I've been studying classical guitar with Mark Simons for almost two years now and this review is long overdue. When I first decided to take guitar lessons, I contacted the music department at San José State University, where I work as a professor of Linguistics. At the time, I was disappointed to discover that they couldn't accommodate me for lessons, so I set my search closer to my home in San Francisco, contacting Guitar Solo and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for recommendations. Both suggested Mark, so I arranged for my first lesson and one rainy Thursday afternoon in February 2024 I headed to his North Beach studio. As someone with anxiety, I was incredibly nervous about this first encounter. After all, I had barely picked up the guitar a month earlier and Mark was an instructor at SFCM, a member of the San Francisco Guitar Quartet, and a graduate of both the New England Conservatory of Music and USC's acclaimed guitar program. Did I even belong here? As soon as I met Mark, though, he put my worries at ease. He was kind, encouraging, and incredibly positive about my very basic guitar skills, even saying to me, "Don't worry. You're already in!" Almost two years later, I couldn't be happier to have found Mark and his studio. Since I started lessons with Mark, my technical skills have improved tremendously, and I feel confident that I'm developing solid technique that will help me to eventually become the kind of player that I'd like to be. Mark is patient with me, but also adept at identifying problem areas in my technique and providing helpful exercises to address my problems. In addition to his expert instruction in technique, Mark excels at getting me to think deeply about the music I am playing, prompting me with challenging questions that I often can't answer, but that always lead me to a deeper and more expressive understanding and performance of the music. Mark doesn't let me get away with just playing the notes; he makes me discover and truly hear the music, and, as a result, I've grown tremendously as a musician. These lessons have changed the way I hear music in general, be it pop, jazz, classical, or rock, and my world has been enhanced as a result. Mark's studio in North Beach is also a great environment to study guitar. Instruments line the walls and shelves overflow with sheet music, making the space inspiring, which is a good reflection of Mark himself. As someone who loves music and genuinely wants to share that with his students, Mark has shown me that I never needed to feel nervous at that first lesson. In fact, Mark's commitment to his students extends beyond the actual lessons, as he is accessible and willing to answer questions, offer advice, and share musical suggestions outside of class, too. I don't know how good I'll ever become at guitar, but I know I will be a better player and a better interpreter of music because of Mark's teaching. I can't recommend him more highly. read more

San Francisco Guitar Studio - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - San Francisco, California

Mark Simons is an excellent teacher who shares his breadth of knowledge exuberantly. I first learned from Simons as a community college student who took his all levels class. He would consistently stay after class time to answer questions, or should I say-- EXCEED my questions, sharing vast theoretical and technical information. Since the first fall semester with him, I have returned for a second semester and now attend private lessons. I started playing guitar when I was about 13. I am currently 23 and looking to develop classical technique and awareness. Mark Simons has helped me through this journey immensely-- as a teacher and great recourse of information. His patience and commitment to sharing guitar stands out and makes me excited to further my journey with guitar. Also, going to Marks Studio in North Beach is blast. Not only is SF Guitar Studio a beautiful place to study, but the whole neighborhood contributes to an inspiring endeavor of learning and artistic authenticity. Marks commitment to sharing guitar playing to ALL AGES is untouched and I highly recommend lessons to anyone, whether you have never picked up a guitar, or are looking to develop your classical technique. read more

I've studied with Mark for over 7 years, and I wholeheartedly recommend him. He has helped shape me from a beginner to a high-level player, and has been kind, funny, friendly and supportive the entire way. His attention to detail is exquisite and I leave every lesson inspired to rush home to practice what we discussed. Can't recommend him highly enough! read more

We hired Mark Simons for our Sonoma wedding on 9/19/2010 for playing at our ceremony and cocktail reception. He was very patient with me throughout the process, from answering our inquiry, sending us his CD demo, answering my all other questions, to, the most important of all, agreeing to playing a song I requested that's outside of his repertoire without charging extra. Well, I would have let him charge the extra but I was just impressed by how willing he was to provide us beautiful music on our big day. We loved his music and his service. Highly recommended! read more

I started taking lessons with Mark this past summer and cannot say enough great things about Mark. I've been playing guitar for about 10 years, mostly self-taught so I've picked up my share of bad habits. I wanted to find someone that could help me both with my technique, but also with music theory and Mark has done a fantastic job. He's patient with me, but also pushes me to become a better player. I've made more progress on my playing ability in the last 3 months than I have in the last 3 years. If you're a beginner to guitar or an accomplished player looking to improve your technique, you can't go wrong with Mark. He's incredibly accomplished, knowledgable, and friendly. I look forward to our lessons every week. read more

