Review #856 2025-028…read more This is an old review drafted just before COVID-19 lockdown & forgot to finish my thoughts. My daughter, going through her Jack of all trades & master of none at the time, was thinking of trying an instrument: violin or piano. We didn't have the space for a piano but could do a keyboard, & was debating over the violin. I did a search & found Bravo! Music School; the school had a roster of 15 teachers with a wide variety of instruments, including guzheng (古筝), a Chinese plucked zither. I spoke with Melissa, the receptionist & owner's daughter, who suggested my almost 4 YO might be interested in their weekly Saturday Pre-K music class (can't remember the exact name), teaching music fundamentals & games with parent participation. I think it either 5 or 6 weeks? Parents & children play instruments, games, dance, etc. I also purchased an intro lesson & waited until H was ready for the intro; the instrument wasn't specified as long as we made a reservation & the teacher was available. M had a good ol' time in class with toddlers more or less his age. His musicality was a tad off, but he loved the music that he was making. One time when we were waiting for class to start, Teacher Michael was showing my LO alternative ways to drum (table, box, magazines) & he made beats happen... M was nodding & shaking along. It was soooooo cute! Then COVID-19 happened, followed by a lockdown. M missed out on possible drumming lessons & grew out of this interest by the time we felt comfortable going out. We never tried that violin intro & when H started middle school, she signed up for band (playing the flute) & I had forgotten about the paid intro lesson. Fast forward 4 years later, I was going through my drafts & saw BMS bookmarked & rough drafted that I contacted the school & asked to redeem lesson. Melissa no longer works at the school, & Jihi (assuming she's the current receptionist) couldn't find my 2019 deposit receipt. It took a couple of back & forth calls/texts before it was located & added back to their system because we're not active/regulars. We booked a 30-min. flute lesson with Teacher Colleen on 11/20/23; at this time, H was in 8th grade & has been a flutist for 2+ years. It no longer sounds like noise, but music, though the transitions are noticeable & not fluid. I'm hoping with some pointers, she can improve her skills & discover her passion for playing. She does enjoy the concerts & occasional competitions with the perk of playing/marching at an amusement park, then staying the day for play. Teacher Colleen was warm & welcoming, allowing me to sit-in on the lesson. The private room was tight & being in that proximity to their flutes was a bit much for my ears, but I get a personal view of the music school's lesson, techniques, & teacher's personality. Colleen is skilled in directing & instructing H, working on her tempo & musicality, as well as providing immediate feedback for her to improve on the next measure. I would have loved for H to continue with private lessons (reasonable rates: $356.96/8 lessons: $46/lesson - 3% discount) but she wasn't committed to learning/improving her skills; I later found out she was only interested in band for their extracurricular activities. Bravo! Music School teaches piano, violin, guitar/ukulele, vocals, drumset, guzheng, & band instruments. Through The Strings Connection, on-site rental & sale of violin family instruments are offered; the rental program is ideal for younger students that might not be ready for a commitment or trading up to larger sized instruments. Contact Cordi/The Strings Connection at 310-377-0803 for more info. Lessons are offered onsite or online at an introductory rate for the 1st lesson, & the same options are available for private lessons that are independently created by each teacher for every student. General Policy & Payment/Scheduling: When signing policy, you're also granting any video, audio, or photos taken by The School may be used in their marketing efforts. $50 cash/credit card deposit per family to guarantee lesson appointment times; deposit is refunded at the final lesson. Teacher Substitution: The School will either provide a substitute or reschedule the lesson. If you're looking to introduce music & specialized lessons for your child, I recommend Bravo! Music School to provide the musical education that you're seeking.

It was such a treat to try a guitar lesson here at Bravo! My daughter wanted to continue learning…read morethe guitar since playing for about 2 years. She connected well with the teacher here. The teacher was knowledgable, patient and engaged and provided feedback tips. We tried a few places in around the South Bay and she only wanted to come back here to Bravo :). Thank you and we look forward being a student here!

This was sad, I really wanted to take vocal lessons from them but the experience in onboarding was…read morelow vibrational and lousy in customer service. I was rescheduled several times and when I came In there was No warm welcome and she didn't even confirm my name when I went for my trial session. The instructor was nice but super limited availability and i didn't really go over much technique in the trial compared to the last vocal training I had before. We also didn't get started until about 12 min into the trial lesson which was a paid 30 min session. My honest feedback is that there should be a quick client phone call to go over details and keep background and getting to know each other to a quick 3 min elevator pitch introduction because that took up paid time. I squeezed my hope for a positive interaction with reception when we finished and the lady in front hardly gave eye contact and wasn't naturally kind or welcoming. She scrambled to get me onboarded after I prompted her to get me signed up and she grazed over fees like I already knew everything even though we never went over any details about the academy. ( I did not ) Music is a fine art, I guess I was expecting to be ushered into the process with a little inspiration... the investment didn't feel worth it for me. The next day I read some of the reviews and the responses to them and was really turned off by what I saw. Honestly the 2nd star is only because it would have been really nice to work with Liz and Summer was nice on the phone when I spoke to her, but the energy was so heavy and dense in the onboarding process it really rubbed me the wrong way and I couldn't see myself coming to take lessons for the next 6 months.

