation in our kids and the daily attention Oclef provides is unmatched. read more

Best piano instruction whatsoever. Hats off to Ms. Yulia for being so patient with my son and I can see in less than 2 years or so my son has come such a long way and I know piano and music will forever be a part of his life ours. To Julian Toha - for giving everyone this gift of music via Oclef and being the force behind this incredible school - thanks Julian we are so grateful. We always remember to put in a good word for Oclef with everyone who asks us where our son learns piano - because the system and the methods speaks volumes. read more

If you're looking for a wonderful place for your child to learn piano, I can't recommend Oclef Piano School enough. My son started here at age 7, and it has been such a positive and rewarding experience from the very beginning. A big part of that has been his instructor, Connor, who has been absolutely amazing throughout his journey. He is patient, encouraging, and really knows how to connect with kids while still challenging them to grow. My son has not only improved his skills but has also developed a genuine love for music. One thing that made a huge difference was the emphasis on short, consistent daily practice--just 15 minutes a day really added up and helped him build skills and confidence over time without feeling overwhelmed. The school creates a supportive and engaging environment, and it's been wonderful to watch my son grow musically while also building confidence and discipline. We're very grateful for the experience and highly recommend Oclef to any family considering piano lessons. read more

My daughter has been learning Piano with an absolute best teacher for her Mr. Connor! She is learning and growing in her skills. As classes are each day of week, her interest has piqued to perform better than the previous day. If someone is serious to learn piano online mode, this is the best place. read more

We have been with Oclef for almost seven years. My older son graduated two years ago, and my younger son is still enrolled. Oclef is truly unique; it brings a genuine joy for music to every student. All of teachers are patient and professional. My son, Andrew, is currently working with Dr. Ludwig--not only on his piano technique but also on composing. One of his best experiences was earning the opportunity to perform with a orchestra. He also loves performing 50s and 60s songs for seniors, a wonderful community outreach program organized by Oclef. Believe me, your children will find many opportunities and fun at Oclef, regardless of their age or skill level. read more

My son Cody has been learning piano with Mr. Connor, and we couldn't be happier with the experience. Mr. Connor is an excellent teacher--very knowledgeable, patient, and genuinely kind. He has a great way of connecting with Cody and keeping him engaged, which has made a big difference in his confidence and progress. Cody's skills have improved steadily, and it's clear he is learning and growing with each lesson. The structured and consistent classes help reinforce concepts, and we truly see development week after week. Mr. Connor explains things clearly and encourages Cody in a way that makes learning enjoyable rather than overwhelming. The online virtual format through Oclef has been very convenient and well organized, making it easy for Cody to attend regularly while still receiving high‑quality instruction. For anyone who is serious about learning piano through online lessons, I highly recommend Mr. Connor and Oclef. It has been a wonderful experience for our family. read more

My kid enjoys the lessons so far. I think the teacher is excellent. Patient, very effective. Online lessons are great, and recitals are very helpful to bring students together to make lessons fun. My kid is learning the music in a fun way. read more

As I sit in the audience of yet another wonderful music recital at Oclef's 8VA hall, I'm filled with gratitude and wonder at everything this piano school has given my children - an opportunity to pursue their love for music, an inspiring community of talented kids and extremely committed teachers, and above all, the joy of learning! Both my kids run to the piano as soon as they come home from school, and look forward to both structured and unstructured aspects of exploring their musical interests. While this is already in contrast to the typical behavior expected with anything prescriptive, it speaks volumes about the fact that "piano every day" is really effective in kindling interest, creativity, and discipline. Mr. Julian and his army of exceptional teachers pour their hearts into preparing their students toward every little and large milestone. They also create regular opportunities to perform - individually as well as with orchestra, normalizing the experience while fostering an environment for continuous improvement. Everything about this school is 'learning done right' and I'm incredibly grateful that my children get to grow up here! read more

Our daughter Sophie has been learning piano for 3+ years with Mr. Julian, and we feel genuinely lucky to find Mr. Julian. He is the most passionate piano teacher we have known so far. That's right, most. Mr. Julian is young, energetic, charming, and most of all loves kids. He plays with them, and would go well above and beyond piano teacher's role to come up with ways to engage students during and after classes. When he moved to start his own piano school, we followed him along. He is passionate about piano teaching, and told me about the problems he has observed in piano education industry over the years. He came up with innovative ways and tools, the Oclef ways, to solve the problems and make piano learning interesting, fulfilling, and much fun. For example he came up with Toha Tools to help students practice pieces, where he classify the various facilities include counting out loud, conducting, hands separate, singing. Other tools include rhythm matrix, memory metrics. These are set of procedures kids can follow along first, until eventually becomes part of their musical habit. Gone are the days where kids just sit playing time after time, both clueless and without no measurement of progress. In Oclef school, Mr. Julian designed various forms of classes. In addition to 1-1 lessons, theory lessons, there are popular Kaizen class which is a 40 minutes sesion where kids can sit at home playing the pieces using the tools, with instructors at the other side helping make sure the tools are correctly used, and answer questions students might have during the practice. With Mr. Julian and his Oclef school, you don't feel like piano teacher is always one week's away. Teacher is there all the time, whenever you need help. Oh, Oclef school has a communication platform where parents can upload practice videos of kids, and Mr. Julian will review them and provide feedback/comments to help the student progress further. Then there is performance seminar class, where kids gets to play a piece before peers, and collect inputs from peers. The inputs will help kids focus on the areas to improve. It is helpful for one student to listen to the feedbacks from other peers. There is also pop music class where Mr. Julian will split them into teams, and race to play a popular music. There is also duets where kids pair up to play a popular song. Oclef is very techy in terms of using new tools and musical setups. When pandemic happens, there is no break for school to schedule online classes and help kids continue their musical study. read more

