Dedicated to piano and trumpet lessons for students of all ages, the Myriad Music school began teaching in 1997 and has gone strong ever since. With 17 teachers schooling over 300 students, they employ a method of teaching for Kindergarten students called "Kindermusik." All the staff is university trained and can prepare students to take the Californian musical exams if required. This school provides extracurricular music lessons, with an annual fee of $80 and a $44 fee for every 30 minute private lesson, as of February 2011. The fees for group classes vary. For statewide recognized lessons, a certificate of merit can be obtained for piano, flute and voice students. The school is located about a 30-minute drive south of central San Francisco.
Blue Bear School of Music is a non-profit organization whose mission is to "provide superior quality and affordable popular music education to aspiring musicians of all ages and skill levels." Open since 1971, Blue Bear relies on referrals from those who partake in the program, which is where 90 percent of their students come from. Appealing to all ages, and with the ability to learn acoustic guitar, electric guitar, voice, piano/keys, bass, drums, sax, clarinet, mandolin or fiddle, Blue Bear is a popular San Franciscan school of music for all abilities, and is an 11-minute drive north of central San Francisco. The school is not accredited, so credit for university students or high school students can not be obtained, unless they specifically arrange it between their school and Blue Bear. Fifteen percent of tuition is required as a deposit as well as a $35 annual fee to attend the school and a charge for every class taken. The school is geared towards extracurricular activities.
The Sunset Academy of Music is located near Golden Gate Park, in the heart of San Francisco. With flexible teaching techniques that allow students to find which method of learning suits them best, Sunset Academy schools all levels of musical ability and all ages. Each music instructor is certified and almost any instrument can be learned. They also offer flexibility in scheduling, as they are open every day of the week, including weekends. Though the lessons are affordable, at $25 per 30 minutes, they are not an accredited school and therefore credit cannot be obtained. However, with no annual fee or down deposit, the Sunset Academy of Music offers flexibility in their extracurricular lessons.The school is located 14 minutes east of central San Francisco by car.
San Francisco Academy of Music is the "creme de la creme" of musical schools in the city. Students come from all over North America as well as internationally to learn from the world-renowned teachers. Started in 1917, the San Francisco Academy of Music has had an illustrious history with many famous musicians graduating from its buildings. Several notable graduates of the school are Isaac Stern, Jennifer Culp and George Duke. With the ability to further your skills on any instrument, admission is difficult and students must already be gifted in music to enter. The school also offers Preparatory Division, Adult Extension Division and Summer programs which are not for credit but allow musical ambition to be advanced. Application deadlines for degree programs are Dec. 1st for the fall semester and Oct. 1st for the spring semester. In addition to academic record and references, an audition is required. For the 2010 to 2011 academic year, tuition is $34,900. The school is located 17 minutes east of central San Francisco by car.