I attended the Manhattan School of Music for six years as a classical piano performance major; the…read moreschool is alright. There are many things it could improve, however. Most of the teachers are absolutely helpful and friendly; I have enjoyed interacting with them. However, some of the instrumental teachers (private teachers) assign an unreasonable load of repertoire, which made my six years of study pretty stressful. My personal piano instructor constantly made me prepare unusually large programs over the period of just 3-4 months for a major performance, competition, or audition, which was extremely stressful and unreasonable. In addition, there is an utter lack of performance opportunities for piano majors. Each student has the right to reserve one recital per season, but that is it. There is an utter lack of performance opportunities for piano students; other instrumental majors (and voice students) have many opportunities, including concerts. But piano majors have pretty much nothing, other than chamber performances and a few events. There needs to be far more concerto performance opportunities with orchestra. The concerto competition only allows first place winners to become soloists, which is completely unjust. If you want to prepare students to become performers, you need to give them an environment which simulates the concert pianist's career, which means regular performances, especially with orchestra. I would personally organize far more concerto competitions for pianists and award far more students to solo with orchestra. The school needs to do a better job of preparing students for the real world; its curriculum is outdated and needs innovation. There needs to be much more done to train piano majors how to teach, and give them actual work opportunities. There also needs to be far more emphasis on contemporary music; why are we constantly forcing students to play Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and the old classics? We need contemporary music, music that will appeal to young audiences.

Don't go to conservatory here!…read more I went and didn't receive all the lessons with my private teacher per semester. Furthermore, the academic classes are a total joke. Administration is more focused on political posturing than running an educational institution. The student facebook page is jammed with how the registrar doesn't distribute class schedules until the first day of the semester, is rude, etc. Total waste of money!

I started clarinet as an adult. It is my first experience with a wind instrument, and was lucky…read moreenough to study with Nadeen for, unfortunately, only a few months as I moved to europe, but I found her a wonderful teacher: she makes the lessons fun by introducing interesting pieces and playing duets, while giving the student a very solid technical base. She has endless little tricks and techniques to help resolve problems and difficulties. I really valued that she always had feedback on my performance on musical and technical levels, yet in an encouraging fashion, which really helps in making progress, as you feel there is always a goal to reach for. Nadeen is a very charming person and I really loved working with her and unreservedly recommend her as a teacher.

Ms. Santina is a wonderful teacher who knows have to make each singing class fun and interesting…read more She is also a very understanding teacher who encouraged me throughout my journey of music. The staff are also very nice.

We have been going to piano class for my 5 yr old for about a month now with Mr.Oscar. It's a…read moremonthly price of $173 /month with 1 on 1 weekly set classes. Make up are group classes. My daughter quickly picked up on the piano and learning to read the notes and playing with both hands . I'm so proud of her and it is attributed to the great teacher. The staff are also very friendly and inviting .

Oleg is one of the most patient and kindest person i know, Im 34 with a full time job and I thought…read moreit was impossible to find time to learn such a complex and beautiful instrument, i never had violin training before so i was hesitant about taking the classes but i made an appt with Oleg anyway, he was so confident and understanding and made me feel comfortable with the process, he explained that it was going to take time and he walked me through every step, im happy i took the chance even that now im not practicing with him anymore since i relocated to the west coast but I would love to continue this beautiful journey I learned a lot with Oleg! If you have at least 30 minutes per week you can do it!

Oleg is THE ABSOLUTE BEST viola teacher we have seen. We drove almost one hour each way for our…read moredaughter's viola lessons. She has improved so much and so quickly under Oleg's very watchful eye. He is honest and makes the kids work hard to learn, however, always with positive reinforcement. He also has an excellent sense of humor!

GREAT MUSIC CLASS FOR LITTLE ONES! My son (almost 3) has…read morebeen going for the last several months and absolutely loves it. He always points out where his music class is when we go by. They focus on learning about instruments and musicality and the beat...and they do so in a wonderful joyous environment. Highly recommend!

My daughter has been attending the Belle School since she was 4 - and she is now almost 7. We…read morelove the teachers. My daughter had Ms. Laura and Ms. Chia and they are both excellent. The teachers engage children and what they learn is truly remarkable. The parents I have met through the years have been very impressed with the program, and there are always lots of happy children at the school. My son also started lessons in January and already made amazing progress. I can't be any happier.

Have you ever had someone from your childhood that was so influential in your life that you think…read moreof them many years later? That is why I am writing this review. I was a student of Mrs. Bragin. She taught me and my Dad piano lessons when she was just starting out. We went to her apartment on Central Ave. And I attended the Belle School of Music in Yonkers for a little while in high school. Mrs Bragin was tough but fair. She called me out every time I didn't practice! She expected hard work but only because she saw my potential and my love for the piano. She was kind, caring and so generous with her time and expertise. I started off on a small spinet piano and when she suggested I get a larger, better, piano she met me and my Dad at the Kimball store to help find the best one. I have no doubt that any teachers she chooses to represent her school are going to be high quality and held to her standards. I know firsthand that these schools were her dream and she would not settle for mediocre in any way. It was a privilege and a blessing to have been taught by Mrs Bragin. I would recommend her and her schools a million times over. I could not have had a better teacher and mentor.

TL;DR: Jake is an exceptional teacher and I would recommend him enthusiastically…read more This summer I decided to take the plunge and start learning to play the drums - something I have always wanted to do - from a standing start at age 26. I have some musical background from playing piano growing up, but am a complete beginner on the kit. For a couple months I tried to teach myself to play using YouTube videos (hopefully if you are reading this you have already disabused yourself of this idea), which helped me quickly come to understand the value of live instruction. I started browsing for a teacher reading Craigslist ads and websites, trying to get a sense for teaching styles and what lessons would be like. One resource I found particularly helpful was this video of Jake (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a-dhGt0-3Q) teaching in Italy. Despite the language issues, I think this is very representative of how Jake approaches teaching - he is very good at explaining concepts in plain English and building my understanding of music theory conversationally. My lesson time with Jake is spent in a very different way than I have experienced with other music teachers. Rather than 1) watching him play in hopes that I might learn through osmosis, or 2) having lessons serve as a sort of supervised practice time, my lessons are engaging sessions where Jake explains the concepts we are trying to master and most importantly gives me ideas and tools for how to practice and incorporate these concepts into my playing. This makes my practice time so much more valuable and I believe has really accelerated my learning. I really look forward to my weekly lessons, and my lessons get me fired up to practice during the week. This virtuous cycle has definitely driven improvement in my playing, but most importantly my enjoyment of the instrument and the learning process. What more can you ask of a teacher?

Jake not only taught me how to improve my technique and ideas, but gave me serious concepts to take…read moremy playing to a professional level. Great guy and a great teacher for any aspiring or established drummer!

I take voice lessons with Marissa both in person and over video call, when we're in different…read morecities. She's wonderful! The structure of the lesson is super clear, feels comfortable and natural for my voice. The adjustments she has me doing feel great. She's an excellent communicator, kind and supportive, and her instructions are always super clear. My voice feels lighter and more flexible, and I feel more inspired to practice on my own. She's also great about clarifying the science and anatomy behind our work, which I really appreciate. Yay singing!!!