My, at the time, 8 year old son was interested in learning how to the play the piano back in Feb 2022, so I reached out to Mr. Julian directly as I was referred to Mr. Julian from a family friend. Before talking to Mr. Julian, I was expecting private once a week lesson, but after our first meeting, I realized I had misunderstood. Oclef is completely different from the traditional once a week lesson and it's so much better. My son has daily lessons online through Oclef with extremely dedicated instructors. He now has a love for music and it's all thanks to Oclef. He enjoys his lessons and rarely misses a day; it has become a part of his daily routine and he doesn't even need a reminder. He also loves attending piano camp during school breaks (spring, winter, summer, you name it). He looks forward to camp so much that he doesn't even want a break! We also very much enjoy going to Oclef recitals and events together. Thank you, Dr. I-Lin, Mr. Julian and all the instructors for challenging him, guiding him and giving him a sense of belonging at Oclef. I now realize that my decision to let my son give Oclef a try was the best choice and I can't wait to enroll my 6 year old daughter when she's ready. read more

Oclef was our last hope. We always thought that our daughter, Emma, could benefit from music as a vehicle to improve her self-esteem & learn other important 'growing pains' lessons such as goal-setting, task management, learning from mistakes, and the value of associating oneself with good company, especially good mentors. After years of trying other teachers & schools, however, we found Emma more demotivated than ever. Our 'Eureka!' moment came when we met Julian and became patrons of Oclef. While music is certainly an important aspect of the school, the forum's 'topic' is actually that of learning, with music as its vehicle. Prior schools & teachers progressed Emma inches in years, while Julian & the Oclef team transformed her in 6 months, culminating with the release of her first album on major streaming services this past Holiday Season. While we certainly endorse Julian & the Oclef team's ability to unlock Emma's musical potential, I am beyond grateful that it came along with a host of other invaluable lessons in what it takes to achieve one's goals. read more

We have 3 kids currently taking piano lessons/ pop music/ theory/kaizen at Oclef. All of these classes are offered at a flat fee. We are happy with their results. Before Oclef, Our kids have been taking piano lessons for a long time, but they had no interest and mild progress. Oclef was our last hope. Oclef has a gentle way of teaching the kids to read music fast and sparks their interest to practice piano. During this pandemic, Oclef has kept my kids occupied and full of activities to enjoy. They've learned countless new pieces and improved a lot over a short period of time. Highly recommended! read more

Mr. Julian is the best teacher we've ever had. I have 2 daughters learning with him, who are now 10 and 12 years old. They've been with Mr. Julian for 5 years and they've been learning and growing up with him in a variety of areas: piano techniques, artistic expression and emotional intelligence. He's young, energetic and very dedicated to his passion for piano education.  He tailors each kid's curriculum according to their strengths and weaknesses. He encouraged my older daughter's strength by letting her express her artistic side more. He patiently helped her weakness in developing more technical skills. And he did the opposite to my younger daughter as their personalities are different.  My younger daughter now enjoys Oclef very much since it was opened. He offers unlimited practice lessons and other classes like pop music, composing and even public speaking and writing for advanced students. It's like all-inclusive education in one school. read more

I started my daughter with Mr. Julian when she was only 4 years old. I didn't have an expectation since she was still really young, but to my surprise, she caught on really fast. About 2 years later, she was transferred to Mr. Phong for stage 1 piano. Mr. Phong is the most hard working and patient teacher ever. Instead of memorizing each individual pieces, he taught her how to read note by figuring out the patterns. We find this method extremely useful because it allows her to be able to pretty much play any songs on the spot just by recognizing the note patterns rather than memorizing each music piece, which can be overwhelming. Before, I would have to really enforce her to practice everyday, especially if it's a new piece because it'll take her awhile to get comfortable with the piece since she was reading the actual notes. I think one of the proudest moment of parenting was the day she told me she actually enjoys playing piano and I no longer have to force her to practice everyday. I also really like the fact that she gets daily lessons from Mr. Phong 5 days a week(Zoom makes it very convenient) instead of once a week like other places. My daughter is not very vocal so Mr. Phong tried really hard to get her to speak up in class and participates. Before the pandemic, their studio also hosts a lot of events to get the kids together to have fun and learn at the same time. Their studio is not like the traditional studio where you just come for lessons and leave at the end of the lesson. They tried to create a fun and supportive learning community for the kids, the parents, and the teachers. read more