Mark Simons is a fantatic guitar instructor and performer. He has been a helpful and patient guide as I learn to play and he seems to have an avid following among his other students. I didn't want to pick up any bad habits through self-teaching or a crummy instructor, so I looked for the best that I could find. Mark helps me to understand not just the mechanics of technique and good form, but the theory behind much of the music that we play. He is generous with his time and he occasionally extends my lesson if another student is not waiting to begin theirs. I am confident that I am building good technique and these lessons are making learning the guitar much easier and faster than I thought possible. I found him through the San Francisco Guitar Quartet with which he tours and records. Mark also teaches at a number of universities and music schools in the city, Marin and the east bay. But he also gives private lessons in his studio in San Francisco where I find him each week. He is teaching me classical guitar and I am loving it, but he also teaches other varieties of guitar including rock, pop and jazz. In fact, despite a mostly classical instruction with composers like Bach and so forth, he borrows from other styles to help drive home certain techniques - thus, the music sometimes includes Dylan, KT Tunstall and AC/DC. Mark also has an impressive resume - he has a four degrees in music and was awarded the Fulbright Scholarship to study classical guitar in Germany. I learned all this after I started my lessons when I discovered his website (http://www.marksimons.net) and was looking for his upcoming performances. He is definitely the real deal: a serious and professional musician and educator. That said, he is very easy-going and my lessons are always fun and amusing. With his experience and demand, you'd assume that his lessons are very expensive, but I found his price reasonable and he charges on a sliding scale based on a student's ability to pay. Also, I was worried about finding parking near his studio in North Beach, but it has never been a problem for me. His quiet corner of North Beach has always had a parking spot within one or two blocks of the studio. He comes highly recommended. In fact, when I went to buy my guitar from the shop in San Francisco, the guy behind the counter had a masters degree in music and had taken lessons from Mark, too. So, there you go. If you're interested in picking up guitar, you can't go wrong with Mark. read more

I see the light! After doing my research on instructors in the area I started taking once a week lessons with Mark about 6 months ago, and always look forward to the next lesson. Mark has gone the extra mile every time we meet to make sure we are covering every aspect of our topics. My particular interest has been in blues guitar and he has done a fantastic job balancing teaching theory (which was my weak area) and quenching my thirst for playing blues. I have always had a hard time with theory but Mark has been really adamant about theory, technique and context, and I am now able to understand how chords, scales and arpeggios all work together. Mark is a master at guitar and I would consider you lucky studying under him. I recommend him for all levels. read more

I'm so glad I found Mark. I'd been wanting to learn to play classical guitar for almost a decade, and last year I finally got around to doing it. After asking around, it was clear that Mark was the guy to go to. Even though I live in Berkeley, I drove to San Francisco for lessons in Mark's studio and also met him for lessons in San Anselmo where he teaches at San Domenico school. Mark pushes me, has patience with me, and is genuinely in love with music and the theory behind it. He's also flexible based on what I want to learn. Since I'm just starting out, I know how important it is that I develop good habits. Mark is always paying attention to every little detail (and will explain why, too!) so that I can create a great foundation to play for the rest of my life. I'm getting expert, fine-tuned instruction from someone who somehow gets me even more excited about music than I already am. I greatly appreciate the time I've spent with Mark and would recommend him hands down to any student who wants to learn to play guitar better. read more

I've been taking lessons with Mark for nearly three years now. I started teaching myself simple rock guitar stuff years ago, got interested in classical guitar and soon after that decided I wanted to get serious about guitar and start taking lessons. I googled and asked around for the best teacher in the Bay Area and did trial lessons with several teachers before settling on Mark. What I think makes Mark the best teacher in the area is that - his friendly attitude made me feel instantly comfortable, which is important since I was very nervous about my guitar abilities back then; - he's obviously an accomplished guitarist, which means he doesn't feel the need to always prove his abilities (a vibe I got from some other teachers); - he's not just a great guitarist but a great musician, which means when I've technically mastered even a simple etude, he shows me how much more beautifully it can be played through subtle improvements; and - he's an experienced teacher, seems to have an exercise to address just about every technical issue that comes up, and is clear and methodical about the long-term direction of the lessons (I really liked that he was the only teacher who asked me to bring a notebook so he could write down the things we worked on each lesson). Learning guitar with Mark has been one of the most fulfilling things I've done. I look forward to practicing each day when I get home from work, and I now feel proud rather than embarrassed when I play for others! read more

Mark got me back into enjoying guitar after a long hiatus. He could immediately understand my skill level, listened to what i wanted, and we then had a 5 year run of great playing. Mark is able to take anyone from beginner to professional and give them great instruction. He is one of the 2-3 teachers I have had in my life that i felt was worth the time energy and money. you will not be dissappointed. read more

I have been working with Mark for a year. As an intermediate student, I had picked some bad habits over the years. Mark helped me adopt good habits just by pointing out the fundamentals in a way that was easy for me to follow. Mark has me concentrating on using proper techniques and always listening to my tone. If the tone is off, then I now usually know what to do to correct it. Mark knows how to get to the root of issue so I don't waste time on peripheral stuff. The key to improvement is expert instruction and practice. My technique is better, my tone is fuller, my skills are improving, and my knowledge is deeper. This a pretty good deal, given that I've been playing for more than a few years. There is nothing like professional instruction. This is what Mark provides in a fun and easy way. Mark can really play, and he can teach whatever the student needs to learn. read more

Very patient. Very insightful. He really tightened up my technique and exposed me to a great range of music to study.

I have been taking music lessons of one form or another for almost 20 years, and Mark is by far the best instructor I have ever had. I can't recommend him more. read more

I am a musician with the San Francisco Symphony who has performed with Mark for 25 years. He is an incredible musician, teacher, and human being. In addition to his extraordinary skills as a guitarist, Mark is kind, patient, caring, and helpful. He is an extremely thoughtful and insightful teacher. I cannot recommend him highly enough. read more