Santa Monica Conservatory of Music

Our two daughters have been taking various lessons at the conservatory for four years. We have taken violin, piano, and now cello, and every experience has been very positive. The teachers are excellent, and the ambiance is professional, warm, and inspiring. They have also been flexible and accommodating with schedule changes as our busy schedule fluctuates. We look forward to many more years nurturing our children’s musical interests, and are grateful to have so many options for musical instruments and wonderful instructors at the Conservatory!

So impressed with this place. A great inspiring atmosphere for the kids to learn and enjoy music! My daughter loved the weeks summer camp she did there and impressively was able to even play a slam piece in front of an audience by the end of the week. I would definitely recommend this place for all ages of children wanting to learn an instrument!

We just completed one week of summer camp as a way to see if my 6 year old daughter, who showed an interest in violin, would want to continue learning how to play. With 3 of the 6 hours of camp devoted to playing an instrument I felt it was a sure fire way to gauge her interest. Every day this week when I went to pick her up, she was beaming. Her favorite parts of the day included interacting with music by drawing what comes to mind when a particular song is played, categorizing types of music, playing with her teacher Carissa and listening to the other talented teachers perform a mini concert at the close of each day. I appreciated how Carissa greeted my daughter everyday helping her to feel comfortable in what could have been an intimidating situation. I also appreciate the small class size for each instrument (about 5 violinists), which meant my daughter would get the right amount of teacher attention. All this to say, we are happily signing up for another week and I feel confident that we’ve stumbled upon the best conservatory in Santa Monica!

My daughters (5 and 8) have loved their two weeks of camp this summer. They were playing the piano and violin, their respective instruments of choice, by the end of day one and each performed at the weekly Friday concert! They have both asked to sign up for the rest of summer as well! We came to this camp as it was highly recommended by school friends and we’ve been very impressed. Highly recommended for camp and ongoing lessons.

The Santa Monica Conservatory of Music is a haven for sonic and harmonic exploration. My kid loves the people and the place. She has attended their music camps and has taken lessons with wonderful teachers. Trumpet, guitar, and now flute … they’ve got it covered. My highest recommendation!

I love it here! I take piano lessons as an adult from Polly but I would say the majority of students at the conservatory are kids. It’s certainly a kid-​friendly studio. Good location, great teachers, give it a go but don’t steal Polly away from me!
Also, the ladies at the front desk are excellent. They helped me secure an ideal lesson time which is really helpful as an adult with a limited schedule.

My 10 year old daughter has been attending the Conservatory for voice for the last year, and she absolutely loves it! Molly Birman is a great teacher and has been very inspiring. My daughter’s voice has grown so much, as well as her confidence. Would absolutely recommend!

My kids, aged 6 and 9, both take lessons at the Conservatory and absolutely love it. Their teachers, Evie (clarinet), Eric (guitar) and Yevgeniy (piano), are excellent. They are talented, inspiring, encouraging, lovely people who really know how to work with kids and keep them engaged and motivated.
The conservatory itself is gorgeous, inviting, airy and calm, a very nice place to be. (It also has free parking.) From Director John Redfield to the teachers to the front desk staff, everyone is friendly, welcoming and very enthusiastic about music.
My kids went to the music camp this summer (located at Franklin elementary school), and though they had just enjoyed a very popular day camp in Topanga for a month they immediately declared that music camp was better. So we signed them up for the remaining weeks and intend to register for all of next summer too.
Camp was a very happy and fun experience for them. The kids learn and practice a new piece each week and perform it for the parents each Friday afternoon. The performances and obvious improvement and accomplishment over the week are simply incredible. There’s a great sense of camaraderie among the counselors and the kids. And it’s not only music theory, group practice and performance, including choir, but also plenty of outdoor playtime, movie time, snack time, etc. Also, it’s a full day, 9 – 3, which is terrific for everyone. The kids are encouraged to try different instruments, including choir, each week, to get a well-​rounded music experience, so there’s a sense of curiosity and a can-​do attitude that’s really fun.
We’re very happy at the Conservatory, and I’m certain the kids will continue with lessons and summer music camp for years and years. Kudos to John and the whole team at the Conservatory.

My 10 year old has been going to the Conservatory for nearly a year and it’s an ideal place to learn. My son plays Cello and works with John who is an ideal teacher, they have an amazing facility which allows for recitals. John allows my son to learn at his pace while pushing him, gently, to be the best cellist he can, truly a perfect experience. Also, you become part of a larger music community, we’ve been to student recitals which not only offer amazing music but allow my son to see what’s possible if he is willing to work hard and stick with his studies.