I have 2 kids studying piano at Oclef school. My son started with Mr Julian since he was 1st grade, and now he just finished 5th grade, and he has completed CM level 8 with state and branch honors and won a 2nd place in USopen music competition this year. My daughter also studied with him since kindergarten. Both like Mr Julian since he is patient and "funny". Mr Julian selects personalized repertoire for each student that fit their personality and improve their skills. He inspires and guides instead of telling them what to do. One of the unique features that Oclef school offers is multiple daily practice sessions whether in house or remotely. The students get questions answered right away instead of waiting for a whole week till next private lessons. My kids practice piano as their daily routines. There are also daily theory classes offered by college professor Dr Bell, which is another class my kids go every day. They learn music theories, analyze classical music, and do group projects and presentations. Oclef school also offers performance seminar classes 5 days a week. Unlike other school where only 1 or 2 recitals are scheduled yearly, Oclef students perform monthly at the performance seminar. The more recitals they do, the less nervous they become when performing. They also improve by giving and receiving comments from peers. On top of these daily core classes, there are also fun classes like pop music, electronic music, music composition. There are a weekly 1-1 private classes too. They only charges monthly fees for the private lessons and encourage kids to go to as many practices, theory, performance as they want. Due to the Covid situation this year, a lot of kids are staying home, the school offers a whole day of optional music lessons to foster kids interests in music and frees parents time. As the head of school, Mr Julian always tries to improve the school, the curriculum, the technologies, and equipment. I cannot say enough how I like the school. Thank you Oclef school and thank you Oclef teachers. read more

My daughter Vivian transferred to Oclef in her fifth years of piano training. I started to look for different teacher because we were seriously talking about quitting piano every month back then. She was having trouble practicing every day and the frustration was killing her passion for music. Luckily, Mr. Julian took us in and quickly point out the problems she had. Sight reading, she was playing level 4 pieces but she can only read level 2. Rhythm, she doesn't know how to count the rhythm. She was only playing by mimic the videos we found from Youtube. And also coordination problems... Julian helped us to solve all the problems she had using a whole new set of methods he created. After a year's learning, Vivian can play level 7+ pieces without too much problem. As a parent, the most important thing to me is not which level she can play. It is the confident she build from learning and playing the music makes me feeling it is so worth it. The problem solving skill and presentation skill she learn from conquering more and more difficult task will benefit the rest of her life. Oclef is not a ordinary piano/music school. They will not just require you to repeat the same piece again and again and blame you for not working hard or not having talent if you can't play it well. The teacher here, especial Mr. Julian will help your child build confidence and learn how to excel in expressing and enjoying the music. read more

My daughter Alicia has been learning piano for more than 5 years. She switched multiple teachers, stopped and picked up again for a few times. She got introduced into Oclef about six months ago, which could be our last try. We were not expecting her to become a piano professional but did feel music is a big part of a person's life and she could enjoy more if she can play one instrument. Within a few lessons with Mr. Julian, I already saw the big difference in both the teaching style and the result. Instead of asking a student to play a section again and again with correction on mistakes (either in note, rhythms, or dynamics), Mr. Julian focused more on why. He talks a lot about the principles of performing, phrasing, music characters etc, which are very essential to understand why a piece should be played the way it is. I can see he's really trying to inspire a student and get them into a habit of thinking what's the best way to express a piece in a more artistic fashion, regardless of a classical, a modern piece or just a pop song. He talks about the relationship between body/arm movement and various music elements, and often creates many live examples to show student what it is. This has made the learning more fun and more intuitive. He has a set of systematic tools to help student practice more effectively. Within a few months, I already see a big difference in my daughter's playing. Gradually the notes/phrases out of her figure becomes more subtle, artistic and very enjoyable. No more mechanical sound! The changes are so noticeable that even my daughter herself has been surprised. As I enjoy sitting there throughout the private lesson, listening to Mr. Julian's interpretation of music, I have learned a lot by myself and eventually decided to take adult piano lesson there, which has been one of my bucket list for a long time. I now find the practice has become the most enjoyable time of a day. Oclef is a very unique music school. It provides plenty of on-site practice time so a student can get immediate feedback from a teacher. It provides a very nice environment for students to social with other students and enjoy the community as a whole. It provides the opportunity for students to learn different types of music of their own choices, to compose their own piece, to discuss among kids how to perform better, to become more thinking and more creative. I believe all these will make a student better person in a long run. All the settings of the school has demonstrated the passion of the teacher to music and music education. Oclef is not just a business, it's really a school that fosters the love of life. I'm so grateful and so fortunate that we're here as this has been the teacher and the school I have been searching for a long time. read more