Myriad Music School & Dance Academy

My twin daughters take piano, violin, and violin ensemble classes. Been taking lesson here for three years. They love their teachers, and they have shown steady progress in their instruments without losing their love of music in general.
For the first two years I took adult guitar lessons instead of just sitting around the waiting room for the girls to finish. So I was able to achieve a lifelong dream of learning to play the guitar! My instructor was very patient with a 40’ish adult with inconsistent practice habits! I stopped after two years only because in order to progress further required more consistent practice time than I was able to reasonably commit to at this point in my life. But I still bring my guitar while I wait for my kids, and Myriad graciously lets me use a practice room if one is open.
Best compliment I can give is that Myriad is not just a music studio, it has become part of the fabric of our family! Our house is always filled with music, and we all enjoy music so much more thanks to Myriad. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

My daughter has learned so much in her piano class. Her teacher is the real genius behind it all. And that’s it. They have good teachers, who encourage, respect the little artist, and love what they do. I highly recommend them.

I have three children at Myriad, ages 7, 9, and 11, all for piano, all different in their abilities, all different in their focuses. My oldest daughter started at Myriad when she was 7 years old, and within a year, I could see how much she learned and advanced. When my second was almost 6 years old, I asked if it would be possible to start her in group piano lessons, and Simone, the head of the school, determined it would be a good start. We did group lessons for a year and then moved to private lessons.
When my third began music, in order to make scheduling for me easier, I simply started him in private lessons so that I could have lessons at the same time. Thankfully Elizabeth, the super proficient office staff, helped me secure a time slot where all my children could take lessons simultaneously with different teachers.
Each of my children appreciates music in a different way. The teachers of my older two understand that I’m interested in a more classical and formal training for them as musicians, and they have met that desire head on. Both of them play a lot of classical repertoire, with some jazz pieces thrown in for the challenge of rhythm and unfamiliar chords and melodies. They both also participate in the Certificate of Merit program, offered by the school to students who are interested, and study and learn music theory from their teachers.
My youngest however has a very different approach. As he has an excellent ear, he can often pick up music when he hears it one time. Unfortunately this has made him somewhat lackadaisical when it comes to note reading. His teacher, Eric, understands that my son’s ear is both a benefit and a hindrance as it often allows him to take advantage and not learn notes. As my son has progressed in terms of playing the piano, his note reading has not progressed at the same rate, and Eric has been actively and consistently working on sight reading pieces and really challenging my son to learn the notes. Within a month of focused attention, I’ve seen dramatic improvement.
What I think many parents miss about the music school is the approach that they take to technique. It is an approach I was completely unfamiliar with, which is called Taubman technique, and it’s a technique that focuses on the small body movements that make for great pianists. All the teachers in the school are given consistent training in it; rather than repetitive and boring scales and technique pages that other piano teachers often rely on, my children have learned how to anchor their body at the piano, how to keep their shoulders balanced, and how to use their entire arm to create sound and musicality, in a way that makes improvement measurable and manageable. There are times when one of my girls will ask me how to approach playing a difficult passage, and I’ll shoot an email off to Simone asking for some guidance. I always get a knowledgeable response, one that I can relate to my girls and one that with hard work and practice they can execute. I love that my kids have been training under this technique and I can’t speak more highly of the consistency with which the teachers approach this training.
From the student enjoyment perspective, my children do not complain about their music lesson, nor do they balk at practice. They love their teachers, they love the songs they are playing and they love the challenge of their instrument. The school asks for consistent practice, about 15 minutes a day, and they have no problem putting their time in front of the piano. As with all things, a lesson in a week is not enough to see significant improvement without a time investment from the student. I remind my children that music lessons are a privilege, a gift, and an honor to be able to participate in, and in doing so they must honor themselves with consistent practice. In addition to being self-​disciplined, the school has levels with awards given at the end of every school year, signifying achievements in different levels. All three of my children love receiving their medals at the end of year concerts and understand that their hard work is not only recognized by the school but awarded with their medals.
I can’t speak highly enough about the school, which has changed my own personal perspective on music education. Myriad is a gift to the San Mateo area, with dedicated teachers and staff truly trying to give their students the joy of music, one that goes beyond the elementary school years. If you’re looking for a school that encourages your child, helps them to understand music, and gives them the tools to excel, this is the place for you.