We received a reply from the office informing us that per their policy, last-month deposits are…read morenon-refundable, but they ultimately agreed to issue a refund, which we appreciate. That said, we believe the situation could have been handled more thoughtfully. Busy families may not always recall every policy detail over time, so a simple, clear reminder at the time we gave notice could have made a meaningful difference. It would have allowed us to apply the deposit toward our final month and saved everyone the trouble of issuing a refund after the fact. We're grateful the matter was ultimately resolved, just disappointed in the amount of time and effort it took to get there. Updating rating to 3 stars to reflect our appreciation for the teachers and instruction, while also being honest about our frustration with the communication missteps upon our departure, and the lack of clarity around the last-month deposit.

I've played drums for well over 20 years, but recently felt as though I hit a plateau in my skill…read morelevel. Thankfully, that's when I found John and the Fuentech Drum School. John helped me work on my technique and technical ability, and now, I'm now much more relaxed, fluid, and musical. John is a fantastic teacher, a fantastic drummer, and an all-around awesome person. I'm taking weekly lessons, and I'm even bringing in my little cousin for lessons when he's in town. Whether you're an advanced drummer or just starting out, John is the man.

Moved into the neighborhood and luckily found John. It had been years since I'd played and need a…read morelot of dusting off. He's got a great approach and is easy going. Just in the few weeks I've gotten back into playing, already feeling (and sounding) better. His focused tips and techniques help me a ton.

About 3 to 4 years ago, I took piano lessons from Kayo teacher. While the space was private and…read moreconducive to learning, she did not teach basic piano theory and hand techniques to be a good piano player for an adult learner. She just told me to buy this adult piano lesson book and all she did was to follow the book lessons. Her pricing was reasonable. But I don't think I got my moneys worth for the missing content she should have taught. Having changed to another piano teacher I find her teaching very perfunctory. Not the best. Maybe her thoughts are that adult Learners are never going to become full time pianist since they start piano so late in life and don't need the proper teaching like young children and/or adolescence learners. That is the vibe she projects. Not the friendliest. I am so glad I left Kayo piano!

My aunt, Juliana C, is re-discovering piano with Ms. Kayo after many years. She is grateful for the…read morediligence, kindness, and enthusiasm with which the lessons are conducted. Ms. Kayo is flexible and customizes each lesson to the level of her students and is proud of their progress. We hope to have many pieces ready to perform for family very soon!

Our teen granddaughter took Voice Lessons with Christine Lao through Raffia Music. Christine was…read moreeasy to work with and flexible if we needed a schedule change. She helped our granddaughter prepare for a theater audition and we saw her vocal skills and her confidence soar! She received many positive comments during her audition and the difference before and after voice lessons were noticeable! Highly recommend!

Love this studio!! Woman owned!…read more My daughter is now 7 and has been taking lessons here since she was 4. I took piano lessons from age eight until age 16 and wanted a place that could start my daughter sooner. Raffia Music Studio was the only one that would start my kid at 4, plus it offers so many other types of musical instruments, voice and performance training. I am a serious researcher. I have always made exhaustive lists weighing the pros and cons of any endeavor. After researching several studios, I decided this was the one! Consistency is key in becoming good. We've had the same teacher since we began 3 years ago. Srimal is not only a teacher, but performs regularly with a band around town. I appreciate when a teacher also honors their craft by doing it. Srimal is very patient. Works to get the best out of his students. Pushes them, but also meets them where they are. Every winter, there is a recital where you get to enjoy seeing all the students performing their pieces. I highly recommend Raffia Music Studio!

Just got my new PRS from them. Great service and fast delivery. Highly recommend! You'll get a much…read morebetter deal than the other retail stores. Definitely coming back for getting some pedals!! Thanks again guys.

The best! Excellent gear and assistance.0 . Why go anywhere…read moreelse? Help with Line 6 G1

This place is meh. Liked the fact that there are a lot of instructors so scheduling is pretty easy,…read morebut didn't like the fact that my daughter didn't have one instructor consistently. Consistency is important because everyone has their own way of teaching piano. More important, after over a year of lessons here, I realized that they actually hindered my daughter's ability to read music by spoon feeding her -- instead of challenging her to figure out the notes, they helped her cheat by writing the finger numbers on the notes for her. My daughter has been with another instructor for almost 3 years now, but the instructor is still working on undoing some of this and other damage caused by this place.

Dr. Kim is an excellent teacher! You can tell that he is extremely passionate about music and his…read morestudents success. I took piano lessons from him for years and have absolutely no regrets.