Our 12-year-old son has wanted to take drum lessons for years and we are so grateful that we found…read moreBlake! Blake is kind, encouraging, and relaxed - which is such a great environment for a kid (or anyone) to learn in. He's also passionate and enthusiastic about the drums, which is contagious. Plus, he's super talented (check out his Instagram clips)! The studio space is great, and Blake has been very accommodating with our schedule and transportation needs. He's been an outstanding drum teacher, coach, consultant, and is an all-around great person. If you're looking for a drum teacher for yourself or for your kiddo, look no further.

A surfing instructor in Hawaii once said to me that surfing is reconnecting with your inner child…read moreand just telling them to not worry about making mistakes and just play. My drum lessons with Blake the last couple years have embodied that same sentiment, and his supportive, encouraging teaching style make it easy to get out of my head and just have fun. Even when my limbs are flailing wildly about and offbeat for measures, I don't fall apart in embarrassment because Blake has the ability to help figure out what would be helpful and reflect that in a comprehensible (and simultaneously uplifting) manner. With regards to location, the studio is very accessible by MUNI (located adjacent to the Balboa Park BART station) and has a parking lot as well - very convenient! While I'm sure Blake can legit teach fundamentals and technical playing for beginners, I have mainly brought in songs from various genres, decades, and artists, and he would break them down and convert them into sheet music. It's very impressive how skilled he is at dissecting a song (within minutes of listening to it) into its snare, hi-hat, and kick beats. I've even asked Blake to play the song to demonstrate how the beat goes; not only would this be helpful, but I've found myself both inspired and mesmerized when he plays. So whether you're a total beginner or an expert, I 100% recommend Blake because he is, as the kids say -- straight fax, no printer: an amazing instructor and all-around cool guy!

Great Students! Wonderful Parents…read more Our Summer Recital will be on Sunday, June 12, 2011 at the PAJCC.

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!!!

I had as well as my son took lessons from Jiovanni ( Trang). He had been very professional and…read moreright to the point each step away. My son got to the water just after 2hours of the land lesson. I am happy with his teaching technic and his approach to individual capacity. Thank you Hossein V.

Was very excited when I found out this shop they have extraordinary selection I was in dire need to…read morefind surfboards and other water equipment in such a short notice thanks for the service

Hallie is a wonderful cello teacher! My 11 year old daughter has had several lessons with her and…read morehas improved her playing exponentially. Hallie is patient and always upbeat and I commend her for being able to tolerate all the screechy sounds and calmly instruct my daughter on what she's doing wrong so that on her next try she plays the same piece beautifully. I highly recommend her.

I began cello lessons w/ Hallie about 1/2 year ago and have nothing but wonderful things to say…read moreabout her. I'm no kid and I don't read music so I felt pretty daunted by the challenge. But Hallie was so encouraging and supportive that I immediately felt it might actually be possible to learn! Hallie is incredibly talented (see her bio for starters), sensitive, patient, always positive (regardless of how squeaky and squawky I might sound). She really breaks things down in such a way that you can really understand what she's getting at. One of my favorite things about her is that she's created a kind of tailor-made lesson plan for me. (We started out with me learning 'by ear'.) When we met she asked me 'what particular cello music do you love?', and 'what would be your dream piece to play?'. So instead of starting out w/ Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star we moved right into the Prelude to the First Cello Suite by Bach! I can't express how gratifying it is to be playing something I really love, albeit slowly and imperfectly. But Hallie is so incredibly generous and positive that it really keeps me going. She is very reasonably priced, reliable, and has the best demeanor a teacher could have. It's been a dream of mine for decades to learn cello and I can most sincerely credit Hallie Pridham for my finally doing it and sticking with it. If you're thinking of taking lessons I heartily recommend Hallie. You will be so pleased!

Our son has participated in both SJW year round (Giant Steps and Miles Ahead) and the summer…read moreprogram and both are great. The staff is excellent - they work well with kids, are strong music teachers and make the experience positive and rewarding. Our son started with SJW when he was a beginner musician and the program has help him develop into a strong musician. Thanks to the support and teaching at SJW he has made California All State Honor Jazz band multiple times and he still feels challenged by the SJW program and continues to grow as a musician thanks to them. I would highly recommend this program to any young musician - whether they have never tried jazz, are serious about jazz or are just interested in taking their music to the next level. Like any program though you get out what you put in, so be prepared to practice.

In contrast to some of the other reviews, our son had a fantastic experience in the Miles Ahead Big…read moreBand program that ran during the 2018/19 school year. They rehearsed once a week at the College of San Mateo (great facility and campus) and he left each session drained yet excited as they rehearsed non stop, requiring all his focus and playing the best he could. This "conglomerate" band was a perfect opportunity to play with liked minded student musicians, at a higher level than he could get in his high school program. Our son looked up to music director Mike Galisatus, who worked closely with the students, provided great feedback, and seemed to truly care about the band and program. We look forward to auditioning again and hope that we can continue with the program while our son finishes high school.

My parents bought me lessons with Kerry wing for my birthday when I was a minor. Kerry taught me…read morehow to play a couple songs on the ukulele when I was a junior in highschool (7 years ago). He recently contacted me on social media (I'm guessing he added me through the suggested contacts list having had my phone number stored in his phone from when we had lessons when I was a minor) and started sending me unsolicited sexually suggestive messages, sending me shirtless photos in bed of him next to his ukulele as an attempt to seduce me then after all this, finally asked for my name after I asked if he had remembered me. He realized he in fact did remember me and remarked how talented I was when I was at 16. This is not the experience I asked for nor should a teacher of young people be soliciting themselves online like that.

I've been taking ukulele lessons with Kerry for over 5 years. He is patient, respectful and really…read moretakes the time to teach each lesson thoroughly. He comes prepared is easy going and a great musician. Can't say enough!

My daughter is learning piano and my son is learning guitar. The teachers are very responsible and…read morepatient.

Woat! I was a student here in 2015 and the program made me dislike piano. The teacher is very…read moredifficult to reach and challenging to communicate with. Her expectations are extremely high and unreasonable. She can seem nice at first, but is actually very passive aggressive and at times degrading. She is by far one of the worst piano teachers I've had. On top of that, the room was very crammed so I felt like I couldn't breathe at times which was not good since I get a lot of sneeze fits. The program was also on the expensive side. You might get a better teacher but I got unlucky with mine.