Both my children have been attending Myriad for 6 years. I can’t say enough about Myriad’s program. The teachers are well trained and the school has set up a system of rewards to keep them motivated. They also have two recitals per year. Elizabeth, the woman who works at the front desk, has always been courteous to us and when we need to switch lesson times, she is very accommodating. The directors run a very organized program and communicate well with parents. Keep up the good work Myriad!

I want to love this place but I can’t. We had such an amazing experience with Teacher Meygan that we wanted to become on going students. But the front office is incredibly rude and plain not friendly. Instead of helpful — it was nothing but barriers not possibilities — every answer is why it won’t work — never an answer of how we can make it work. Nothing welcoming of a new student. I’m sad that we will find another school — I really liked Meygan and my kid liked her too. But I can’t give my money and confidence to a place that acts like I’m a problem. I’ve only been to the school a handful of times and never waited inside — thinking it was easier on them if I waited outside. In 3 years I’ve called the office 3 times. With that little contact — how could I possibly be experiencing the same thing over and over if it were just a fluke or just happened to be a bad day for someone. No I think that’s the natural attitude of the front desk. Thanks but no thanks.

After nearly two years here, we agree with other reviewer that the program is relatively expensive ($ 28/​class for Young Child) for what you get and mandatory fees for materials not worth the cost.
Large classes made for slow progress and a lot of down time per child. Classes did not keep up with faster learners. Teachers had good intentions, but the curriculum was inflexible, keeping kids in lower levels based solely on age. Many kids seemed bored or distracted. Not once did the teachers demonstrate actual instruments (besides the glockenspiel), which does nothing for music appreciation.
We gave Myriad a try for its claim to music fundamentals. We attended for nearly two school years but things did not improve. My son started out in ABC Preschool (age 3 – 4) and progressed into Music for the Young Child (age 4.5 to 6), where the kids are supposedly learning «pre-​piano» but saw that they were still not doing much more than preschool music (e.g. dancing with ribbons, imitating different animals, repetitive tapping of 1 – 2 keys of glokenspiel). Teachers were generally nice but they were really at the discretion of the owners, who were not open to change and extremely defensive and political from our experience. Constructive feedback to the owners did not lead to any improvements, but rather insincere emails making false claims. For instance a group of parents suggested splitting up a large class of 11 students (of mixed levels) into two but the response was that «we can assure you that class maximum sizes are set at 11 based on ten years of curriculum development between our school directors and trained, experienced teachers.» Management’s response was always a good spin in an attempt to not make any changes.
Another example was when we confirmed a make-​up class via email. We were the only ones to show up that day. And because of this, management told the teacher to cancel this class. The owner never honored a follow-​up make-​up class claiming that we had edited the original email confirmation in an attempt to create a makeup class. I did not follow the owner’s logic — who would spend their time to do that and then make the trip to an empty class? Defensive and rude. Not the customer service (or honesty) we would expect.

If you are serious about getting a really solid foundation in piano technique and practicing habits, or would like the same for your kids, this is an excellent place. All students are given very specific instructions on what and how to practice and then given rewards for following through. This is especially important for kids, since it helps them learn responsibility. There are also great performance opportunities each semester so students can work on their confidence and poise.

Attended the school recital this spring and was so impressed with the students, teachers.

so far so good ill update when my daughter is longer in the class

I sent my 5 year old there for one Music for the Young Child class. The class itself was ok but after spending 45mins driving back to Millbrae, I decided to cancel that class. It was simply too inconvenient to do that on a regular basis. However, after asking repeatly for a refund for a year, and got promised a refund multiple times, I have not seen a dime out of of over $ 300 that I paid. I want my money back!

We brought our 11 year old son here after years of group lessons and private lessons elsewhere for him as well as for our other two children. We have found Myriad to be one of the most professional, least stressful places to take music lessons. Myriad has proven to be excellent in constructive feedback and fantastic encouragement, and communicating expectations to students. They are excellent in providing for a thorough understanding of the fundamentals, while enthusiastically supporting the student’s progress. Students do a good amount of peer performances to get them comfortable performing in front of an «audience». My son began trumpet lessons with absolutely no experience and is flourishing. Communication with parents is very thorough and make-​ups or perhaps changes in schedules are easily arranged. Thank you Myriad for being such a supportive community.

I’m surprised to see only four reviews for Myriad as the school is large with many students. We have been sending our son there for a year now. Overall, we are quite pleased with his experience. The teachers are fantastic and they offer a variety of programs. We did Music for the Young Child, Superstars, and Piano Team. I love group music education for young children and was very pleased with the offerings at Myriad. They really give students a broad base to start their music education (i.e. singing, dance, rhythm, string instruments, keyboard, etc.) The facility was recently expanded and is pretty nice. Parking isn’t great, but we always seem to find a spot. They have so many classes Mon-​Sat that you’re likely to get what you want. The best part is being able to give multiple children lessons in one location at one time.
The drawbacks are the expense. I do find it to be a tad high for what you get. Also note that this is a large music school with a system, so I’ve found them to just throw my children into that system without effectively evaluating their abilities and needs. For example, when we moved from out of state, they placed one of my children in a piano team that was so ridiculously below his level (and they didn’t seem to notice very quickly), that I pulled him out of the school and found a private teacher. That put a bad taste in my mouth, but we kept my other son at the school because of the group lessons. He also moved at a faster pace than the program he was in, but it wasn’t until I said something that his pace was accommodated (by placing him in class where he technically wasn’t old enough, but clearly was ready for). I suppose this is to be expected in a large school, but nonetheless, I find it disappointing. If they would effectively evaluate new students, periodically evaluate existing students to ensure the program is the right fit, and taylor the program a bit more to individual abilities, this place could be 5 stars.

Our kids have been taking lessons at Myriad Music School for the past 7 years and we have had a great experience with the teachers, the school and continue to build an appreciation for music. Our kids have worked with several teachers over the years and each one contributes to their life-​long learning of music. We as a family have grown up with the Myriad community and continue to refer friends to the program as it is one of the best programs on the Peninsula. Keep up the great work as you continue to inspire the musicans of the future!

I’ve been going to Myriad Music School for music lessons for the last six years. It’s an amazing place that really has their act together. All of the teachers and staff are well qualified and professional. They get results. I have heard of students that go on to pursue music careers or hobbies and they are very successful, I’m sure thanks to Myriad Music School. Prices are competitive with private lessons with individual teachers, but here you get performance opportunities twice or more a year and they have a very structured lesson format that doesn’t waste time. Great value for the price!
Thanks Myriad for making music so fun!

My 18 mo. old daughter and I are in «Our Time”– a certified Kindermusic class. We’ve read study after study about how important music is for development, so this was important for my wife and I. I’ve listened to other students who have been at Myriad for years, and it’s so impressive seeing them grow in their abilities!
Our teacher is great, the staff is lovely, the price is right, and we always leave having a great time! It makes for a meaningful, fun Thursday morning for me and my girl. We definitely plan on staying for a loooong time.

I was really disappointed by the Music for the Young Child class my daughter was taking this summer. It’s hardly a music class at all: it’s more of a guided one hour fun time with activities that have some vague relation to music (at various times the kids play musical chairs or are read a story which is accompanied by some musical motifs). I’m disappointed, because we sampled a class during the school year that was more advanced and seemed to teach the kids actual music (notes, etc.), but over the summer, they have this class that is essentially useless unless your child is *very* young. I asked for a refund after a couple of classes, but was denied the refund because I had the opportunity to sample the class. Also, I paid for the class materials, which were ridiculously overpriced and relatively worthless: a book of stories with a basic cd to accompany them and a couple of sticks to keep time with. I bought the materials because they recommended that I do so. I can’t recommend strongly enough to avoid Music for the Young Child if your child is older than, say, 4.
Their actual music instruction might be good, though.

My son has taken piano lessons with many teachers around the world where we’ve lived. Some were better than others but in general, there was structure missing. Myriad has a structured approach that ensures children (or adults for that matter) learn the fundamentals of music, rhythm, posture in a fun, personal environment. It’s really the best we’ve had. My son has caught up on many fundamentals that other teachers didn’t bother with in a relatively short amount of time. He’s turning into a fine muscian and is enjoying himself, as well as gaining confidence.